Two Minute Warning

· Introduction: Good morning and welcome to our 3rd annual church in the park, I am so glad you decided to join us this morning and I have complete confidence that The Lord has a specific Word for all of us this morning!

· I also wanted to mention, if you were not aware but after the message today we will be celebrating baptism and if you have never been baptized and the LORD speaks to you that today is your day, we have everything you would need to be baptized and obey what Jesus tells us in .

Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age

· I am so honored to be here this morning with Pastor Brandon (our Youth Pastor at the campus)to bring this word to you but before we dig into the word or should I say let the Word dig into us, LET ME ASK YOU A QUESTION.

How many of you are dependent upon a calendar?? Like you need to put reminders on your calendar, every appointment needs to put down, some of you get really specific and then add a list.

Now today its pretty easy because you can just call on you invisible friend,” Hey Siri or Hey Alexia” and BAM there she is ready to put something on your calendar. Now if you’re sitting here say under the age of 25 you have no idea just how spoiled you are.

Back in the day ( That means before you were born ) I had this thing called a Day-Timer or Personal organizer. Which was really this huge three binder with a one year calendar, page by page that you actually had to write in... by hand! Can you believe it you couldn’t talk to it ( well you could but nothing would happen. Then you carried it everywhere...it was the size of NJ, and now its all here ( show iPhone )

Why did we do that, why do we still do it. Simple, My time is important to me and I don’t want to waste it??? And that leads me into the title of this message Two Minute Warning.

Here is the definition of Two Minute Warning – A time out is called by an official to notify teams that two minutes remain in the half or the game. Don’t you wish that sometimes in life you could call a two minute warning. This isn’t a time-out this is a warning.

Today Brandon and I want to talk about the Two minute warning to the end of the game called by Moses in .

Before Pastor Brandon comes to share the first point with us, I would like to give a very brief background of Moses because he had a very unique perspective to offer on life when he wrote this Psalm.

-He was raised in the household of a king in Egypt.

-He killed a man and had to run away to live in the desert –raising sheep.

-God came to Moses and showed him that he had a bigger plan for his life.

-Moses returned to Egypt serving and empowered by God to deliver The Jewish people. (who were mis-treated slaves.)

-Just as the Jewish people were about to enter the land that God had promised to them… Moses and the people sinned against God!

-They had to wonder in the desert for 40 years and Mosses could not enter with them.

Most Scholars believe that it was near the end of this 40 years of wondering in the desert that Moses wrote this Psalm

·Because of their sins Israel had come under the wrath of God and wonder in the wilderness these 40 yrs

·Because of their sins nearly an entire generation of sinful Israelites had passed away.

Here is a man who had…

-Seen it all

-Experienced it all

-Lived it all

He had experienced:

-The ups and downs of life

-The poor life

-The Good life

-The life in Sin

-The life in God

Moses lived a full life….He lived to be 120 years old! Impressive but at times very difficult Although!! HE NEVER ENTERED THE PROMISE LAND!

I’M NOT SURE A PERSON COULD LIVE A LIFE FULLER THAN MOSSES DID !

-WITH THIS MAN NAMED MOSES IN MIND LETS READ THIS SONG THAT HE WROTE NEAR THE END OF HIS LIFE.

1 Lord, you have been our dwelling place throughout all generations. 2 Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the whole world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.

3 You turn people back to dust, saying, “Return to dust, you mortals.” 4 A thousand years in your sight are like a day that has just gone by, or like a watch in the night. 5 Yet you sweep people away in the sleep of death—they are like the new grass of the morning: 6 In the morning it springs up new, but by evening it is dry and withered.

7 We are consumed by your anger and terrified by your indignation. 8 You have set our iniquities before you, our secret sins in the light of your presence. 9 All our days pass away under your wrath; we finish our years with a moan. 10 Our days may come to seventy years, or eighty, if our strength endures; yet the best of them are but trouble and sorrow, for they quickly pass, and we fly away. 11 If only we knew the power of your anger! Your wrath is as great as the fear that is your due. 12 Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.

13 Relent, Lord! How long will it be? Have compassion on your servants. 14 Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days. 15 Make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us, for as many years as we have seen trouble. 16 May your deeds be shown to your servants, your splendor to their children.

17 May the favor of the Lord our God rest on us; establish the work of our hands for us— yes, establish the work of our hands.

1 LIFE IS SHORT ETERNITY ISN’T

When we think about life what is the first thing that comes to mind?

· Family

· Jobs

· Vacation etc.

It’s Funny we will plan our vacations out from where we are staying to the way we will take to get there, to what we will do when we get there. I’m not against vacation but the point I’m trying to make we will make plans for vacation, but how many of us have taken time to make plans for eternity.

The bible makes its plan we are not here forever matter a fact this is what the bible says in.

14 yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.

14 yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.

I love that question posed by James WHAT IS YOUR LIFE? With the understanding that life is short how should we be living in light of this?

First thing is if you have never giving your heart to Christ today is the day to do so. But if you are Christian

· Live with the eternal Perspective

Psalm 90:12 ASV 1901

So teach us to number our days, That we may get us a heart of wisdom.

Teach me to number my days a right that I may gain a heart of wisdom

Teach me to number my days a right that I may gain a heart of wisdom

· Decisions Have Eternal Consequences

Colossians 3:25 ASV 1901

For he that doeth wrong shall receive again for the wrong that he hath done: and there is no respect of persons.

For he who does wrong will receive the consequences of the wrong which he has done, and that without partiality.

The decisions we make in this life determine where we will spend the next. We should, therefore, make certain that the right decisions are made. The final states are fixed, there is no second chance

· Heaven On Our Mind

Jesus said, ““Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

Point Summary:

Realizing that life is short should cause us to make the most of each day. Eternity is not far off for any of us. The key question that each of us have to answer is this, "Am I ready to meet my Maker?"

Eric –I have always been a big believer in perspective and how important having the proper perspective can be. In fact, I remember during a very difficult time in my life when I faced some of the biggest challenges in my life someone telling me,” Expect nothing and you will never be disappointed.” It took me awhile to understand this and it seemed to help until I realized

2. LOW EXPECTATIONS EQUALS LOW EFFORT.

This cutsie statement was making me become APATHETIC and LAZY. I started to realize by expecting nothing that it keep everyone and everything at a distance and distance always creates distortion. I had to learn that closeness brings clarity, and when I allowed healthy people into my life and the closer I allowed Jesus into my life it brought clarity and proper perspective. Moses gets it in verse 12

12 Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.

Are you Teachable? Do you look forward to gaining wisdom and not just knowledge? Knowledge is awesome and wonderful and necessary, BUT to have knowledge without the willingness or ability to apply it selfish. Knowledge is for you but wisdom is applying all that knowledge to produce good, but this isn’t just about wisdom, this about gaining a heart of wisdom.

Interesting what Moses says "heart of wisdom” What is a heart of wisdom? It’s a heart that turns from Human attempts and self-deception and self-gratification and self-justification and its no longer ME but HE ( Jesus )

TEACH US TO NUMBER OUR DAYS

ILLUSTRATION: DIFFERENT LENGTH GLASS TUBES WITH MARBLES.

Point Summary: You’re as close to God as you want to be.You create your own expectations not circumstances. Will you make the most of the time given you or will you WASTE it, its you're choice!

3. WASTED TIME IS A WASTED LIFE

11 Don't waste your time on useless work, mere busywork, the barren pursuits of darkness. Expose these things for the sham they are.

12 It's a scandal when people waste their lives on things they must do in the darkness where no one will see.

13 Rip the cover off those frauds and see how attractive they look in the light of Christ.

14 Wake up from your sleep, Climb out of your coffins; Christ will show you the light!

15 So watch your step. Use your head.

16 Make the most of every chance you get. These are desperate times!

17 Don't live carelessly, unthinkingly. Make sure you understand what the Master wants.

18 Don't drink too much wine. That cheapens your life. Drink the Spirit of God, huge draughts of him.

19 Sing hymns instead of drinking songs! Sing songs from your heart to Christ.

20 Sing praises over everything, any excuse for a song to God the Father in the name of our Master, Jesus Christ.

21 Out of respect for Christ, be courteously reverent to one another.

So, with these verses in mind how should spend our time? We Need to understand

Time is a trust

What are we doing with it? Are we frittering it away, letting it slip through our fingers, squandering it and wasting it?

Or are we treasuring it, using it to maximum advantage,

filling every minute with 60 seconds’ worth of service to God?

Time is a test

Time in itself is neither good nor bad only what we make it to be. But it becomes a crucial test,

Sifting us through and through, minute by minute. And what we do with it determines wither or not we passed the test.

·Third, time is an appointment.

Time is an appointment.

Birth/Salvation/Death appointment

Time has been given to us for the purpose of glorifying God in this life.

Time has been given to us to have an encounter with the living God.

Story of My step Dad.

INVITATION: 3 COUNT!!