Beat The Clock (2)

INTODUCTION

Greeting: This morning we are continuing our sermon series that we have called charged. Jesus has charged His church 2 ways – Charged (empowered) – Charged (sent). He has given the church the power for one reason – to keep the command.

Attention Grabber: Although promised power Christian often struggle with keeping this command. In our passage today, we will see that there are somethings that gets in the way. Jesus intended for His message to flow through us and into the lives of other people. But there is something that seeks to block the flow.

Paul texted the Colossian church to let them know that this blockage is something we should be praying about. Paul told the Colossian Church to pray that God would open doors for the word.

Christian Standard Bible Chapter 4

2 Devote yourselves to prayer; stay alert in it with thanksgiving. 3 At the same time, pray also for us that God may open a door to us for the word, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains, 4 so that I may make it known as I should. 5 Act wisely toward outsiders, making the most of the time. 6 Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you should answer each person.

Pray: Lord speak

Intro: Leonardo Da Vinci - The Great Procrastinator

Leonardo da Vinci is widely considered one of the most diversely talented individuals ever to have lived. As an artist, he is known for The Last Supper and The Mona Lisa among others. However, his total output in painting is really rather small. There are less than 17 surviving paintings that can be definitely attributed to him, and several of them are unfinished.

The small number of surviving paintings is due in part to his chronic procrastination. He often required a sharp threat by his patrons that they were about to withhold payment to motivate him. The Mona Lisa took over 15 years for him to finish. Worse than that he was given a seven-month deadline to finish a painting known as The Virgin of the Rocks. But, Da Vinci finished it 25 years later.

It has been widely reported that Da Vinci apologized on his deathbed "to God and Man for leaving so much undone."

FCF: We all know what it’s like to put things off that are important. Missing deadlines from school projects or work. Sometimes we have legitimate excuses and other times were just procrastinating.

God calls us to extend His family by proclaiming Him to others. However, many of us procrastinate. Other “more important” things get in the way. There will come a day when we may look back upon our lives with regret for the things we left unfinished.

We all suffer in one way or another with getting the most important things done.

Proposition: In spirit, procrastination is the sin of pride because we are assuming that we have the power over the future. We are convinced that we will be here tomorrow.

James 4:13-15

“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. 15 Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.”

Although we often believe that we hold the future, later is not guaranteed. All we have is now.

All we have is what? *NOW

God desires to save people when? *NOW

Title: So, The title of today’s message is Beat The Clock (X2)

-The Lord has set-up His kingdom on earth. God’s kingdom echo’s a message throughout the land. And those who believe in the message about Jesus become citizens in God’s Kingdom.

Analytical Question: Now the question is: How to be a productive citizen in the Kingdom of God?

Paul answers the question right here in our text.

Main Idea: To be a productive citizen in the Kingdom of God, you must:

Be devoted to gospel prayer, dedicated to gospel progress and diligent keep a gospel posture.

1) We Must – Be Devoted to Gospel Prayer (X2)