(working on) Lies We Believe about Time

I.

Top Five Things People Put Off Until the Last Minute

i. House chores/yard work: 35

Holiday gift shopping: 25

iii. Making doctor/dentist appointments: 20

iv. Calling relatives: 15

v. Changing oil in the car: 5

I. MYSTERY OF TIME

A. Time is as much a mystery as eternity is.

i. I did some reading this week about some of the theology of eternity. It absolutely blew my mind. There was so much written over the ages, and the relationship between God and eternity that I couldn’t possibly read it all in my lifetime.

ii. So I figured maybe I could tackle the concept of time. So I read an article that blew away all of my presuppositions about time.

iii. You have probably heard of Quantum Physics, where they deal with space and time and how things work together. We get all sorts of great science fiction movies based upon some of the ideas people get from the possibilities of Quantum Physics.

iv. An article in a Christian magazine by a person who believes in the literal 7 days of creation got my attention. The author has a PhD in Earth and Planetary physics and a PhD in nuclear physics. He starts off the article comparing the apparent age of the universe to the literal biblical view of 7 days. He says that both views are right, that the universe is both very old and very young. According to him, time began when God spoke the light into existence and matter took shape from His word. The biblical 6 days began in that instant of time when the big bang occurred.

v. According to this professor, the fallacy lies in how we measure time.

1. W e look back from our earth time today, our human time.

2. But Genesis looks at time from the beginning forward.

3. So according to this author, we need to have a calculator to compare “Genesis time (time looking forward)” with our “Human time (time looking backward).”

4. He bases his calculations upon what is known as the “expansion factor” of the universe which calculates the size of the universe today compared to when it was spoken into existence.

5. This is an important number because of the relationship between time and space and the speed at which matter moves.

6. All of this is possible because we know that when matter travels at or near the speed of light, time literally comes to a stand-still. A spaceship taking off from earth and traveling for 100 years at the speed of light will return and not have aged but a few minutes, but the earth would have aged 100 years.

7. This is applied to the concept of the universe’s expansion. In the case of creation, we are the ones traveling at nearly the speed of light for the 6 days, with each passing day, slowing down more and more.

8. The multiplier he uses for his “expansion factor” is 1 trillion, as scientists estimate the universe is 1 trillion times bigger now that it was when it was created.

9. Through calculations, the universe is 6 days x 1 trillion (the amount used to calculate time and space) = 6 trillion days or about 15 billion years.

a. Einstein’s first major contribution to the study of time occurred when he revolutionized physics with his "special theory of relativity" by showing how time changes with motion.

b. Today, scientists do not see problems of time or motion as "absolute" with a single correct answer. This is because time is relative to the speed one is traveling at, there can never be a clock at the center of the universe to which everyone can set their watches. Your entire life is the blink of an eye to an alien traveling close to the speed of light.

11. The reason I bring this up is to point out that time is as much a mystery as is eternity. With all of our fanciful knowledge, the more we know the less we realize that we really know.

II. Lies We Believe

A. Lie #1 – “This is all there is.”

a. This viewpoint is preoccupied with the present, and with what is seen.

i. 2 Cor 4:18 “…we consider and look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen; for the things that are visible are temporal (brief and fleeting), but the things that are invisible are deathless and everlasting(eternal).”

ii. Visionaries see what hasn’t yet happened.

1. They focus upon the future, they see what is unseen, they see what is in the future.

2. Great visionaries have been behind every major advancement in technology and medicine. They are people of faith.

iii. If vision is how we see unseen things…things of the future, things of eternity, then the key to vision is faith.

iv. Faith possesses the vision to see the invisible, to see what God could do if we let Him do whatever He wanted.

v. God wants us to be people of vision.

vi. He desires that we be people who see into eternity, who see past today and past the things that are passing away.

b. Those who believe that this is all there is have to be the most miserable people upon earth. They have no hope for tomorrow except to meet a need or desire they have.

i. 1 Cor 15:19 “If we who are [abiding] in Christ have hope only in this life and that is all, then we are of all people most miserable and to be pitied.”

ii. Anyone whose hope exists for this life alone has no vision, no true hope, only a grave and worms to look forward to.

iii. Yet eternity is a something that those who believe that this is all there is will someday come face to face with.

iv. There is more to life than what is happening right now This life is just the warm-up. This life is preparation for eternity. I’m only going to live for 70 or 80 years at the maximum. But on the other side of eternity, I’m going to live forever.

v. The bible says that “God has set eternity in the hearts of men.”

1. All men secretly hope that there is more than this pile of dust we leave behind.

2. I got good news! There is a mansion waiting! Amen?

B. Lie #2: “I got plenty of time.”

a. I have attended too many funerals to know this isn’t true.

b. I recall several funerals over past 2 years ago / most weeks after coming down with Covid

c. I have never had to do an accident victim’s funeral, but have been at one and know the suddenness of loss is never easy to face.

i. Psalm 39:5 My life is no longer than the width of my hand. An entire lifetime is just a moment to you; human existence is but a breath."

ii. Time won’t stop for anyone.

iii. When your clock runs down, will you be wishing you had another day?

iv. When you are hospitalized with chest pains, what runs through your mind?

1. All the people who you wished you said something kind to and missed the chance?

v. Time doesn’t belong to us, it slips through our fingers like sand.

1. We don’t have plenty of it.

2. Those who think they do will have nothing but regret at the end of their lives.

3. You don’t have much time here. Your account is running out. You have less now that you had when I began this sermon.

4. You have a limited number of hours and days on this earth.

5. How you spend it will reflect on how you spend eternity.

a. What a great trade off!

6. A little time here spent correctly has eternal consequences!

7. Psalm 39:4 "LORD, remind me how brief my time on earth will be. Remind me that my days are numbered, and that my life is fleeing away”

d. 2 Cor 6:2 “Now is the day of salvation”

There is never a tomorrow guaranteed.

C. Lie #3: “I don’t have enough time”

a. This is the exact opposite of Lie #2.

i. Yet both myths contribute to procrastinating.

ii. Rather than switch from one lie to the other, we need a consistent, realistic view of how much my time is worth and how much of it there is.

b. Have you ever said that there isn’t enough time to do all that I have to do.

i. Imagine going back to the time when people had no dishwashers, washing machines, microwaves, convenience foods, fast food restaurants, or even automobiles.

ii. They were busy from dawn to dusk doing all the essential things to survival.

iii. Today the average family has 50 “servants” that take the form of household appliances and yet the cry of our hearts is “I don’t have enough time!”

c. Our challenge with time has to do with the fact that it is only a measurement of how we live our lives.

i. Some people seem to have more of it than others.

d. How can some people make a huge difference in the world while others burn away their existence in self centered, self-absorbed living?

i. What is the difference between them?

ii. I believe that much of it has to do with their reason for living.

iii. Your highest purpose in life determines how you live your life.

1. If you are your highest reason, then don’t expect much out of this life and certainly less in the next.

2. But the more you give away the more you get, according to Jesus.

3. When you live for Christ then your life takes on a new dimension.

e. According to the authors of a controversial new book entitled Time for Life, the average

American has more free time today than at any time.

i. Two time management experts studied the daily routines of Americans over the past thirty years to reach their surprising conclusion, which says that our leisure time has increased almost five hours per week in the last three decades.

ii. Knowing that most people feel more rushed today than ever before, the authors say more leisure time has actually accelerated rather than slowed the pace of life....

iii. Consider this disturbing fact: Americans spend nine-tenths of one hour per week, about fifty-four minutes, on religious activities. Compare this to fifteen hours a week that are spent watching entertainment (tv, phones YouTube, Fails, sports).

1. I went to a seminar conducted by Dr. Gregory Frizzell, who has written key books on holiness and on revival. He stated that at the root of the 21st century coldness in the church is our “Brylcream” attitude toward prayer and God. You remember the advertisement…”just a little dab will do you.”

2. We take a fast food approach to God and the time we spend with Him and expect somehow we will reap results different than we have sown.

3. Our problem does not lie with the amount of time we have, but with the priorities we possess

III. TRUTH

A. Truth #1: There is enough time for you to do everything that is on God’s to do list for the day, week or month…if your priorities are straight.

a. The work God gives you needs to remain number one.

b. Jesus said at the end of His life, “I have finished the work you gave me to do.” (John 17).

c. Let me share a key life plan for how we spend our time:

i. Quadrants for time: Important, Urgent, Urgent & Important, Not Important or Urgent.

ii. Where do you think prayer belongs?

iii. Telling someone about Jesus?

I have so much to do today that I shall spend the first 3 hours in prayer. - Martin Luther

B. Truth #2: How we spend our time is more important thaN how much of it we have.

a. How Do We Value Time?

i. How do we value ONE YEAR? Just ask a student who failed a grade.

ii. How do we value ONE MONTH? Just ask a Mother whose baby arrived prematurely.

iii. How do we value ONE WEEK? Editor’s of weekly newspapers know.

iv. How do we value ONE HOUR? Ask someone who lies terminally ill waiting for a loved one who is late.

v. How do we value ONE MINUTE? Ask someone who missed a plane, a train, a very important engagement that would never be rescheduled.

vi. How do we value ONE SECOND? Ask and Olympic Medalist, someone who just missed having an accident, or someone saying good by to a loved one they will never see again.

b. Things are important, agenda’s have value, but a person is never an interruption.

i. Jesus’ disciples were full of fire and were acting like bouncers. They wanted to get on with the task of getting something done, even if they didn’t always know what that “something” was. Once a bunch of small, grimy-fingered kids came along and wanted to climb on the Master’s lap.

1. “Get those kids out of here,” thought the goal-oriented disciples.

2. “No, let them stay. Let’s enjoy them and let them enjoy us,” thought the true goal-oriented Man from heaven who knew and expressed the great worth of the individual.

ii. The next time a person “interrupts” you, try not to think of what you were doing and of all your deadlines; rather, think of that person’s needs, of his silent compliment in desiring to spend a few moments with you.

iii. Your meeting may be a significant point in each of your lives, because it is an encounter with another person God has created. you may impart something crucial to his

iv. Ephesians 5:14-18. 15 Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, 16 making the most of your time (kairon), because the days are evil. 17 So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. 18 And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit”

7. Beginning in the 1930s Arthur Stace spent his early morning hours writing the word "Eternity" in a distinctive cursive style in every doorway, on every street, and major entrance to a public area that he could find in Sydney. For years, the citizens of the city wondered who was writing the "one word sermon" and why. Every once in a while, someone would claim responsibility for the graffiti and the newspapers would print the stories. In 1956, Stace was a member of the Burton Street Baptist Church, where he also served as the janitor and a prayer leader. One day, the pastor of the church, Rev. Lisle M.

Thompson, stumbled across Stace while he was writing his chalk message on a sidewalk and the mystery of the "Eternity" messages all over Sydney was solved.

a. Let me tell you about Arthur Stace. He was born in the slums in Sydney in 1884. His parents were addicted to alcohol and consequently, young Arthur was brought up neglected and needy in an atmosphere of poverty. As a result much of his childhood was spent stealing bread and milk, and searching for scrap food in garbage bins. His schooling was almost non-existent, and by the age of 12 young Arthur had become a state ward. Things got much worse as he entered the turbulent teenage years. He became a heavy drinker, and by the age of 15 he was sent to jail. In his adolescence he worked as "a look out" for police for those who ran illegal gambling dens. In his twenties he was a scout for his sisters’ brothels.

One Sunday night in 1932 he entered St Barnabas’ Anglican Church on Broadway, Sydney, and heard the Reverend T. C. Hammond preach the gospel of Jesus Christ. Arthur was convicted by the Spirit of God. He left the church, crossed the road, and sat under a tree in Victoria Park where he committed his life to Jesus Christ. He had become a new creation.

He said that after his conversion to Christianity, he heard a sermon in which the evangelist said " the word Eternity. He pointed out how the echoes of Eternity are heard not only in creation and in the Christian, but also in the cross. Then the preacher raised his loud voice and cried, "Eternity, Eternity, I wish that I could sound or shout that word to everyone in the streets of Sydney. You’ve got to meet it, where will you spend Eternity?" Oh, that this word could be emblazoned across the streets of Sydney!"

d. In his simple way, Stace decided to do that.

i. There is a huge illuminated sign on the Sydney Harbour Bridge that says "Eternity" in Trace’s distinctive handwriting, a sign that was clearly seen by hundreds of millions of people during the fireworks display at the end of the opening ceremonies at the Olympics in Sidney in 2000.

e. Will you use your time as an investment for eternity?

8. Time is like money. If you spend it on yourself, you will have nothing to show for it.

a. But if you invest it, it will make a return, and in the case of time, the returns will last forever.

b. This summer you will be making choices about how you spend your time.

c. Will you spend it on yourself or will you invest it by giving it away?

i. Will you volunteer to invest that time in a brand new Christian who needs your time and your experience to begin their journey? There will be many people receiving Christ this summer. They need encouragers. You can volunteer to be their encourager.

ii. Will you volunteer to spend your time sharing the gospel with others, enabling them to spend eternity with Jesus?

iii. Will you volunteer to work and pray so that others who have the ability can share the gospel with others?

iv. Will you sacrifice your time…your most precious gift you have? I read that love is spelled T-I-M-E. Will you give it away this summer?

d. I am going to ask you to make a commitment to do so in one of three ways:

i. Esther 4:14 “For such a time as this.”

ii. First, if you believe that you are willing to be assigned to help walk alongside at least one brand new Christian this summer, I am going to ask you to take the tear-off on your bulletin and write on it your name, phone and say, “I want to be an encourager.” The deacons and myself will train you and assist you so that you can be a great encourager to a brand new Christian.

iii. Second, if you are willing to let God use you to share your faith this summer, I am going to ask you to write on that insert “I want to share Jesus” along with your name. Drop it in the offering basket.

iv. Third, if you are willing to pray for the ministries this summer, I ask you to take that same tear off and fill it out and write “I will pray!” on it. Drop it in the offering basket when it comes around.

v. Maybe God has told you to do all three…write it down and drop it in the basket. Make an offering of yourself to Him. That is what the offertory is all about.

vi. If God has spoken to you about your need to dedicate your life to Him or to return to Him, you can slip out of your seat and come on up front to pray with me or spend time at the kneeling rails. God owns your time. Won’t you give it back to Him?