Light Or Darkness Series

I have the skit and the powerpoint -- there is also a video on youtube called "the dollar" which is better than the skit. If you would like the powerpoint, email me with the title in the subject line.

John 3:19-21; 16

“Light or Darkness”

“What you love is where you will be.”

Sunday Morning Sermon

04.20.08

Intro: Skit – Daniel

(Start with Title and Text)

What you do with your time says a lot about who you are. 24 hours in a day – 168 hours in a week – minutes race by – all the money in the world will not buy one more ounce of time for your life. Over and over the bible speaks about our life as a span of time. (Advance)

Psalm 90:10 (NIV) – The length of our days is seventy years— or eighty, if we have the strength; yet their span is but trouble and sorrow, for they quickly pass, and we fly away.

The time we have here is a gift from God. It is fragile, it is valuable – it can be wasted, it can be used to make a difference in our world. Imagine if Martin Luther King in 1963 never spoke about his dream. Imagine if a few short years earlier John F. Kennedy never spoke of sacrifice in his opening address to the country. Defining moments in our world happen because men and women chose to use their time to make a difference.

Discussion:

A good question this morning – what are you doing with your time? It is easier to give children $20 than it is to give them 20 minutes. Church, let me get you in on a secret – they beg for the 50 dollar jeans, and the expensive shoes – so they can keep up with their friends. What they want more than the newest shoe – is your time. They want you, to encourage them, teach them and grow them – if you don’t do it, someone else will.

If you get nothing else this morning – get this – make time for your family. Make the time for your kids – play with them, encourage them, give them opportunities for victory and help them when they lose. Our country would be stronger – Our churches would be stronger if we all did more for our own families. Next week, we are having kite day here on the lawn – bring your families spend a few hours outside. Last year was a blessing to see the dads and their kids – doing something simple like flying a kite – it’s good stuff.

We are rushed around so much – we have to be intentional with our children and the time we spend with them.

I’ll start preaching now…The bible separates time many different ways. Sometimes it’s very direct, giving periods of time – three days in the tomb. Sometimes it’s about what a person does – and time is just kind of assumed. (Advance)

2 Timothy 3:1-5 (NIV) But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them.

Paul tells Timothy, the young preacher, avoid these characteristics – spend your time doing other things. What you spend your time doing becomes a big part of who you are. If I spend my time around people who are not self-controlled – it becomes easy to have no self-control. Disobedient kids usually have friends who are disobedient – and they spend their time ignoring their parents, ignoring authority.

Jesus spent his time teaching and working with the disciples, he healed the sick, and gave sight to the blind. He spent his time with tax collectors and sinners – eating meals, showing them God’s love. When Jesus was 12 his parents went to Jerusalem for the Feast of the Passover – after the feast his parents were returning home – Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. Mary and Joseph didn’t know he stayed behind – when they were looking for him and found him – He asked them – “didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?” Basically, this is what I have to spend my time doing.

Jesus saw our time separated in terms of good and evil – what you spend your precious gift of time on – is who you are, but it doesn’t define who you can become.

If you have your Bibles turn with me to John 3:19-21; 16 (read) (Advance)