It’s About Time
It’s About Time
What Time is it anyway?
January 21, 2007
It’s About Time
Is it time yet?
“Is it time yet?” I can’t tell you how often I have heard those words over the years after having raised three children who were always interested in knowing when the “time” was coming that they were anticipating.
Whether that be reaching the campsite where we would spend our vacation or when the appointed time was coming to open Christmas gifts, it is an often repeated phrase around any household with children: “Is it time yet?”
A Father’s story
A father tells the story of how his daughter Rachel wanted to help transplant some small maple trees in the side yard. Given that she was only five years old, she could not handle the shovel or transport the trees. This dad really wanted her to be a part of the process so that some day she could come back home and say, “I helped Dad plant that tree!”, so it was necessary to give her some task that could be deemed responsible while yet being doable for a little girl of five.
When we made it out to the shed where the shovels were stored, she asked if she could help dig. “No.” he said. “Tell you what. You can help me water every tree that we plant. How would that be?” She liked that idea. The watering can was a plastic one and she didn’t have to fill it full. She could probably handle that.
So off they went into our woods to find just the right maples that could be transplanted out into the front yard. Finally they found a small one, no bigger than four feet high. It was just about the size of Rachel and she became excited. “Should we dig this one Daddy?” As he began to dig, it was obvious that she was getting antsy. She asked him how long it would take and how deep he would have to dig.
Finally, forgetting completely about the transplanting, she asked, “Can I water it now?”
“No!” he said patiently. “I have to dig it out first and put it in another hole. Then you can water it.”
After about ten minutes or so, the root ball extracted, I picked up the little tree and Rachel and I trudged over to the front yard to find just the right spot for tree number one. Spot selected, I started digging the planting hole for the little tree. I had laid the little maple down next to the spot and within but a few minutes he heard sprinkles behind me.
Rachel was watering the tree despite the fact it was not in the ground yet. “Not yet, honey. First let me get the tree in the hole.” He went back to my digging. Finally she helped me lift it into the hole.
“Can I water it now?” she pleaded. “No, not yet. First let Daddy put some earth around the roots and pack it in. Then you can water it.” Finally, ground in place, Rachel watered her tree.
We transplanted six trees that fall afternoon. And the ritual of premature watering repeated itself as each tree was pulled from the ground, lifted into the hold and packed down tight. “Is it time yet?” It was repeated often that afternoon. To this day I am certain that the reason each one of those maples is doing so well today is that a little girl of five blessed each one of them with an abundance of water whether they wanted it or not.
Time. As children we have a very difficult time understanding the concept of now and later. Time is always now when we are children. Later is not a concept that we either care about or really even grasp. Children live in the now and have little understanding of the later. Because of their limited comprehension of the concept of time, children find it difficult to work within the bounds that we adults set on it. “It’s time for bed!” We call out as the evening slips into night. But to a child it is only time to be doing what he or she is presently doing.
Perceiving that one event is followed by another in a structured sequence is not something easily grasped by a five-year-old anxious to “do” now and not later.
And so it is also with us as it concerns balancing our timing against God’s. Since we are only limited human beings, it is difficult for us to understand that our focus on the here and now may not be the same focus our Heavenly Father might be taking. His perspective of time is not often one we share. We ask for a blessing or a gift and don’t receive it in the “allotted” time and we are disappointed, even miffed at God. If God delays an answer for such a long period of time that we have even forgotten we asked, disappointment can easily become discouragement. We look longingly to the skies in the shadow of our Heavenly Father’s grace and ask impatiently, “Is it time yet?” We ask because, like little Rachel, it is what we like and want. We little regard what might be better for us based on God’s perfect timing. When God is ready, He will do it; not necessarily when we like it but when He deems it is the right time. Taking matters into our own hands will only result in delays and wrong turns.
In The Beginning…
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
Genesis 1:1
In the theories about the cosmos we have heard much of the “Big Bang”. There is also a theory of the “Big Crunch”. How did it begin?
Trust me… We are not going to solve this today! But what we can learn today is something about what time it is according to his word
In my research I’ve done a lot of reading about this subject and I have to tell you it gained a little understanding and a large headache…
So, What is Time Anyway?
14 And God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark seasons and days and years, 15 and let them be lights in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth.” And it was so
Genesis 1:14
Some of the most popular movies in recent years have had to do with time… “Back to the Future”, “The Terminator”, “The Time Machine”, “The Lake House” with Keanau Reeves and Julia.
Can you think of some of the more popular movies and books that have to do with time – just call them out… There are lots of them…
According to the Scriptures. . .
It was created at the beginning of the universe. Genesis is not a book of science. It was not written to reveal the secrets of the stars. Genesis is a book about human kind and God’s love for us. Still, there are some clues.
Time is a way of measuring physical life. It is a dimension of existence and it is transitory in nature.
This leads to a lot of speculation, experimentation, imagination, and wonderment about time among those who write about science and fiction. Time travel, time warps, time shifting, time bending and time skipping are all popular story lines.
But all of this is kind of the populist and popular theories of time. It’s sort a gussied up and simplified version.
Zeno’s paradox: Goals never reached
The most famous paradox invented by Zeno, the Greek philosopher, is called "Achilles and the tortoise." A tortoise gets a 10-meter head start in a race against Achilles. Zeno says the tortoise can never be passed. His logic: When Achilles has run 10 meters, the tortoise will have moved a meter; Achilles goes another meter, and the tortoise crawls 10 more centimeters. The race continues in this ever-more boring and incremental fashion.
A related paradox, called the dichotomy, argues that you can never reach a goal. First you’ll have to travel half the distance, then half that distance, and so on. You might as well stay home.
Reality is different, of course -- goals are reached and turtles often lose.
But philosophers and physicists have not been able to explain the paradoxes away.
There are some much more complex and scholarly arguments about time. In fact, Christian theologians and secular philosophers argue incessantly about Theory A of time and eternity vs. Theory B of time and eternity – partly to rid themselves of having to deal with God.
Time
Time is simply a sequence of events involving change. Everything in time involves tense. That is for those of us living in time there is the past, the present or a potential future.
Time is defined by eternity – which is timelessness. In timelessness there is no past, no present, no potential future. There is simply presence – changeless, timeless, the presence of the God.
When God created the world he created time. That is God created order, succession of events and measurement of change. What was created by God will someday end.
Some philosophers have difficulty with this concept because if God is tenseless and eternal how can he function in a tensed time oriented world? The postulate that this is an unexplainable paradox that proves either there is no God or there is no eternity.
My suggestion… no one can understand the nature or power of God – but we do have what he has revealed to us…
God began Time and Time will someday end. Time is not timeless.
So What Time is It?
18 Dear children, this is the last hour; and as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come. This is how we know it is the last hour.
1 John 2.18
We are living so much closer to Christ’s return than in John’s or Jesus’ day.
How can this be? John wrote these words some 1900 years ago. What do these scriptures have to do with us?
Remember that Time to God is a relative thing… It’s relative to us too but we are so finite that it is largely unrecognized. It’s only been in the last 60 years that Einstein postulated his theory of relativity concerning time and space.
So what time is it?
8 But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.
God transcends time. He controls it and bends it around his little finger like a bread wrapper.
He is waiting till the right time… He may be waiting for you.
So what time is it?
9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.
2 Peter 3.8-14
I think of it this way. Every day, God gets up, stretches and asks himself, “should I end time today?” Then he opens up the windows of heaven and looks down on this world and takes stock of all that there is. Every act of rebellious sin, every crime, every overlooked act of love, every overt doing of violence, every instance in which the God designed human soul has been perverted and degraded is noted, recorded, and reviewed. Then God sucks in his breath and looks over the world for those that are close to coming home and then he says, I think I’ll wait one more day.
But the day will come when it will be too much. One day God will look out over this world and cry one word, “Enough”. He’ll call Michael, the arch angel and give the command, “Michael, blow the trumpet, call all the heavenly beings, today is the day. Now, it’s time – time to end all time and enter into eternity.
So what time is it? Really? For you and I today, right now?
It’s the Time for Holiness
“At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom…”
Matt 25:1-13
Tell or read the story…
Holiness is simply getting ready for the coming of the bridegroom. We’re the bride and our Lord is the groom.
The challenge is that for us it has been a long time – 2000 years and all my life. So physical weariness settles in on us just like when we’ve been awake a long time,
Remember those all-niters you pulled in college? The next day you had a tough time staying awake and if you were awake you weren’t worth much to anyone.
Spiritual weariness sometimes overcomes us when we’ve been a Christian for a while.
It’s the Time for Holiness
13 Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed.
I Peter 1:13
Peter, says “WAKE UP!!!”
We know the times & seasons - our salvation is nearer than when we first believed, cast off darkness & put on the Lord Jesus Christ.
How do you use your time differently since you accepted Christ or dedicated yourself to Him as compared to before?
Do you spend enough time with God, getting to know Him?
We should spend the rest of our time on earth doing the will of God.
It’s a Time of Expectation
11 And do this, understanding the present time. The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. 12 The night is nearly over; the day is almost here…
Romans 13:11-12
Charles Spurgeon, a great preacher, in London many years ago was speaking on the end times when an earthquake rocked the hall he was speaking in. Everyone ran, screaming, some of them hysterically, while two little old ladies in the front row stayed where they were and laughed out loud during the entire time of shaking.
When the earthquake ended and while the dust was still settling, Mr. Spurgeon asked the two ladies why they had laughed instead of running like everyone else.
They said, “Well, you were preaching on the end of the world and we thought that this was it!”
Are you living like you can laugh with joy at the expectation of the end or would you be filled with dread and fear?
This is an important question for you to answer today.
It’s a Time of Opportunity
2 For he says, “In the time of my favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you.” I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation.
2 Corinthians 6:2
Today is the day of salvation
Have you made peace with God? Now is the time… not later.
A couple weeks ago I had the funeral of a man who had wasted the majority of the days of his life in drugs, alcohol, and heroin.
In the last few years God changed him. He got off the drugs, he quit drinking and he stopped the heroin. His body was ravaged by the years of abuse and he died.
But, and this is the wonderful news, before he left this world he made his peace with God. He told his brothers, estranged for over 20 years that he was a born again follower of Jesus.
Today is the time to get right with God and to begin following his son, Jesus.
Today is the time to encourage your brothers and sisters to keep on going. To lift them up if they are tired.
Today we have a gift for you… it is the gift of time… We’re going to have an extended communion time down front… Usually we have some singing and announcements following – today we have the gift of time.
While the musicians play, I want to invite you to come and to fellowship at the Lord’s table with God and with each other.
Take the gift of time we’ve given you today and encourage one another.
Ask one question, “How are you doing today? Then listen. You can pray for one another, you can share your personal story, you can give a high five or a pat on the back. Or you can just listen and care.
When you are asked “How are you doing today”, be willing to share as openly as you are comfortable. If you need to get straight with God, talk to me or one of our elders. You can make a note on the card in the bulletin and I promise, we’ll contact you and talk with you about the things of God.
Now come, let worship God together and encourage one another.
And when you are ready to leave, don’t forget your kids! Now, come.
