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)
I see three things this morning that will hopefully encourage us to spend our time in the right way. But instead of telling you what to do with your time – this text defines how time is spent by people who don’t love God and who are active in their love for God. (Advance)
I. Some love Darkness (19-21)
Star Wars – very biblically calls evil – “the dark side.”
a. Some people simply love darkness (Advance)
Proverbs 4:19 (NIV) But the way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know what makes them stumble.
i. They work at doing evil
ii. They make a job out of tearing down
iii. They seek their own – lifting themselves up
iv. They are active in doing things of darkness.
I want to suggest something – those in this group will not identify themselves with this group. You might not identify them as being in this group. What they do with their time might not seem so bad – just a compromise here and a short cut there. It starts off that way, but soon the compromise becomes a habit, and then a way of life, and then a justification. Then what Jesus says here vs. 19
…men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds are evil.
b. They love darkness
i. Because that’s what they’ve spent their time doing
ii. Because that’s where their identification is
iii. They no longer see themselves as useful – their god is small and their sin is huge.
iv. Their doctrine is from the Bible (Advance)
Romans 3:23 (NIV) for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
But the context – is not about their justification in Christ or Righteousness – they see themselves falling short and staying short.
c. A choice takes place – what do I love more?
i. Me/Self/my own advancement/my own glory
ii. Others/building up those around me/God’s glory
According to Jesus – there really isn’t a middle of the line – if you spend your time doing stuff you know you shouldn’t – it’s evil – you will not love the light. You will not come into the light – because your deeds will be exposed.
Just to make this real clear – it is not the church’s responsibility to call people evil and spend time exposing evil deeds.
Don’t walk up to your boss, who cusses like a sailor, and begin to explain that he is evil and from the devil, and then offer to play an audio tape of one of his crazy rants.
It is, however, your responsibility and mine to identify pieces or parts of our own lives
that line up closer to this darkness – and allow the light in. Identify the parts of your soul that are dry and thirsty, the areas which aren’t satisfied and apply the living water. Judge yourself, not in view of other people, because you can always find imperfection. Judge yourself in view of the one who is perfect – Jesus Christ, and allow him to change you accordingly. The opposite side of this coin: (Advance)
II. Some love light (21)
Their dedication and devotion is all the time. They fall short but they don’t stay short. They understand the great debt paid for them on the cross. Jesus says:
a. They live by truth
i. Their witness is action – but not void of word.
ii. They spend time in prayer
iii. They spend time in God’s word
iv. They spend time in the church & love the church
Their doctrine is biblical -- (Advance)
Ephesians 5:8 (NIV) – For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light
b. Their deeds reveal the love in their lives
Before you claim that this is you – understand people who are lovers of the light are very intentional people. They don’t hide their deeds – but they don’t boast about them either.
We’re sitting down the other day and I told Hailey that I love her. She said, “Yeah”. I told her that she was humble – She said, “Yeah”. Amanda asked her what the word humble meant – she said she didn’t know. Amanda said, it’s means you don’t think you are wonderful. – Hailey said, “But I am wonderful.” Hailey has some work to do.
c. Their salvation is because of Jesus
I know that sounds strange – but the truth is – you aren’t bad people. So it’s easy to comprehend that Jesus died for axe murders and addicts – it’s not so easy to look at the gossip in your life, the impatience in your life, the un-forgiveness in your life, the apathy in your life and see yourself with all your good intentions and motivations as needing the same forgiveness. Clearly, Jesus died for all of us regardless. (Advance)
Ephesians 1:7 (NIV) In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace
People who love the light – show it with their glory
d. They give God the glory for what they accomplish
Listen, anyone can blame their junk on God. Anyone can be ill prepared for something and blame God. Anyone can take short-cuts and blame God. I’ve heard a lot of bad sermons that were blamed on God – honestly; I’ve probably preached one or two. It hasn’t always been this way – where someone could do something part-way or ½ way and blame it on God. (Advance)
Daniel 1:20 (NIV) – In every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king questioned them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters in his whole kingdom.
It says earlier in chapter one that God gave them knowledge and understanding of all kinds of literature and learning. And Daniel could understand visions and dreams of all kinds.
Daniel would give God the credit – because what he could accomplish in his life was plainly done by God – 10 times better than the world. God’s work stands out, because God’s people should stand out.
Some people love darkness – Some people love light and they spend their time accordingly. Here’s another good bit of information. (Advance)
III. God Loves You (16)
Earlier in chapter 3 Jesus makes us aware of God’s love (Advance)
John 3:16 (NIV) "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
a. God spent his time
i. Seeking you -- saving you
In fact God loves you so much – he didn’t withhold anything to give you the way to be with him for eternity. Listen, one option is perishing (it’s not good) the other option is eternal life (which is absolutely excellent).
There is a lie – “IF God loves me, he wouldn’t send me to hell” – Here’s the truth – God loves you so much – he sent his son Jesus to die for sin he wasn’t guilty of, so that you wouldn’t go to hell.
You weren’t created for hell. The Bible says Hell was created for the devil and his angels, not for us. But when we love the things of darkness – when we center our lives around the things of darkness – it’s like trying to play baseball with a tomato. Tomatoes are good – on burgers, and in chili, but they weren’t created to be hit with a bat. You weren’t created for hell, but you weren’t created for sin either. You can try to match it up with your life – make excuses – justify it. But you weren’t created for it. Listen, when you choose (Fill in the blank) over God in your life – you shut the door on his love for you. Rejecting his love – rejecting his sacrifice.
b. Only you move yourself away (Advance)
Romans 8:38-39 (NIV) For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
God’s love can have this locking affect on your life – If his love controls your life.
He loves you regardless – regardless of what you choose – regardless of which group you are closer to – God loves you. Take the time this morning – to accept his love, to live his love and to show his love. Church, this involves every part about you – and all of your time. God gave nothing less than his absolute best – giving him our time is a good start – he gives purpose, he gives hope, he’s responsible for the calling. Let’s decide this morning – before anything else – we give God this precious gift he has given us – our time. Let’s pray
This morning we are going to have an invitation – like we always do. This isn’t you accepting me – this is you accepting the message from God. If there are commitments in your life that need strength, if you need to accept Jesus as savior – maybe you would like to join our fellowship – come as we stand and sing.
