FBMB
January 3, 2010
Sunday Morning
“The God of Beginning Again”
Judges 8:4
Intro.: Welcome to 2010. Today we crossed over the threshold for another year. Just as a new year has started I would like to remind you that the God of another year is a God of wonderful and amazing grace. He is the God of forgiveness and He is the God of beginning again.
Tomorrow the routine begins again for work, school, schedules and appointments. I don’t suppose many of you are very excited about that. I suppose if I took a poll this morning I could ask ‘how many of you feel exhausted, I mean wiped out?’ Some would say that since the holidays are over I feel like I’ve been run over by a Mack truck.
It happens every year but all of a sudden we wake up in a new year and for most of us we are not ready. We need a holiday from the holidays so we can rest.
Someone once described the journey of life like this: When as a child I laughed and wept – TIME CREPT; When as a youth I dreamed and talked – TIME WALKED; When I became a full grown man – TIME RAN; and later, as I grew older – TIME FLEW; soon I shall find while traveling on TIME GONE.
Several weeks ago I read a passage out of the book of Judges that is appropriate for us to look at on this first Sunday of another new year. The background has to do with Gideon but I want to use it today as something that we can build from and help us prepare for this year. In doing so I want to share with you some practical steps about your time in 2010.
The statement is found in Judges 8:4 and it comes at a time when Gideon and his army have defeated one of their enemies and they are about to move ahead and defeat others. The statement is this: “EXHAUSTED BUT STILL IN PURSUIT.”
I. ALWAYS Keep Your Eye on the Goal
A. This is the time of year in which some people engage in New Year’s resolutions. (set goals)
1. Some are noble goals and some are secondary goals.
2. They all are probably important, but some may have more priority or emphasis.
3. Things related to health, relationships, spiritual matters are certainly important and need daily attention.
B. Is this not true? Our problem of not keeping our goals occurs when we get sidetracked and distracted.
1. When there’s not an end product/picture we tend to give up, many times just a few minutes/days too early or just a few tries too early.
2. We say things like “Life became busy.”
3. Before we knew it - something else made it’s way to the top.
4. What use to be the most important has now become the least and what started out as the least importance has now become the most important.
5. “Life became busy?” – the truth is life turned upside down.
6. Kids got older, schedules got hectic, time seemed shorter.
C. Anybody remember what happened December 4th 2009?
1. The weather agency officially recorded “snow” in Moss Bluff.
2. Illus.: Putting up Christmas lights in the rain and snow.
3. Why would I do that? Because I made a promise to my family and in essence I set a goal for myself.
4. The work we are doing for the Lord is far greater than some snow in SW Louisiana and putting up Christmas lights.
5. The work we are doing for the Lord has eternal value, it’s significance is way beyond temporal enjoyment.
D. There are certainly going to be times when we don’t feel like doing the Lord’s work.
1. We all could admit there are Sundays when we don’t feel like coming to church.
2. Times when we feel overloaded, faint, weary, exhausted, I mean just slap-tired.
3. But when we keep our eyes focused on the goal the most amazing thing happens - we keep going.
4. We get up one more time, go one more day, stay one more hour.
5. We know that it’s worth it because He is worthy; we know it’s worth the cost because of the great price Jesus paid for our salvation.
6. Our goal is not to check things off a list as having done them for the Lord; it’s not achieving a position or status in the Christian life; it’s not measurable forms of accomplishments.
7. Rather the one goal every believer should have in this life is submission to the Heavenly Father and the transformation process that occurs through sanctification.
E. What am I saying? I’m saying when you stay focused on what God desires to do in your life no matter how you feel you can keep going.
1. When you practice obedience to the Father and His Word you may feel as if you want to quit.
2. This is why this verse can be such an encouragement –
3. Illus.: Father who stood and preached a message last Sunday at the age of 80. Will do it again this Sunday.
4. God has told us in His word to be confident of this very thing, He who began a good work in us will complete it.
5. Therefore we needn’t back down or back off, slow down or slow up, give up or give in, delay or stop.
6. When you keep your focus on the Lord you may feel exhausted but you are still in pursuit.
II. SCRIPTURALLY Manage All Your Time
A. LISTEN: Time is given to us by God as opportunities.
1. God is the Creator of all things and therefore He is the Creator of time.
2. God’s great gift to everyone of us is time.
3. Ecclesiastes 3 teaches: “Everything Has Its Time.”
4. Time to be born/die, plant/harvest, weep/laugh, war/peace silence/speak.
5. God has given to us time to work, time to serve, time to laugh, time to love.
6. But like any gift - how you use it is really up to you.
7. How you and I manage our time is all in our hands.
B. For us to Scripturally manage our time we need to understand that everyday is a free gift from God.
1. “THIS is the day that the Lord has made . . . . . .”
2. “Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness.” Lamentations 3:22
3. I have only just a minute, only sixty seconds in it, forced upon me can’t refuse it, didn’t seek it, didn’t choose it, but its up to me to use it, I must suffer if I loose it, give account if I abuse it, just a tiny little minute, but eternity is in it.
4. Time is a precious gift from God and one day you and I will have to give an answer for what we did with our time.
C. Here’s the confusing part about our time.
1. Some people say, “I just don’t have the time anymore.”
2. “I started this project, (job) but I ran out of time.”
3. Now listen very carefully to what I am about to say.
4. If, as a Christian you say you don’t have enough time to get things done you are not Scripturally managing your time.
5. “Everybody else has more time than me” – no they don’t.
6. We ALL have the same amount of time.
7. The difference is how we use the time God has given us.
III. One Example from Scripture
A. The Lord Jesus Christ – John 17:4
1. The Bible teaches that we are to be like Christ, that we are to have the mind of Christ, therefore we should study His life.
2. “I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work which You have given Me to do.” John 17:4
3. When Jesus bowed his head on the cross He said, “It is finished.”
B. WHAT you do is far more important than HOW you do it.
1. There is enough time in every day for you to do everything God has asked you to do and to do it right.
2. It’s an insult to your Heavenly Father to say you don’t have enough time AND it has handicapped the local church.
3. If you don’t have enough time then you are doing something that God hasn’t asked you to do.
4. Either you have imposed it on yourself or you have allowed others to impose upon you.
C. “Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom” Psalm 90:12
1. Illus.: Tyranny of the Urgent
2. The #1 barrier to our spiritual growth is our own busyness.
3. Most of us are not guilty of not doing things in life, but sometimes we are guilty of not doing the most important things in life.
4. It’s more important to read the Bible than the Newspaper; it’s more important to speak to your spouse than it is to answer your cell phone; it’s more important to invest in relationships than waste it away at a computer.
5. Would it be that days or hours before we left this earth, we too could say, “I have glorified you Father on this earth. I have finished the work which You have given me to do.”
Conclusion: PRAYER - As God allows us to have another year, another beginning, what do you plan to do with your time? Let me ask these questions:
What do you believe that the Lord wants you to do for Him and His kingdom in 2010? Will you finally tell that neighbor/friend about Jesus? Will you finally agree to teach that children/student or adult class? Will you make it a settled decision to faithfully support the financial ministry of the church?
With God’s help and with our desire, may we pursue 2010 believing and trusting in The God of Beginning Again.
