If I Knew I Had Only Thirty Days To Live
Chris Sligh
September 30, 2007
TEXT: Kings 20:1 – “In those days was Hezekiah sick unto death. And the prophet Isaiah the son of Amoz came to him, and said unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Set thine house in order; for thou shalt die, and not live.”
INTRODUCTION
Illus. – of when doctor told me I only had six weeks to live! That was in 1979, so obviously the doctor was off by a few years. Three words stand out to me as I think back on that time:
--Shock
--Fear – I had no fear of dying, but I did fear suffering
--Evaluation – of my life, of what was important in life, of my marriage, of my priorities
Our passage tells us that King Hezekiah became sick. It tells us that Isaiah came to him and told him that he was going to die. Imagine what must have gone through his mind. (EXPAND) Isaiah told Hezekiah to set his house in order.
Suppose you, like Hezekiah, knew that you only had a certain number of days to live. What would you do? (EXPAND)
My message today is titled, “If I Knew I Had 30 Days to Live.”
(PICK AND CHOOSE POINTS TO FIT THE NEED OF THE HOUR.)
I. IF I KNEW I ONLY HAD THIRTY DAYS LEFT TO LIVE I WOULD WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT I WAS SAVED, ON MY WAY TO HEAVEN, WITH MY SINS FULLY FORGIVEN.
1. Being saved is having a RELATIONSHIP with a person—Jesus Christ
John 1:12 – “But as many as received him, tho them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name.”
It’s not being religious. I’ve often said that one of the most dangerous things in the world is religion. Many wars have been started in the name of religion.
True Christianity, the Christianity found in the Bible, is not religion at all. It’s a personal relationship with a person.
READ AND EXPAND AS LED ON Philippian 3:4-10
2. Second, note that being saved is, in a sense, choosing a ROAD.
If you are on a road, it is possible to go in the wrong direction.
Illus. of going to a missions conference in Mannheim some years ago. When I was through at the conference, I got back on the Autobahn to go home. But after about a half hour I noticed that nothing looked familiar. By this time I should have been just north of Heilbronn, but instead I was seeing signs for Saarbruken.
I took a quick reckoning of where the sun was and suddenly realized I was going in the OPPOSITE direction of where I thought I was headed. Somehow, I had inadvertently gotten on the wrong Autobahn, heading in the wrong direction.
Note:
--I was very sincere.
--I was really enjoying the ride.
--BUT I was on the WRONG ROAD and I ended up at the WRONG DESTINATION!
(APPLICATION)
Jesus says in John 14:6 – “I am the way the truth and the life. No man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”
Here Jesus states unequivocally that there is no other way to heaven except through HIM.
--The road to heaven is NOT the road of church membership.
--It’s NOT the road of good works.
--It’s NOT the road of baptism.
--It’s NOT the road of religion or a certain church or a certain denomination.
But only through Jesus and what HE did on the cross.
3. Third, consider this: Being saved is believing a RECORD.
Many people are searching for an experience. You can have some kind of spiritual experience and still go straight to hell. The question is not have you had some kind of spooky, mystical experience, but have you followed what God has told you to be saved?
Note 1 John 5:10-13 – “He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son. 11 And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12 He that hath the Son hath life; [and] he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. 13 These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.” (EXPAND AS LED)
II. IF I KNEW I ONLY HAD THIRTY DAYS LEFT TO LIVE I WOULD WANT TO KNOW THAT I WAS RIGHT WITH GOD.
There are two Sauls mentioned in the Bible, and they are an interesting study in contrasts. Both of them were saved, but one lived his life in disobedience to God, and the other lived a life of surrender and service to God.
1. The first Saul is King Saul of the Old Testament.
Saul could have done some great things for God. Saul had tremendous potential.
But King Saul had a heart of rebellion and a spirit of jealousy and an independent spirit that cause him to backslide and lose his power and lose God’s blessing on his life.
Near the end of his life, listen to what King Saul said concerning his life: 1 Samuel 26:21 says, “Then said Saul, I have sinned,…I have played the fool, and have erred exceedingly.”
What a tragic way to view your past life:
--“I have sinned.”
--“I have played the fool.”
--“I have erred exceedingly.”
(EXPAND ON THE SENSELESSNESS OF LIVING OUT OF FELLOWSHIP WITH GOD.)
2. Contrast those last words of King Saul with the Saul of the New Testament.
This Saul was later renamed Paul, and we know him as the Apostle Paul, Christianity’s first missionary and the writer of half of the books of the New Testament.
Listen to some of the last words of Paul, written shortly before tradition tells us that he was beheaded in Rome. In 2 Timothy 4:7, Paul said, “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith.”
What a contrast to King Saul’s life! Paul had given his life to the Lord, and he never turned back. And after it was all said and done, did Paul have any regrets? Did he regret having lived for God? Did he regret the sacrifice? the suffering? the persecution?
No, Paul said three things about the life:
--“I have fought a good fight.”
--“I have finished my course.”
--“I have kept the faith.”
(EXPAND AS LED)
“But Brother Sligh,” you say, “I have backslidden. I HAVEN’T fought a good fight, I HAVEN’T finished the course, I HAVEN’T kept the faith.” Dear friend, it’s not too late for you.
Thank God for 1 John 1:9 – “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us [our] sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (EXPAND)
III. IF I KNEW I ONLY HAD THIRTY DAYS LEFT TO LIVE I WOULD WANT TO KNOW THAT MY BAPTISM WERE SIGNIFICANT.
The first thing God commands a new Christian to do is to be baptized. Baptism is very significant and nothing to be taken lightly. However, never forget that baptism does not save you, nor does it make you more saved.
Why is baptism important for someone who is a believer?
1. First, because it is a testimony—A BADGE OF DISCIPLESHIP.
Illus. of wearing a wedding ring. When I wear this ring, it is a testimony to everyone who sees me that I am already taken, that I belong to someone. Baptism is a similar picture – It is a testimony to everyone that you belong to Jesus Christ, that you are one of His disciples, and that you mean business with God.
2. Second, baptism is important because it is A SYMBOL
AGAIN ILLUS. OF THE WEDDING RING: This ring has a great symbolism to it.
--Almost every preacher, when marrying a couple, points out two things about a wedding ring just before he has them place the rings on each other’s fingers:
--The gold symbolizes the preciousness and value of the marriage union. – Gold is precious and costly, and marriage is precious and valuable.
--A ring’s roundness symbolizes the permanence of marriage. – It is a round circle that is never ending—just as God designed marriage to be.
In the same manner, baptism is very symbolic. – According to Romans 6, it symbolizes the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. (DEMONSTRATE)
Note the following facts regarding baptism.
1. Bible baptism is ONLY FOR BELIEVERS (Acts 8:6-37).
Infant baptism is not found anywhere in Scripture. There is not even ONE reference to it in all of the Bible. There are many instances of saved believers being baptized, but never a case of either an unbeliever or an infant, or a child who was not saved.
2. Bible baptism is BY IMMERSION ONLY.
The Greek word baptizo was the same word used of a housewife or a servant who dipped a piece of cloth in liquid dye to dye it a different color. To do this it was necessary to completely submerge the cloth in the dye. Only immersion properly symbolizes the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Death, burial, and resurrection are clear as day with immersion, isn’t it? (DEMONSTRATE AGAIN) How does sprinkling symbolize death, burial, and resurrection? How can you possibly get death, burial, and resurrection from pouring?
You can’t. Only immersion shows death, burial and resurrection.
Illus. – The story is told of a teenage son who wanted to be scripturally baptized. His father told him that the sprinkling he got as a baby was sufficient. The son tried to explain that you can only picture the idea of burial by completely being submerged. Angry, the father told him to forget it and not bring the matter up again.
The next day their dog died and the father told the son to go out behind the barn and bury it. So the boy went out—and suddenly an idea formed in his mind. He took a handful of dirt and sprinkled it on the dog and left it.
When his dad saw what his son had done, he was angry and said, “I told you to bury the dog. Now go back and bury it right.” So the boy went out, and this time he took a cup outside and poured a cupful of dirt on it.
When the father saw it, he said, “Boy, are ye daft?! I said BURY the animal! Put it UNDER THE GROUND, for crying out loud.” Suddenly the old man stopped in his tracks.
He looked sheepishly at his son and then said “Get your coat on, lad. Let’s go see the pastor to see about gettin’ you baptized proper to show death AND burial AND resurrection.”
IV. IF I ONLY HAD THIRTY DAYS TO LIVE, I WOULD WANT TO KNOW THAT MY CHURCH MEMBERSHIP WAS SCRIPTURAL
1. You should be a member of a LOYAL church (one that is true to the Word of God)
2 Timothy 4:2-4 – “Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. 3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; 4 And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.” (EXPAND AS LED)
2. You should be a member of a LOCAL church.
The Greek word ecclesia—a called out assembly—almost always refers, not to the universal Body of Christ, but to a local, visible assembly of believers in a certain location. It’s good to be saved and to be a part of the universal body of believers that spans the whole world and all the saints of all ages. But God wants you to be a member of a local church—where you can hear the Word preached, have your toes stepped on by an earnest preacher, have good Christian fellowship with other likeminded brethren, encourage and strengthen other believers, and serve one another.
3. You should be a member of LIVING church
2 Timothy 3:5 – “Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.”
How can you know you are in a living church? When there is LIFE there!…
--A church that is alive is on fire for God!
--In a church that is alive, people are regularly being saved!
--In a church that is alive, there is a spirit of praise and love and acceptance that is immediately noticeable.
--In a church that is alive, the people within it serve one another, help one another, edify one another, and pray for one another—not gossip about one another or hurt one another.
That is the goal we are shooting for at Grace Baptist Church—a LOCAL, New Testament church that is LOYAL to God’s Word and ALIVE with the life of the Spirit.
If you know for sure you are saved, maybe God wants you to be a part of our church. In a few weeks or months we are going to organize formally into a church, and church membership will be extended to those who feel called to our church. Come and be a part of a growing, glowing church on fire for God!
V. IF I KNEW I ONLY HAD THIRTY DAYS LEFT TO LIVE I WOULD WANT TO KNOW THAT UNFINISHED BUSINESS WAS TAKEN CARE OF.
1. I would want to repair BROKEN RELATIONSHIPS (and forgive those with whom I have been bittern).
Ephesians 4:32 – “And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.”
2. I would want to make right a BOTHERED CONSCIENCE (guilty conscience).
1 Timothy – “1:19 Holding faith, and a good conscience; which some having put away concerning faith have made shipwreck.”
3. I would want to RESET BAD PRIORITIES (temporal values).
Putting Jesus Christ first before all things – Matthew 6:33 – “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”
CONCLUSION
If I knew I only had thirty days to live, I would make some important decisions.
You know, you just might only have 30 days to live—or perhaps even less.
Proverbs 27:1 says, “Boast not thyself of to morrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth.” (EXPAND AS LED)
If I knew I only had a short time to live…
--I would want to make sure that I was saved – Are you saved? (EXPAND AS LED)
--I would want to know that I was right with God – Are you right with God right now? (EXPAND AS LED)
--I would want to know that my baptism were significant. (EXPAND AS LED)
--I would want to know that my church membership was scriptural. (EXPAND AS LED)
--I would want to take care of unfinished business. (EXPAND AS LED)
