For example:
(1) SUCCESSFUL BUSINESSES RECOGNIZE THE IMPORTANCE OF TIME
In the name of increased productivity, we humans have battled against time since the beginning of time. For example, if you look at the past 200 years, the invention of the cotton gin, the assembly line, the telephone, and the computer, have made it possible for the business world to increase productivity in a greater way.
The Business world knows these time saving devices will increase their productivity, and will put more money in their pockets.
(2) SUCCESSFUL FARMERS RECOGNIZE THE IMPORTANCE OF TIME
A farmer used to take his mule and plow all day in a field, and if he worked really hard, he might plow one acre. But today, successful farmers know that they can save all kinds of time by plowing with their tractors, and in one day, they may plow 10 to 25 acres. The time they save plowing with tractors will put more money in their pockets.
The point I want to make is this; those who are successful know they can not waste the time God has allotted them. Many folks know the importance of not wasting time.
But there are those who do not think twice about wasting hours, days, weeks, months, or years of their life.
• They think like some of these people that spend money foolishly; there is always much more where that came from.
• They will never be successful in life until they come to realize the important part TIME plays in being successful. One of the smartest things a person can do is take a course in “Time management,” and learn to use the time allotted to them wisely.
Illus: A man died and went to heaven. It's a slow day for St. Peter, so upon passing the entrance test, St. Peter says "I'm not very busy today. Why don't you let me show you around?" The guy thinks it's a great idea, and graciously accepts the offer. St. Peter shows him all the sights: the golf course, reading room, library, observation room, cafeteria and, finally, a HUGE room full of clocks. "What's up with those clocks, Saint Peter?"
"Everyone on earth has a clock that shows how much time he has left on earth. When a clock runs out of time, the person dies and comes to the Gates to be judged."
The guy thinks this makes sense, but notices that some of the clocks are going faster than others, and he asks why.
"Every time a living person tells a lie, it speeds up his clock." This also makes sense, so the guy takes one last look around the room before leaving and notices one clock in the center of the ceiling. On this clock, both hands are spinning at an unbelievable rate.
"What's the story with that clock?" "Oh, that," St. Peter replies. "That's Bill Clinton's clock. We decided to use his clock as a ceiling fan."
We have to be careful how we spend the time that God gives us each day. If we are not careful, others will plan our time (life) for us.
Illus: One wife felt that her husband was not spending his time wisely, watching the ball game on television. He thought differently. She said, “I think you should talk to me while I sew.” He said, “Why don't you sew to me while I watch the ball game?”
We can all be thankful that we live in an age when we can wear a wrist watch to help us know what time it is.
Illus: Did you hear about the man who was proudly showing off his new apartment to friends late one night? He said, “Did you know that I have a talking clock?” He showed them a large hammer against the wall, and the friend said, “How does it tell time.? He picked the hammer up and hit the wall, and a voice from the other side said, "KNOCK IT OFF, YOU IDIOT! It's two AM in the morning!”
All of us need to be TIME CONSCIOUS! There are many ways we can waste our time, but one of the biggest ways we can waste time is to pray an “Unacceptable prayer.” You see, prayer is like many things in our life, there are GOOD PRAYERS and BAD PRAYERS.
• Prayer, in and of itself, is not necessarily good
• Wrong praying is just as bad as not praying at all. Some prayers are no more then a waste of time
Let's examine some types of prayers that fall into the category of wasted time.
I. PRAYING WITH YOUR BACK TOWARD GOD
We see a example of this in Ezekiel 8:16, “Then said he unto me, Hast thou seen this, O son of man? turn thee yet again, and thou shalt see greater abominations than these. And he brought me into the inner court of the LORD'S house, and, behold, at the door of the temple of the LORD, between the porch and the altar, were about five and twenty men, WITH THEIR BACKS TOWARD THE TEMPLE OF THE LORD, AND THEIR FACES TOWARD THE EAST; AND THEY WORSHIPED THE SUN TOWARD THE EAST.”
WHAT DOES THIS VERSE MEAN? Notice, there were about 25 men at the inner court of the temple, with their backs turned away from God. You could say they were “Thumbing their noses” at God, by turning their backs toward God and facing toward their sun god.
Illus: On the national news, a young girl who played in the high school band objected to the war against Iraq. When the band stood on a field, pledging allegiance to the flag, as an act of protest against the war in Iraq, she turned her back toward the flag.
That is what these twenty-five men did at the temple. They were at the RIGHT PLACE, but they were FACING THE WRONG DIRECTION. They were at the temple, but they were showing their hearts were toward the sun god that they worshipped.
Illus: This would be like a man spending time with his wife, (he is at the right place) but if you could get into his mind, you would find he is thinking of another woman.
Jeremiah addresses this problem, we read in Jer. 2:27, “…FOR THEY HAVE TURNED THEIR BACK UNTO ME, AND NOT THEIR FACE: but in the time of their trouble they will say, Arise, and save us.”
• People have always done God this way. They turn their backs on God and when they are in trouble they turn to God
• But then they are surprised when God turns his back on them
There are many Christians that are praying WASTED PRAYERS. They wonder why God never hears and answers their prayers, and it is because they have turned their backs on God. Many are like the twenty five men at the temple, they are in the right place, but their hearts are somewhere else.
The Lord said in Matthew 15:8, “This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.”
PRAYING WITH YOUR BACK TOWARD GOD IS A WASTE OF TIME. We need to realize that, because God is not going to waste His time on these people when they come to Him in prayer. Another prayer that is a waste of time is-
II. PUBLIC PRAYER WITHOUT PRIVATE PRAYER
Matt. 6:5-6, “And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for THEY LOVE TO PRAY STANDING IN THE SYNAGOGUES AND IN THE CORNERS OF THE STREETS, THAT THEY MAY BE SEEN OF MEN. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.”
Notice, these disciples wanted to know how to pray, and the Lord taught them that they must NOT PRAY AS THE HYPOCRITES PRAY!
HOW DID THE HYPOCRITES PRAY? The Word of God teaches that the only time they prayed was in public, and the only reason they prayed was to be seen of men. In other words, they were not using prayer as a means to communicate with God, but as a tool to be seen by men.
Illus: Sometimes I wonder if much of the praying on the Capitol steps is really no more using prayer as a means of hoping the television networks will broadcast the event, so they can be seen of men for whatever reason.
God is not pleased with such prayers, they are a waste of time. So much in the church is done to be SEEN OF MEN.
Illus: Before he retired, Rex Humbard literally had thousands of people attending his church. Every week, the television camera would sweep the congregation and it would show people singing and praying. When he retired, the television cameras were removed, and listen, a good portion of that congregation suddenly felt God was leading them to another church. Could it be the only reason they were there to start with was to be seen of men? Yes!
People will do all kinds of things to be SEEN OF MEN. And one of the things that man has always done, is use PRAYER AS A TOOL to get attention. But I can tell you, on the basis of God’s Word, their prayers are no more than a waste of time.
God is displeased when we take the sacredness of prayer and use it as a tool to accomplish something self-centered.
I want to remind you again, PRAYING WITH YOUR BACK TOWARD GOD and PUBLIC PRAYER WITHOUT PRIVATE PRAYER are a waste of time. But another wasted prayer we need to consider is-
III. PRAYING AS A SUBSTITUTE FOR OBEDIENCE
There are times when prayer is used as an excuse. Prayer is never a substitute for obedience. Joshua and the elders of Israel were complaining before God after the Israelites were defeated at Ai. They were putting on quite a show, tearing their sackcloth, throwing dust in the air, and complaining to God.
God broke in on this little prayer meeting. Look at Josh. 7:10 11a, we read, "And the LORD said unto Joshua, GET THEE UP; WHEREFORE LIEST THOU THUS UPON THY FACE? Israel hath sinned,...."
God's people were defeated because Achan had partaken of the accursed (forbidden) thing. Disobedience in the camp had brought about this defeat, and they prayed, but PRAYER WAS NOT A SUBSTITUTE FOR OBEDIENCE.
Disobedience in the church and disobedience in the heart, hinder the blessing of God.
In Joshua’s time, it was not MORE TIME SPENT IN PRAYER THAT WAS NEEDED, what was needed was the removal of the sin in the camp!
There are folks who know they have sin in their life, and they wonder why God does not answer their prayers. Listen to me:
• He never has
• He never will
Until the sin problem in their life is dealt with.
We read in Ps. 66:18, "If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me." Their prayers are no more than a waste of time.
Illus: Their life reminds me of the little boy who prayed "Lord, if you can't make me a better boy, don't worry about it. I'm having a real good time like I am."
I want to remind you again that PRAYING WITH YOUR BACK TOWARD GOD, PUBLIC PRAYER WITHOUT PRIVATE PRAYER, and PRAYING AS A SUBSTITUTE FOR OBEDIENCE ARE A WASTE OF TIME! But let’s look at another prayer that is a waste of time, and that is-
IV. SELFISH PRAYING
True prayer ...
• HONORS GOD'S NAME
• ADVANCES GOD'S KINGDOM
• IS IN ACCORDANCE WITH GOD'S WILL
To put it another way, prayer is meant to be God centered, not self centered.
Illus: There are people who do not see prayer as a means of communicating with God, but as a tool to convey some selfish thing they want to convey, using prayers as the means of doing that. This kind of praying is a waste of time.
Illus: A Judge called Dr. Odell Belger one day, and asked him if he could come to the jail because he needed to talk to him. His office and court were located in the county jail building. But the judge said, “Preacher, I am not in my office at the jail, I am in jail.” He went to see him, and discovered that he and the governor had gotten into some kind of a situation that was illegal. But while he was in jail, his wife died. He called Dr. Belger again, and asked him if he would be kind enough to preach his wife’s funeral. He told him he would be glad to do it. His wife was raised up in the Mormon church, and the Judge did not like Mormons, and did not get along with them or her family. Just before Dr. Belger was ready to step onto the platform, the Judge, with handcuffs on his wrists, handed him a letter and asked him if he would read this at the end of his eulogy. He did not have time to pre-read it, and did not have any idea what the letter contained. When he got through, he told the congregation, (hundreds of Mormons) that he was asked to read this letter. He knew he was in trouble when it started off, “Dear Honey, I will always love you even if your family has never loved you.” And for the next two pages this letter contained negative things about her family and the Mormon church.
Now listen, this judge used a good friend for the wrong purpose. And many folks will use prayer for the wrong purpose.
But we read in James 4:3, "Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts."
Such praying is a WASTE OF TIME. But let’s look at one more prayer that is a waste of time.
V. PRAYING TO ONE'S SELF
Luke 18:11a, "The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself....." This man is not really praying to God. He is praying. . . with himself.
HOW DOES HE DO THIS? He is using prayer as a means to PROMOTE HIMSELF! Some will spend hours before God, trying to convince Him that they are special.
Listen, you do not need to brag and tell God how special you are, HE KNOWS ALL ABOUT YOU. If you are going this route, you might want to find someone that DOES NOT KNOW YOU!
There are many folks who do a lot of bragging about their greatness.
Illus: There was a Japanese man who went to America on a sightseeing trip. On the last day, he caught a cab and told the driver to drive him to the airport.
• During the journey, a Honda drove past the taxi. Thereupon, the man leaned out of the window excitedly and yelled, "Honda, very fast! Made in Japan!"
• After a while, a Toyota sped past the taxi. Again, the Japanese man leaned out of the window and yelled, "Toyota, very fast! Made in Japan!"
And then a Mitsubishi sped past the taxi. For the third time, the Japanese leaned out of the window and yelled, "Mitsubishi, very fast! Made in Japan!"
The driver was a little angry, but he kept quiet. This went on for quite a number of cars. Finally, the taxi came to the airport. The fare was $300.
The Japanese exclaimed, "Wah... so expensive!"
There upon, the driver yelled back, "Meter, very fast! Made in Japan!"
Listen, this crowd that is always bragging before man and God, can’t be taken seriously. Why? Because everything that comes out of their mouths is spoken to make them look good. That is all they are concerned about.
The biggest waste of time is to pray such prayers.
Conclusion:
I want to close this sermon on a positive note. The Bible says in James 5:16, “…The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.”
Illus: A Christian woman was at work when she received a message that her daughter was very sick with a fever. She left her work and stopped by the pharmacy to get some medication for her daughter.
Upon returning to her car, she found that she had locked her keys in the car. She was in a hurry to get home to her sick daughter, so she bowed her head and asked God to send her some help. Within five minutes an old rusty car pulled up, with a dirty, greasy, bearded man who was wearing an old biker skull rag on his head. The woman thought, "This is what you sent to help me?" But, she was desperate, so she was also very thankful.
The man got out of his car and asked her if he could help. She said, "Yes, my daughter is very sick. I stopped to get her some medication and I locked my keys in my car. I must get home to her. Please, can you use this hanger to unlock my car?"
He said, "Sure." He walked over to the car, and in less than one minute the car was opened. She hugged the man and through her tears she said, "Thank you so much! You are a very nice man."
The man replied, "Lady, I am not a nice man. I just got out of prison today. I was in prison for car theft and have only been out for about an hour."
The woman hugged the man again and with sobbing tears cried out loud, "Oh. Thank you God! You even sent me a Professional."
Prayer is no more than a Believer that is sincere, talking with God the Father.
Illus: Dr. Odell Belger tells how one of the best prayers he had ever heard was from a man who was gloriously saved. After a year, he was serving as an usher in the church. Dr. Belger asked him would it be all right to call on him to pray over the offering some time. He said, “That would be fine!” One Sunday when the church was almost packed, he called on him to pray. This man shut his eyes and shut everyone out in the congregation. He talked to God like a little child would talk to his father. And when he got through he said, “That’s all I got to talk about right now, I will talk to you later!”
Everyone opened their eyes, and they felt like they had been sitting in the presence of a man talking to God.
I want to remind you again, PRAYER CAN BE NO MORE THAN A WASTE OF TIME. When?
I. PRAYING WITH YOUR BACK TOWARD GOD
II. PUBLIC PRAYER WITHOUT PRIVATE PRAYER
III. PRAYING AS A SUBSTITUTE FOR OBEDIENCE
IV. PRAYING SELFISH PRAYERS
