If Tomorrow Never Comes: 3 ways to Live today like it is your last
Topical April 8, 2001 F.B.C. Chester, Illinois Mike Fogerson
Introduction:
1. A few weeks ago I attended the funeral of Heath Mott. A 31 year old husband and father.
A. Officers, EMT’s were shocked.
a Not because of the death......they’re use to that.
b They were shocked at how young the man was. (He wasn’t much different then they were)
B. I re-evaluated my life at his funeral and put myself in his coffin.....what would I want to do different if tomorrow never comes.
a. I’ve discovered three ways I can live today like it’s my last and I’d die knowing I did my best.
b. Everyday is a non-refundable, precious gift from God.
2 I hope you will commit to having a new appreciation for life by living everyday like it’s your last. OBJ.
A My message today is topical, yet there is one verse that sets the tone.....James 4:14-16
[14] Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. [15] Instead, you ought to say, "If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that." [16] As it is, you boast and brag. All such boasting is evil. [17] Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn’t do it, sins.
a. James told how life is put a passing moment. (ETS)
b. Everyday is a non-refundable, precious gift from God.
B. Let’s look at 3 ways we can live everyday like it is our last.
a. Pray
b. Let’s get going.
1 The first way to live everyday like it is your last is.......Seize the day.
A One of the great patriarchs of the O.T., King David, seized the day.
(Held up in a cave, hiding from Saul, Running for his life, scared, frightened, on the run, people were out to get him..........sound like anywhere you’ve been?)
a. Psalm 127:1-4 (Beat down, battered, exhausted, exasperated, defeated...)
b. vv:5-6 (Starts singing "He has made me glad")
*What happened? (Saul didn’t give up. The cave didn’t turn into a well lite palace.....)
*The only thing that changed was David’s attitude!.........that was enought!
B Happiness is not a destination. It is a journey. (Daily journey)
a If your waiting for......all your bills to be paid, everything in your life to be perfect, everyone who doesn’t like you to like you, better job......YOU WON’T EVER BE HAPPY!!!
b David’s prayers didn’t change his situation for him. He’s prayers changed him for his situation.
*When you allow people & problems to determine you happiness, your allowing your day to seize you and not the other way around.
*Be happy where your at. (Attitude)
C Robert Louis Stevenson, the author of Treasure Island, was a sickly man in his golden years, yet he maintained an incredible outlook on life. Every morning his wife would come into his room to give him his medicine and would always say "This is a good day."
a One day, it was raining and dreary outside, and his wife came into his room and asked him, "I assume you still think it’s a good day?" The author said, "I’ll never let a row of medicine bottles block my horizon." He seized the day from a sick bed. Attitude!!!
b You can seize your day or your day can seize you. If you want to live today like it is your last, you better be doing the seizeing.
T.S.: You having the right attitude is one essential way in living today as if it’s last, however so is this next way.
II The second way to live everyday like it’s your last is.......Secure your home. (Two Relationships)
A Spouse (Husband/Wife)
a. Love Them (Eph. 5:28)
*If you’ve got the "seize the day" attitude, this will be easier.
*Love them like you love yourself. (Some of you gotta to start with you.)
b. Forgive them (Eph 4:26)
*What if....you didn’t have to win every argument?
....you didn’t have to have the last word?
....you decided to settle every argument before you went to sleep?
B Children (Psalm 127)
a God has blessed some of you with children. (A special blessing that he hasn’t given everybody.)
*Although they’re not perfect, their a blessing.
b. Make them feel wanted, respected, loved, appreciated. Put expectations on them.
"God is going to do something special through you. He’s got big plans for you."
C Why do you lock your doors when you leave the house?
a. Keep robbers out, protect your valuables, protect your investments.......
b. The devil is a like a thief who comes to steal, kill & destroy. The devil wants to take your family from you. Secure it everyday with God.
III The third way to live everyday like its your last.......Serve the Lord.
A Before any of this is going to make any sense, He must be your Lord.
a Rms. 10:9-19, Acts 2:38
b If Jesus is not your Lord, who is? You guessed it.
B How do we serve the Lord?
a Matthew 22:37-40 (Love the Lord with all your heart, soul & mind. Love your neighbor as yourself.)
b How long are we supposed to that? Everyday until the last one!!!!!
*When are we supposed to start? Is it ever too late?
C A soda bottle reads..... "No Deposit No Return. If you don’t go to the trouble of bringing it back, you don’t get anything back. That’s life!!!!
a *The only way you get something out of life is when you bring it all back to where you got it from....God.
b Take what you been given and give it back to the one who gave it.
Conclusion:
1. You never know when your time on earth is through. Everyday is a non-returnable, precious gift from God.
a. We’ve looked at 3 ways to live everyday like it is our last.
a. Seize the day (Live life)
b. Secure the house (Take care of your spouse/kids)
c. Serve the Lord (Well done my good & faithful SERVANT...)
b. I hope you will commit to having a new appreciation for life by living everyday like it is your last.
a You are not promised tomorrow. (Heath would agree.)
b You can make the most of everyday & lay down at night knowing you had a good attitude, loved your family the best you could and you served the Lord.
OR.....have regrets, leave unfinished business and dread explaining your poor service to God.
2 When will your funeral be? If you can’t answer that question with certainty, you may not be here tomorrow.
a. Last weekend, a Chinese fighter jet collided with a U.S. Spy plane. The fighter pilot is still missing but the 24 crew members on the U.S. plane are in custody of the Chinese Government.
b WASHINGTON (AP) — President Bush warned China on Tuesday that it risks damaging relations with the United States unless it quickly releases the American crew of a damaged Navy spy plane. "It is time for our servicemen and women to return home. It is time for the Chinese government to return our plane," Bush said at the White House. Bush said he wanted to give China time to respond to the weekend episode to help prevent the stalemate from escalating into a full-fledged crisis. But, the president said in a statement, such a grace period was quickly running out.
c We have a grace period between today and the day we die to start Serving the Lord.
