Life: If It Only Came With Instructions

Morning Worship Service - 2/12/06

 I. Introduction

- Folks, since we have been talking about handling the busyness of life over the last few weeks, and particularly what Jesus Christ has to say and his instructions to us to help us out. I thought I would do a little bit of research, in order to come up with some of the advice or instructions that time management experts (whoever they are?) might give us.

- And here’s what I came up with...

TOP 10 TIME MANAGEMENT TIPS (CHANGE SLIDE)      

 

1. Clarify your objectives. Then set your priorities. Focus on objectives.

 

2. Analyze and evaluate your actions at the end of each day.

 

3. Eliminate at least one time waster from your life each week.

 

4. Write out a plan for each time week. Ask yourself what you hope to accomplish by the end of the week and what you will need to do to accomplish those results.

 

5. Make a to-do list everyday.

 

6. Make sure the first hour of your workday is productive.

 

7. Institute a quiet hour in your life.

 

8. Employ the principles of self-reward and self-discipline.

 

9. Conquer procrastination. Learn to do it now.

 

10. Develop a personal philosophy of time –– what time means to you and how times relates to your life.

 

- Now folks, all of these tips are definitely helpful and have lots of practical benefit to us. However, when it really comes to handling the busyness of life, Christ, in his instruction to us, really only gives us one tip.

Ä And that one tip is simply to HAVE A SINGLE AND CORRECT PURPOSE       FOR LIFE            (CHANGE SLIDE)              

- You see the first list of time management tips, while helpful and practical, really doesn’t get to the heart of the matter, and to the real issue that causes all of us to, at times, become overwhelmed and defeated by the pace of life that we find ourselves living by.

Ä The real issue that Christ identifies for us in Matthew chapter 6, is the fact that we become overwhelmed and defeated because we are trying to live our lives by either

ü more than one purpose

ü or by the wrong purpose

- So Jesus, in his instructions to us, has taken the time to identify the two life purpose possibilities that each and everyone of choose to live our lives by. And once again, I am going to ask for your help in identifying what they are from our text, which I put on the screen behind me.

(READ Matthew 6:19-21 - change the slide so the congregation will help read)

#1 - The first life purpose possibility that Jesus gives us, and also clearly instructs us against pursuing in our lives, is that of: LIVING OUR LIVES IN ORDER TO STORE UP TREASURES ON THIS EARTH. (CHANGE SLIDE)

è There is never any contentment and never any lasting results with this life purpose, which will only lead to an extremely busy life that will only lead to discouragement, depression, and defeat.

#2 - And that is why Jesus gave us the second life purpose possibility that he whole heartedly endorses and that is: LIVE YOUR LIFE IN ORDER TO STORE UP TREASURES IN HEAVEN.  (CHANGE SLIDE)

è Christ wants us to understand that we can live a life of contentment and can do things that do have a lasting and even eternal results and affects.

è And that is what Christ would have us to be focusing our calendars, daytimers, and palm pilots on.

 

- The problem is, we first need to know what these treasures are, and how we can go about obtaining them, in order that we might make them a priority in our lives to pursue.

Ä And that is what we began the process of considering last week.

Ä And I was able to give you one of the treasures last week, but I just felt like we rushed the end of it just a little bit, so I just want to take some time and consider that treasure again.

 

II. Treasure #1 - God-Given Rewards of Worship and Service to God for all of Eternity

A. Defining Treasure #1

- And to do that, I need for you to turn over in your Bibles to Matthew chapter 25, where in his teaching, Jesus tells a little story in order to help illustrate a particular truth that he is trying to share with his listeners.

(READ Matthew 25:14-23)

- Folks, from just that part of the story, Jesus clearly illustrates and teaches us that God will one day give rewards to believers in heaven

Ä Which is a treasure that you and I can focus on storing up for ourselves in heaven by the things that we do on earth - REWARDS FROM GOD!!

- Now, from our text here, and from what we know about heaven, these rewards from God, that we can store up for ourselves in heaven, are really God-given opportunities for greater worship and service to God in heaven, which will bring about more opportunities for rejoicing. (READ vs.21, 23)

- Folks, as I consider Christ’s teachings here, each and everyone of us, based on how we conduct and live our lives right now, we each have the potential of receiving differing amounts of God-given rewards or opportunities for greater worship and service to God in heaven.

Ä This fact is clear, and no matter what that may look like and be like, this is something that I would like to have someday, and it is something that Christ has instructed me to have as a purpose for my life here on this earth - STORE UP FOR YOURSELVES TREASURES IN HEAVEN.

B. Obtaining Treasure #1

- Now, the other thing that Christ’s teachings here in this text makes clear to us, is how it is that we can obtain this particular treasure in heaven, and therefore what it is that should be a part of our daytimers, calendars, and palm pilots.

(READ Matthew 25:21a, 23a)

- In both of the master’s response to the first two servants, it is quite clear that the rewards given to the servants by the master were based on the servants’ good and faithful behavior.

- Which illustrates for you and I that the only way we can pursue this treasure of God-given opportunities for worship and service is by living our lives right here and now as good and faithful stewards.

Ä The term “good” signifies the excellence of a person, and applies specifically to a person’s spiritual and moral magnitude.

è In other words, if we want to obtain this God-given, eternal reward, than we must strive for spiritual and moral excellence here on this earth.

Ä But in addition to that, we must also strive for faithfulness - which is really an interesting term that gives us the picture of something that is so taunt and straight that it can be used as a measuring line or what we might call a straight edge.

è And it describes someone who strives to be as faithful or as straight as possible, to their desire to be spiritually or morally excellent.

Ä So, as we put these ideas together, we can conclude that we obtain this treasure by  working at being a Christian who is faithfully, spiritually and morally excellent.

è Which basically, is another way of describing for us someone who is striving to be a faithful disciple or follower of Christ.

 

C.   Practical Impacts of Treasure #1

- Now folks, as we take this story and try to practically apply to our lives, then it really means that if we are going to listen to Christ’s instructions and live our lives according to the life purpose of storing up for ourselves treasures in heaven, than for this first treasure of God-given rewards for greater service throughout eternity, it will mean that we will fill our calendars, daytimers, and palmpilots with activities and other things that will increase or improve our ability to be as faithful as possible at being spiritually and morally excellent - in other words things that will make us better disciples or followers of Christ.

Ä You see, Christ, through his instructions, is really helping us to handle the busyness of life and slow our lives down by helping us to narrow our focus and pursuits.

Ä Instead of trying to live our lives with two purposes, which so many of can be guilty of doing at times in our lives, Christ is trying to get us to narrow things down to just this one, correct, satisfying and eternally rewarding purpose.

Ä Therefore, as we look at our daytimers and calendars and begin to eliminate those things from our lives that are only there for the purpose of storing up for ourselves treasures on this earth,  we can replace them with activities that will help us store up treasures in heaven.

è Specifically, the treasure of God-given rewards for greater service to God for all of eternity, by improving our ability of being a faithful disciple of Christ’s here on this earth.

è So again, I may be meddling, but as you consider your life, how many different activities or other things do have built into your schedule or daytimer that will help make you a more faithful disciple of Christ?

 

? Now folks, what I am about to say, I’m not just saying because I am a pastor, but I am saying this as someone who is beginning to come to grips with this truth And that is if our life purpose is really to store up for ourselves treasures in heaven, than one of the priorities of your schedule or daytimer and mine, should be CHURCH.

Ä As we try to implement the mission statement of this church into every different aspect of what we do here, one of the things that the banner in the back says that we are striving to do is that of equipping believers to be faithful, loving disciples.

Ä That is really a goal of any church I hope, but it can never be realized in a person’s life, unless they make coming to church a priority.

Ä Sure what we are doing right now is great at helping us be a more faithful disciple, but if you think it’s good enough your fooling yourself. That is why we have designed our Sunday School the way we have, that is why we specifically spend some time as ladies and guys on Wednesday nights, that is why we have developed other Bible studies and small groups. (What if I share nothing with you this morning that challenges you - that’s OK because we have other ministries that hopefully will.)

� Another way in which I struggle in failing to make being a faithful disciple of Christ a priority in my life is in regards to some of my “spare time” or “down time”. While I believe that we all need this and that some of it should be spent just having fun and relaxing, becoming a more faithful disciple should also have a part.

Ä Instead, so often what do I do? >> I plop down on my love seat, with my remote in hand and just gawk at a glowing piece of glass.

Ä All that time used for gawking, could instead be used for bettering myself as a disciple of Christ by reading the Word of God or reading a good book by a Christian that’s based on the Word of God.

Ä But to do that, becoming a faithful disciple and storing up treasures in heaven must be a priority of my life.

- Those are just a couple of examples or meddling (however you want to look at it) of ways in which we can fail to make storing up treasures in heaven a priority and purpose in our lives, by failing to build into our schedules activities and other things that could help make us more faithful disciples of Christ.

Ä Which Christ tells us is one of the few things that we can do right here, right now, on this earth that will last for all of eternity.

- It’s all about a philosophy. It’s all about priorities. It’s all about what’s important to you.

ü This world, which is just a temporary dwelling for us

ü Or our real home - heaven and the rewards that could await us there

 

- Now as you read through the Scriptures, I believe it clearly teaches that there is another activity, that Christ has clearly taught us to be involved in that can produce results that will also last for all of eternity.

- And as we did with the first activity, I want to start by showing you the treasure in heaven first, which will turn give us the activity that we should be involved in.

 

III. Treasure #2 - Individuals Who We May Have Played a Role In Their Salvation

A. Defining Treasure #1

- So if you would, please turn over in your Bibles to the book of I Thessalonians 2. We are going to find the treasure here, and then we will go back and see Christ’s instructions as to how to obtain it.

(READ I Thessalonians 2:17-20)

 

- Paul is writing here, and obviously there is a great deal of love by Paul on behalf of the believers in Thessalonica. And in this expression of such love and affection, Paul gives us another treasure that can be ours in heaven as a result of the work done on this earth.

- Notice in verse 19 that Paul kind of asks a three pronged question, all basically meaning the same thing. (READ vs.19)

Ä We see Paul asking about the object of his hope, the source of his joy, and the identity of his crown of rejoicing and exultation - which is all referring to a treasure that Paul was looking forward to receiving in his future home of heaven.

è And according to this verse, who is that will be the object of his hope, the source of his joy, and the identity of his crown of rejoicing?

>>> As we said last week, heaven is about God, but another crucial element of our rejoicing and therefore something else that we can work at storing up for ourselves, would be the presence of those individuals who God used us to reach for Christ.

- You see, Paul understood that when believers reach heaven, they do not receive literal crowns to place on their heads. But instead, God is going to crown us with life, righteousness, perfection - which are all crowns given by God equally to everyone.

Ä But in addition, we will also be crowned with the crown of joy - which is also given to God by everyone, but I believe in differing amounts depending on how much we work at storing up for ourselves treasures on this earth.

Ä As we just talked about, our crown of joy will be affected by how much we work at being a faithful disciple of Christ.

Ä And here, we are told that our crown of joy can be affected by the presence of those individuals that God used us to play a role in their salvation.

Ä And folks, that is really the only thing that we can take from this earth with us to heaven

- So, if the presence of those that God used us to play a role in their salvation, is another one of the treasures that we can be storing up for ourselves in heaven:

è Than what kind of activity do you think we need to be involved in, in order to be obtaining this treasure and be living our lives according to the correct life purpose?          >>> EVANGELISM, WITNESSING, SOUL WINNING, BEING A

TESTIMONY

- Which is an activity that Christ directly instructed us to be involved in

(READ Matthew 28:19-20, Mark 16:15-16)

- According to Christ’s own instructions, when we ourselves become a Christian, we immediately become a messenger of the good news that we ourselves heard and received. - Therefore we need to be involved in the activity of sharing that good news with other people, and as we do, we have the potential of storing up for ourselves the future treasure of an individual who may hear the good news you share with them and believe it and receive.