Time is precious! How will we invest it in 2024? Let’s seek ways to love God and people?
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A New Year’s Exhortation for 2024
John 9:4-5
Tonight at midnight, we will pass from 2023 to 2024. Every year at this time I find myself thinking soberly of the passing of time. I’ve been doing this for over 30 years, and I think it is good for us to take one day per year and meditate on the passing of time and how we are investing our lives. How much of your hourglass has been poured out? How many sands still remain? How many opportunities do you still have to do the works of God?
Consider briefly, the preciousness of time (taken from a sermon by Jonathan Edwards entitled The Preciousness Of Time).
1) A happy or miserable eternity depends on what we do with it – when we die our state is fixed and unalterable; our rewards in heaven depend on what use we make of it.
2) It is very short – scarcity of any commodity causes its value to increase, such as gold or diamonds.
3) We are uncertain of its continuance. None of us knows how much of it we have.
4) When it is past, we can never get it back. We can’t store it for the future like money. Lost time is never found. If people wasted their money like they waste their time, we would think they were crazy. If someone got every day and lit a $100 bill on fire, you would say that he is certifiably crazy. Yet many Christians do the same thing day after day with their time. And I would submit to you that time is 1,000 times more precious than money!
This morning I would like to examine an incident in the life and ministry of Jesus Christ, in which He heals a man blind from birth.
John 9:1-7, “As He passed by, He saw a man blind from birth. 2 And His disciples asked Him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he would be born blind?” 3 Jesus answered, “It was neither that this man sinned, nor his parents; but it was so that the works of God might be displayed in him. 4 We must work the works of Him who sent Me as long as it is day; night is coming when no one can work. 5 While I am in the world, I am the Light of the world.” 6 When He had said this, He spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and applied the clay to his eyes, 7 and said to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which is translated, Sent). So he went away and washed, and came back seeing.
This morning, let’s spend the bulk of our time on verses 4 and 5 “We must work the works of Him who sent Me as long as it is day; night is coming when no one can work. While I am in the world, I am the Light of the world.”
This morning I’m going to simply go through verse 4 and emphasize different words spoken by the Lord. My hope is that as we meditate on the words of Christ, the Holy Spirit will move us to prepare our hearts and lives for the works He wants us to work in 2024.
- Day… Night: What did He mean by these terms? Jesus says that He can only do His works while it is day, and that night is coming when no one can work. He also said, “While I am in the world, I am the Light of the world.” So, while Jesus is in the world, He is light, and it is day. When He is no longer in the world, it will be night and dark. So, the Day refers to Jesus’ life in this world, where Night refers to His death. The only time Jesus can work the works of God is during His time on earth. At death it is too late. All opportunity for doing good in this poor sinful world is gone forever at death. That is why Time is so precious. It is the medium by which we do God’s works.
- We: Jesus’ statement here does not only apply to Him. He includes His disciples in this “we”. And, if Jesus included His disciples, I think, by extension, He is including all of His disciples through all time in this statement as well. We, too, must work God’s works while it is still day. We must work the works of God while we are alive in this world, because night (our death) is coming when we will not be able to work any longer. If we want to make an impact for Christ in our world, we must do it now. After we are dead it is too late.
- Must: Let that word grab you. Jesus didn’t say “should” or “can”. Jesus felt this was essential and vital. Jesus didn’t treat His time on earth in a cavalier manner (Oh well, whatever happens happens). No, He believed that there were works of His Father that He must do! What about you? Do you feel a “must” in doing the works of God? Do you believe that doing God’s works is essential and is something you must do?
- Works of Him: What did Jesus believe He MUST do? What did Jesus mean by “the works of Him who sent Me”? I believe Jesus was talking about the works God gave Him to do. Jesus knew that God had given Him certain works to do, and He believed He must do them. Jesus said in John 4:34 “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to accomplish His work.” Just as food satisfies us and gives us energy, so too doing the works God had assigned to Jesus satisfied Him and gave Him spiritual energy. Instead of draining Him, they energized Him. At the very end of His life, in John 17:4 Jesus said, “I glorified You on the earth, having accomplished the work which You have given Me to do.” I believe that healing this blind man and granting Him eternal life were works that God had given Jesus to do.
im.Him. We must each ask ourselves, “What are the works God has given me to do?” I must not concentrate on doing the works that I want to do, or the works that everyone else wants me to do, but the works that God wants me to do! What has God called me to do with my life?
- Work: Notice that Jesus didn’t say we must think about doing God’s works, or talk about doing God’s works, or read about doing God’s works, or pray about doing God’s works. He said “we must WORK the works of God.” If you know what the works are that God wants you to do, then adopt the Nike slogan – “Just Do It!” Christians are famous for their church meetings and bible studies where they study about doing God’s works week after week, year after year. But when are we going to stop just talking about God’s works, and actually start doing them? I hope that 2024 will be the year we DO the works of God!
- Night is coming when no man can work! Let those words ring in your ears! This is why we must do God’s works now. “Only 1 life, will soon be past, only what’s done for Christ will last!” Life is so short, and we have so much to crowd into it, we can’t spare to waste a moment of it. If you knew you were to die today, would you be happy with how you spent your life? What regrets would you have?
“Life is too short for us to do everything we want to do; but it is long enough for us to do everything God wants us to do.”
Eccl. 9:10 “Whatever your hand finds to do, verily, do it with all your might; for there is no activity or planning or knowledge or wisdom in Sheol where you are going.”
Conclusion
- Unsaved. Repent & believe now! Don’t have forever! No one knows how long will live. M. Henry: “This we know, that if the work of life be not done when our time is done, we are undone forever!” Children – now is day of salvation! If you are not right with God, come to Christ today! Repent – change your mind concerning your sin and your estimation of Jesus Christ. Turn around! Forsake your old life, and begin a new life in right relationship with God.
- B. Saved: give lives to doing works of God! Redeem the time. Don’t waste it. Our time is gift of God – we must give an account of how we spent it. We are stewards. Ephesians 2:10 “For we are His workmanship created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.” So, what we need to be doing is identifying the works which God prepared beforehand for us, and then walk in them.
Perhaps we can simplify things by looking at Jesus’ teaching on the greatest commandment in Mt.22:35-40, “35 One of them, [a]a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, 36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” 37 And He said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the great and [b]foremost commandment. 39 The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.” So, really, the Christian life comes down to 2 commands: Love God and love your neighbor.
1) Loving God: prayer, bible reading, memorization, meditation, worship
2) Relationship With Family: devotion to spouse: serving, supporting, encouraging, helping. Devotion to children: teaching, praying, playing, talking, disciplining, modeling.
3) Relationship With Church: body life. One anothers. Building into lives. Discipling a younger believer in the Lord.
4) Relationship with Non-Christians: share gospel; love them, serve them. Every day people die and go to hell. Urgency in this business!
Today! Have no other time in which to live. Past is gone; future hasn’t arrived. Nothing but present! Live now to perform God’s works!
Well then, if time is short, and I must do God’s works while I am in this world, how do I know what they are? Let’s make it very simple. Mt.22:37-40. Love God and people.
- How do You Love God? Jn.14:15. Keep His commandments. Invest your time and energy into obeying Christ’s commandments. Seek to live a life of righteousness, holiness and purity. Worship Him. Pray. Search His Word.
- How do you love People? It depends on who the people are. If that person is lost and headed for hell, you love them by doing everything in your power to bring them to Christ. Pray for them, talk to them, show them acts of kindness to them, meet their needs.
If the person is a believer, you love them by serving them. And, you serve them, by employing your spiritual gift on their behalf (1Pet.4:10). What has God gifted you to do? Serve, show mercy, give, lead, teach, exhort, prophesy. Mary may bake something. Tara may go help someone do something they can’t do on their own. Debbie may go and pray for and encourage another sister in the Lord. Judy may spend time discipling one of the younger women. Paul may call and pray with someone. Mike and Dana may witness to a lost person. Kenny may call and tell someone that he loves them. I may spend my time studying so I can teach the Word.
At the same time, we should all be open to a ministry the Lord may call us into. Might be hanging out with young kids at the park, or spending time at a coffeehouse to reach people for Christ, or volunteering your time at a jail or juvenile hall or prison or crisis pregnancy center.
In other words, let’s live for something greater than ourselves! Let’s live for Christ. Let’s do the works of God while we still have time!
Application:
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