Slaying The Giants In Your Life Series
"Postponing Your Procrastination" 5 of 6
May 26, 2002 FBC, Chester, Illinois Mike Fogerson, Speaker
Introduction:
He’s rich and smart, but Bill Gates isn’t very wise. In an interview with Time magazine, Gates said, "Just in terms of allocation of time resources, religion is not very efficient. There’s a lot more I could be doing on a Sunday morning."
a I’m sure all of us could be doing something else this morning, but God has called all of humanity to set aside daily routines once a week and worship Him.
b We spent the entire month of January talking about stewardship. Using what God has given us wisely. Time is our most valuable resource....maybe we use it the most unwisely.
John 9:4
[4] As long as it is day, we must do the work of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work.
a I hope you’ll make the most every day that God has given you.
b Question. "What are you waiting for?"
Let’s look at how procrastination robs us. (T.S.)
I Procrastination robs us of successful service (Lk. 9:59-62)
59 He said to another man, "Follow me." But the man replied, "Lord, first let me go and bury my father." 60 Jesus said to him, "Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God." 61 Still another said, "I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say good-by to my family." 62 Jesus replied, "No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God."
A Jesus successfully talked these men out of serving Him. (Sound familiar?)
a It wasn’t wrong for these two guys to want to go check-in with their families before the checked out.
*Jesus’ point was that its vital to keep in check the tendency to put the big things aside for the little things.
b Jesus is telling the men if your gonna follow me it means a radical re-prioritization of life’s values....effective immediately.
B We often substitute the minor stuff for the major stuff.
a We get so busy doing good things that we often neglect doing the best things. (And before you know it you’ve spent 20 years doing good things and doing little that has eternal value.)
b You never teach that class, join the choir, become a greeter, help in the kitchen/service area, get close to the pastor......put it off, put it off, put it off. (You survive, but never really thrive.)
C I want to give you 60 seconds to write down 6 things that you could do this week that would bless people.
a Think of the lives that could be touched, homes, job,...revival in your church.
b (Give 60 seconds...play music) Don’t bury this in your Bible!
*You have six things you can do this week to successfully serve. Procrastination will stop you from do it!
T.S.: Successful service isn’t the only thing that procrastination.
II Procrastination robs you of salvation (Acts 24:24/25)
AC 24:24 Several days later Felix came with his wife Drusilla, who was a Jewess. He sent for Paul and listened to him as he spoke about faith in Christ Jesus. [25] As Paul discoursed on righteousness, self-control and the judgment to come, Felix was afraid and said, "That’s enough for now! You may leave. When I find it convenient, I will send for you."
A Felix failed to seize his opportunity to say "yes" to Jesus.
a FELIX: (Antonius Felix was Greek by birth)
*Appointed procurator of Judea by his brother and that’s why he’s hearing Paul’s case of sedition.
DRUSILLA: (She was one of Herod Agrippa’s I three daughters)
*Felix stole Drusilla from her husband and became Felix’s 3rd wife.
*Her brother murdered James (brother of John) & he also tried to kill the disciple Peter.
*Her great-uncle Herod Antipus beheaded John the Baptist.
*Her great-grandfather Herod the Great instituted a mass murder of babies in Bethlehem in an effort to weed out the newborn messiah.
Felix and Drusilla have a very distinguished and diabolical family history.
b Paul’s sermon outline is very simple. (vv:25)
Righteousness: Who can disagree with that?
Self-Control: Made Felix/Drusilla squirm because their lifestyles.(Excessive and exploitive)
Judgement to Come: This fired the fatal shoot. Payday someday! (They were behind the judge’s bench and now they find themselves sitting behind the defendants’s table.)
*Convicted!!! Afraid, trembled, troubled..... "I’ll call you later."
*Paul appeared at least one more time before Felix, but we never see where Felix said, "Yes."
B The word infer and intend are very close in the dictionary.
a "inter" means to bury (internment) and "intend" often times means the same thing.
b We intend to give our life to God, share our faith, invite this or that person to worship with us. (When we merely intend we are actually burying a chance to getting something done.)
*Sometimes that means the opportunity for someone to come to Christ.
C Billy Graham was at a hotel in Seattle, fast asleep when he was awakened with a powerful burden to pray for Marilyn Monroe. (The next morning his burden was stronger and he had his assistant call Monroe to set up an appointment.)
a Monroe’s agent made it difficult. She was too busy, she would meet with the Reverend Graham-sometime. "Not now, maybe two weeks from now."
b Two weeks were too little too late. She committed suicide. Procrastination robbed salvation.
D.L. Moody was preaching in Chicago on October 8, 1871. He was preaching a message "What will you do with Jesus?" He concluded his sermon by saying, "I wish you would seriously consider this subject, for next Sunday we’ll speak about the cross. Then I’ll ask you, ‘What will you do with Jesus?’"
a They concluded the service with a hymn, but the hymn never got completed-the roar of the fire engines filled the auditorium. The famous Chicago fire of 1871 broke out that very night and almost wiped the city off the map.
b That sermon on the cross never came. Afterward Moody often said, "I have never since dared to give an audience a week to think of their salvation." It haunted him .
*How many were ready? How many were hearing the voice of God,a nd would have laid their souls before Christ that evening? Procrastination robbed salvation
Conclusion:
I hope you’ll make the most of every day.
a Procrastination robs you of successful service and it can also rob you (loved ones) of salvation.
b What are you waiting for?
Is it time to.......
1 Surrender to Jesus Christ?
2 Say "YES" to something that the Spirit of God has tugged at your heart to do.
3 Get your house in order, mend fences with your husband, wife, children?
4 Begin pleasing God with your life at home, work, & church.
Here are four tools:
Take time seriously: If you treat time well, it will return the favor.
Induce what is major & minor: Good vs. Great People: Who’s going to cry at your funeral?
Make a list
Evaluate daily
What are you waiting for?
*Use a wide-mouth one-gallon jar.
(Fisted sized rocks, gravel, sand, water.........in that order add. Each time asking is the jar full?)
A What the moral? (They said there is always room for more in your life?) NO!
a Would the big rocks got in the jar if you didn’t put them in first? NO.
b If we fail to give our highest priorities our greatest attention, something of lesser significance will quickly take their place and fill up our time.
What are you waiting for?
