Life-Line For Jesus Community Church 12/15/01
Lorenzo Nicholson Sr. Living Life To The Teeth
Ps 139:14 “I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvelous are thy works.”
James 4:14 Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.
We were born into this world and we have no memory of our beginning. Before long we became aware of our existence and surroundings. Somehow in our small minds we thought that the world and everything in it belonged to us. We fussed and we cried when we couldn’t have our way. As far as curiosity would allow us when we got older, we tested and explored everything that we felt we were big enough to do. We wanted to have our own way. We wanted to “live life to the teeth”, which is to be lacking nothing and complete in every sense of the word.
Life is a wonderful gift from God and it should not be taken for granted. We are all fashioned after the infinite mind of God. The psalmist said in Ps 139:14 “I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvelous are thy works.” As life goes by we must pause to realize how precious it really is but we must also understand that death is inevitable. We must prepare to face it with optimism.
I want to reason with you from the subject, “Living Life To The Teeth” but I’d like to use only the letter “T” instead of the word “Teeth.” Living life to the ‘T”
I. The first “T” is for “temporal”—Life is temporal and we should take advantage of every moment that has been allotted us to do all that we can, making preparation for our eternal estate.
A. We should learn to love God and honor him for allowing us to have an opportunity to live our lives.
B. We should love one another.
1. Jn 13: 34 A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.
2. If you have problems loving others, God teaches you from his word.
a. 1 Thes 4:9b “…for ye yourselves are taught of God to love one another.”
C. We should forgive one another in that it is the key to our own forgiveness.
1. Mathew 6:14 For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: 15 But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
D. It is very important that we be mindful of how temporal life really is. Tomorrow is not promised
1. James 4:14 says “…you know not what shall be on the tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time, and then vanishes away.”
II. The second “T’ is for “transitional” –We must understand that we are only passing through this world. It is a mystery that baffles the minds of the most pious of all. We are in transit we are here and then we are gone.
A. Heb 11:13 These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.
B. Heb 9:27 says “… it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:”
III. The third “T” is for trouble. Life is full of trouble and it is to be expected. Every life has its share.
A. Job 14:1 Man that is born of a woman is of few days, and full of trouble.
B. Trouble induces suffering and suffering takes a toll on us all in one way or another. We may escape one trouble but another corners us. If we are children of God we have a hope that awaits us in spite of the trouble we may face.
1. Romans 8:17And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together. 18 For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. 19 For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. 20 For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope, 21 Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.
