Sermon Central
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A Day For Eternity Series
Contributed by Mark Hall on Oct 8, 2023 (message contributor)
Summary: We are in the great race of life that leads to eternity and eternal greatness. I give my permission for this sermon to be used in its fullness for the glory of God.
A DAY FOR ETERNITY
Please open your Bible to 2 Peter 3 as we continue our series on the Great Race of life with today’s message, “A Day For Eternity.”
2 Peter 3:8 beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. NKJV
THE WILL TO RUN AND WIN
It is vital to understand that we are in the great race of life. This race is no ordinary race. This race is a race for eternal greatness. The Bible, says we are called with the high calling of God to run the race God has set before us. To finish this great race, there must be a will to run, and a desire to win. But most importantly, you cannot win unless you enter the race and run to win.
To win this race demands your very best. It demands sweat and resolve. It demands persistence and determination. It demands diligence and sacrifice. To win this race we must run with an attitude that is fiercely determined to win. But most importantly, nowhere in God’s word are we called to quit or give up. We are to keep running and we are to stay the course until the race is over. Paul said I have finished the race and I have kept the faith. That’s the kind of winning attitude that we need to win the race.
Our race is a spiritual race and it is the most important race you will ever run. How well you run this race will affect your life and everyone around you for both now and eternity. We are not running for an Olympic gold medal, or for worldly treasures; we are running to win an eternal crown of glory that will shine brighter than the stars of heaven. Paul said we are to run in such a way as to win the prize. Let nothing stand in the way of your goal to win.
One of the great secrets to finishing the race, and winning the crown of glory, is to understand the extraordinary impact that one single day of your life has on eternity.
A DAY IN YOUR LIFE
Peter wrote… 2 Peter 3:8 beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord (those who are believers in the Lord) one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.
One day, just one single day of your life, holds great potential for eternity. The Bible says your life is not measured in years, but by each day that makes up those years…
Psalms 39:4 "Show me, O LORD, my life's end and the number of my days… NIV
God doesn’t measure your life by the number of years you have lived, but by the number of days in those years you spent seeking His righteousness and preparing for eternity.
Our days are numbered and what you do in those days will follow you into eternity. Consider that one day of your life is equal to 24 hours, which can be broken down into 1440 minutes or 86,400 seconds. That means if a person lives to age 65, they would have lived 23,750 days.
The question is, how many of those days were spent preparing and living for eternity? Each day is precious and holds a God given opportunity to impact eternity in a special way. The terrible, sad truth is that many people will have accumulated 20,000 plus days over their lifetime, and never use one single day to prepare for eternity. Instead, they waste their days in their selfish pursuit of worldly treasures that have no eternal value. What a tragedy…
Each day is a day of God given opportunities for eternal greatness. Do not waste it.
One day, just one single day, lived for Christ has the potential to impact the kingdom of God in ways
that is far greater than you can imagine. Each day is so important and holds such enormous eternal potential that David said…
Psalms 90:12 Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom. NKJV
Most people do not realize their days are numbered, and that even if you live to be a 100, life is still very short. Knowing that our earthly days are numbered and time is short, God calls us to make each day, a day that impacts eternity for a thousand years of glory in His kingdom.
Again, 2 Peter 3:8 says that one day in the Lord is like a thousand years.
Imagine that just one day of your life has the power to influence and inspire a thousand years for Christ. In our minds this seems impossible, but with God nothing is impossible.
