Things To Do Before I Die

(Psalm 39:1-13) "O spare me, that I may recover strength, before I go hence, and be no more."

The Psalmist asks God to give him strength to accomplish these things before "I go hence, and be no more." (v. 13)

In other words, these are things he wants to do before he dies.

I have a running list of things I want to do before I die.

I’ve already started on my list, So far...

- I have been on two cruises.

- I have been to Mt. Rushmore.

- I’ve been to the Grand Canyon.

- I’ve been to Big Ben State park.

- I’ve been to Cancun, Mexico and also to Cozomel, Mexico.

- I ate at the Fisherman’s Wharf in San Fransisco.

- I’ve hailed a Taxi in Manhattan, New York.

- We went to the Statue of Liberty, and the site of the World Trade Center tragedy.

- And, last year my wife and I spent a week in Beautiful Hawaii.

But, there are still a few things on my list that I haven’t got to, but I expect to...

- Niagra Falls.

- Europe.

- Canada.

I have knocked a few off of the list, but there are still a few things I want to do before I die!

The Psalmist had some Spiritual things he wanted to accomplish before his end. More important than Hawaii or New York, is how you will spend your Spiritual life before you die.

SPIRITUAL THINGS TO DO BEFORE YOU DIE!

I. I want to get victory over my tongue before I die (Psa. 39:1).

A. The Psalmist wanted victory over his tongue.

1. That he sin not with his tongue.

2. That he could keep his mouth with a bridle.

3. The Bible is full of admonition against the evil of the tongue.

4. How important was this to King David, that he chose it as a thing to accomplish before he died!

B. The Apostle James wrote of the untamable tongue (James 3:1-10)

1. He called it "A fire" (v. 5-6).

- A small fire can become a flame that destroys whole communities.

- Fire pays no attention to value or cost.

- So is the tongue among our members that it destroys families, marriages, churches, without any concern for what it has destroyed.

2. A world of iniquity (v. 6).

- It defiles the whole body.

- Sets on fire the course of nature.

- Fires are a lot easier to start, than to put out.

- It is set on fire of hell.

3. An unruly evil, an untamable beast (v. 7-8).

- Men have been able to train every kind of beast, except the beast within.

4. Full of deadly poison (v. 8).

- God is not an exaggerator.

- The tongue is deadly!

I want victory over my tongue, before I die!

II. I want the Fire of God to burn in my heart before I die (Psa.39-2-3).

A. While I was musing the fire burned.

1. No doubt the Psalmist was thinking about his life.

- Perhaps he considered his accomplishments.

- Maybe he wondered what people would think about him after he was gone from this life.

2. He probably considered what legacy he would leave.

- He thought about what he had done for God.

- He mused about his life.

3. Maybe he felt as if he hadn’t done much good.

- Perhaps he remembered his sin with Bathsheba.

- Maybe he thought about how sinful he had been before God.

4. He may have thought about how little time he had left to really accomplish anything for God.

- And as he mused; As he thought about this...

- A fire began to burn in his bosom.

- While he was musing the fire burned!

B. I often think about my life, and what I have or have not accomplished.

1. I told you of the places I have been, and places I still want to go.

- I consider it a good thing that I have accomplished some of things I want to do with my life.

2. But, more important than the places I’ve been, is my walk with Jesus Christ.

- I don’t want to have lived and died and never seen a burning fire move in my heart.

- I don’t want to have lived my whole Christian life without seeing revival in our church.

- I don’t want to go through my whole life without ever seeing the power of God.

I want to see the fire of God before I die!

III. I want to realize my frailty before I die (Psa. 39:4-5).

A. We think to much of ourselves.

1. Pride and conceit are the norm among Christians.

2. Every Church problem has pride as its root.