Good morning. I want to start this message out this morning by asking you to take out a pen if you have one, and if not, share if you need to. And what I want you to do, on the left hand corner of your outline, or any other piece of paper, I want you to write the year you were born. Now you can hide it with your hand if you want to, but make sure you write it down. Next, I want you to put a dash and then I want you to write 20__ __. Because we don’t know what day that is going to be. Go ahead and do that, and as you are writing yours, I will put mine up on the screen.
Okay, now I want you to look at that. Every one of us has one of those days on the left. And we all mark that day. We celebrate that day. We eat cake, blow out candles, and receive gifts on that day. We all have one of those days on the left hand side. But you know what, we all have one of those other days too. We all need to understand that one day that right hand date will also be completely filled out. Now we don’t really like to think about it all that much, but it’s inevitable, it’s coming.
A few years ago People Magazine published an article entitled “Dead Ahead,” telling about a new clock that keeps track of how much time you have left to live. It calculates an average life span of 75 years for men and 80 years for women. Well, there is a website that does the same thing. You can go to this website and program your sex, your age, and some other determining factors into this clock, and from then on it will tell you how much time you have left. Now I checked this thing out, and it said that I would die on November 15th, 2069. Now if that is true, then that means that from today, I have 22,600 days until I will die.
Now, I’m not going to put much stock into that number, because I did another one that said I would die 12 years sooner. But it is an intriguing idea. In fact, that’s what the Psalmist told us to do, “…to number our days…”
So if I live 22,600 more days, that means that I will die at the age of 85 years old. But wait a minute. Even though I have this number in mind, I don’t have a guarantee of even one more day of life. In fact the Bible tells us not to count on tomorrow because tomorrow may not come for you or for me. All we have is right now.
Just as we had no control over that first date, we also, for the most part have no real control over that other date either. Now, look at those dates again. Now let me ask you a question, “Is there anything that you wrote down that you can control?”
Do you see what it is? It’s the dash. It’s the years between your birth and your death. And over that you do have control. So my question to you, as we begin a new year in a couple days is this, “How are you spending your dash? What are you doing with your dash?” Now understand this, you only get one. Nobody gets 2 dashes. And as we approach a new year, it would be a good time to make the most of your dash, because time goes by quickly.
Take a look with me at how James describes your dash. In James 4:14, James says, “Why, you don’t even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.”
Now, some people get to the right-hand side of that dash and they say to themselves, “I wasted my life. All those years gone…I’m not really sure how or why it happened, but it just did…”
Now, I believe that if you will begin applying the truths that we will talk about today, that you will live an incredible dash and when you get to that right hand number, you will leave this world with few or no regrets. You will leave with a sense of accomplishment and fulfillment in life.
Now, before we get started, allow me to begin with a word of prayer. Let’s Pray!
As we begin, what do you think the most dangerous item in your house is? Now there has been some research done on this question, and recent studies show that there are many household dangers. For instance, each year: 460,000 injuries are caused by kitchen knives, 100,000 injuries are caused by power tools, 20 deaths a year are caused by strangulation by drapery cords, and I don’t quite understand this one, but 4,000 people will injure themselves every year on pillows.
What I want you to do now, is to turn to the person next to you and tell them what you think the most dangerous item in the house is? Now, I don’t know if there is any right or wrong answer to that question, but I want to propose to you this morning that this is the most dangerous thing in your house.
Now this isn’t my favorite type of chair, that would be an “easy” chair or a “lazy-boy.” We like chairs because they are very comfortable, and we like to be comfortable. It really doesn’t matter what the chair even looks like as long as it is comfortable.
As I sit here in this chair, nice and comfortable, do I look like a guy who is ready to spring into action? Do I look like I am passionate to do whatever God wants me to do? Do I look like I am striving to live my dash well?
Think about your life. Is your life, is your dash, primarily dedicated to life in the chair? Honestly, is your life primarily devoted to figuring out how you can maximize your comfort; your security; your safety; your pleasure? Is your life primarily about you?
Now let me ask you, does that kind of life make your heart beat faster? Does that kind of life cause you get up out bed in the morning with a sense of purpose in your step and determination in your heart? I would doubt it. And that’s why I propose that this is probably the most dangerous thing in your house. And listen, the real danger is not what is done in the chair. No, the real danger is the things that are not done when you are in the chair.
I’m talking about the relationships that never get deepened. I’m talking about the people in need who never get served. I’m talking about the prayers that never get prayed. I’m talking about the gifts that are never given. The exciting dreams you never dream. The battles that you never fight. The good news you never share.
The lost people in your world who never meet Jesus. The laughter you never laugh. The tears you never cry. The risks you never take. And the great adventure of life with God that you never live.
Do you understand? You were made for more than life in the chair. You were made for more then simply living to maximize your own comfort, safety, security, and pleasure. You were made to live the life that God called you to live. You were made to live a life that brings glory to God, impacts the world, and sends out ripples that echo into eternity.
But, there is an enemy that we face. A very real and powerful enemy. An enemy that the Bible describes as “a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” An enemy that John says in Revelation 12:17 is an angry dragon who has declared war on anyone who follows the Christ and His teachings. An enemy that Jesus describes in John 10:10 as a thief. “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”
So what does the thief want to steal, kill, and destroy? The answer is your life, it is your dash. The thief does not want you to live your dash well. In fact, he wants you to live your life right here, in the chair. He wants you to live your life for only you. Only for your comfort, security, safety, and pleasure.
So, how well did you live your dash in the year 2007? Was it the kind of year you had hope for when the ball dropped in Times Square over 360 days ago?
How successful was the lion, or the dragon, or the thief at stealing, killing, and destroying the life Jesus died to give to you? The question I want each of us to consider at this very moment is, What am I doing with the life that God has given me? Am I living it for Him? Or am I living it in the chair?
So the new year draws near, as we approach 2008, I am convinced that every person in this room desires to live their dash well. I am convinced that everyone of us longs to live our lives in 2008 out of the chair and in service to God. But how do we do it? How do we have a better 2008 than ever before? That is the question I will try to answer in the time that we have left this morning. And I will answer it by pulling 5 objects that we see everyday out of this bag and letting them teach us about how we can live our dash well in the year 2008.
First, Is A Mirror:
Remember who you are. Who or what do you see when you look into the mirror? Chances are that what you see is distorted. Chances are that the reflections you see of yourself are not the real you. One of my favorite movies is the movie Lion King.
The star of this story is a lion named Simba. And Simba because of various things mistakes in his past, what his uncle Scar said about him, bad choices he had made, and a new philosophy of life that he had adopted called “a kuna ma tata…” Because of these things, he did not see the real Simba when he looked in the mirror. The reflections he saw were distorted. And this distortion caused him to forget who he was.
And he winds up living with a wart hog and a meerkat whose highest ambitions in life are breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Then one night Simba’s father Mufasa appears to him in a vision. Take a look at this clip with me.
(Show movie clip)
Like Simba, have you forgotten who you are? Have you allowed your past, your failures, your sin, your bad choices, and the uncle scars, meerkats, and wart hogs in your life to keep you from seeing the real you. I think it’s time to look in the mirror.
I John 3:1-3 says, “1”
Who are you? At this very moment God is looking at you and saying, “You are my child, the one I love. You are the one I adopted into my family, the one I chose before the foundations of the earth were even laid. You are my workmanship, my masterpiece. You are more than what you are accomplishing now.”
What we need to understand is that the first step to living life out of the chair, to living a dash that is worth while, is to remember who you are. It is to take a closer look into the mirror of God’s love for us.
The Second Thing That I Have Is A Withered Leaf:
We need to stay connected, and we need to pursue true intimacy with God. In this Zip-lock baggie is a leaf from this poinsettia that has been sitting here since last week.
This leaf just fell off of the poinsettia this past week. But already, you can see that there is a difference between this leaf and the ones that are still on the plant.
Jesus was heading to the garden with His disciples, and they were going crazy. I mean think about what had just happened. Jesus had just washed their feet, He told them that one of them would betray Him. Then he takes the bread and the cup, and tells them, “my body will be broken, my blood will be shed… for you.”
What kind of thoughts were going through their mind as their feet walked the dark path to the garden? “What are we going to do? How will we make it? How will we survive without Jesus?” Have you ever found yourself on a dark path asking yourself, “How will I make it? How will I ever survive this one?” Jesus’ answer to them is His answer to us yet today. He says in John 15:4-8 to, “2”
There is no doubt that you will have to face challenges in the year 2008. And staying connected, pursuing true intimacy with God, it will make a huge difference. But just how do you do that? Well, you stay connected to God by studying His word, praying, worshiping, being in church, enjoying His creation, and spending time with His people/other Christians.
Every time you see a branch that is connected, green, and alive or disconnected, withered, and dead let it remind you of your need to be connected to God. A connection that will feed the cravings of your soul, making it come alive.
The Third Thing That I Have Is Water:
We need to make sure that we are pouring more and more of God into our lives. This glass of water represents our life when we come to Christ. It’s clear, and we are pure. But then, life comes, and usually it happens to same day, and we find out that even though we are in a relationship with Christ, we still have some of the same struggles. We still deal with anger, gossip, slander, lust, lies, addictions, envy, bitterness and a whole lot more. All of this sin, is like pouring dirt into our clear water. See what happens.
(Pour dirt into glass)
Our clear glass is not so clear anymore, is it? Did anyone add any dirt to their glass in 2007? My hunch is that if you are like me, you even added some of the same dirt that you made resolutions at the beginning of the year not to have in your life. Do you ever get frustrated trying to remove the dirt from your life? Why is it that we fail more times then not, when we try to remove it? The answer is because WE try to remove the sin and dirt from our own lives.
What we need to understand is that on our own power we will never be able to get the dirt out. But the good news is that there is another power that is available to every believer, the Holy Spirit. And that power, that spring of living water that according to Jesus in John 7, is streaming from within each of us, is designed to get the dirt out. In Ephesians 5:18 it says, “Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, let the Holy Spirit fill and control you.”
And then in Galatians 5:16 in the New Living Translation it says, “So I advise you to live according to your new life in the Holy Spirit. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves.”
In 2008, to live your dash well, to get the dirt out, you need to pour more of God into your life. Let the Holy Spirit fill and control you. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. And then, here is what that looks like.
(Fill glass with clear water)
And once again we have clear, and pure water. If we want to live our dash with purpose, we need to pour more and more of God into our lives.
The Next Thing That I Have Is A Light:
What we need to realize is that, “It’s not about me, it’s about Him.” In Matthew 5:14-16 it says, “3”
There is a story that was going on long before you breathed you first breathe, long before that left side of your dash ever existed. And this story will still be going on long after you have breathed your last and that right side of you dash is completely filled in. It is the story of an all powerful, all knowing, all present, great, mighty, good, and gracious King.
Creating long before time began a world of billions of galaxies, breathless beauty, and wonder for one purpose. And that one purpose was to have an intimate relationship with you and with me.
We should never forget why everything, and I mean everything exists. Everything exists so that you and God can be together. So that you can know Him, be with Him, and rest and come alive in Him! It’s not about me, it’s about Him.
You see, there is an awesome story going on of a Great and Merciful God bringing His people back to Himself. Rescuing them from faraway places and bringing them back home. A story that has a final and never ending chapter that will begin when the new heaven and the new earth come down from the sky.
And the bottom line is this, God is big and we are not. HE is the one who is calling the shots, directing the script, determining the plot, we are not. And what’s really neat is that while this huge and powerful God doesn’t need any of us, He nevertheless has invited each of us to join Him and play a part in the story that never ends.
In 2008 to live your dash well, stop getting so caught up in and giving most of your energy to your own little story. Stop looking for ways to shine the light on yourself, and making it all about you. Instead, enter every environment, your home, school, work, church, and every other environment with every intention to shine as little light as possible on yourself and as much light as possible on Jesus. What a way to look at life.
And The Final Thing That I Have This Morning Is A Rope:
From this rope I want us to all realize that we are better together. Listen to this passage, it is a very popular passage. In Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 it says, “4”
I think King Solomon pretty well said it all with those words. We are better together! We were made for each other. And together we can help each other live our dash well. Here is the bottom line to that, if you are not in community with other believers the chances of you really getting out of the chair and living your dash well in 2008 are pretty slim.
So I would encourage you to get more involved with the fellow believers around you. Get to know them, take time to allow them to get to know you. Spend time with each other, and truly be accountable to one another. A cord of three strands is not easily broken.
So, as we close today, and as you approach a new year, may we all make a clear decision to make 2008 our best year yet. May we get out of the chair, and may we live life to the fullest. And may we be able to stand in Heaven when the date that is on the right is completely filled out, and may we be able to hear God say, “Well done good and faithful servant. You have truly lived your dash with purpose.”
Let’s Pray!
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