Christian Life Church
January 14, 2024 at 8:30am & 10:00am
“Of all arithmetical rules this is the hardest – to number our days. Men can number their herds and droves of oxen and of sheep, they can estimate the revenues of their manors and farms, they can with a little pains number and tell their coins, and yet they are persuaded that their days are infinite and innumerable and therefore do never begin to number them.” (Tymme)
Locations & Times
Christian Life Church Columbia
2700 Bush River Rd, Columbia, SC 29210, USA
Sunday 8:00 AM
NUMBERING OUR DAYS JANUARY 14, 2024
SCRIPTURE
Lord, You have been our dwelling place throughout all generations. Before the mountains were born or You brought forth the whole world, from everlasting to everlasting You are God. You turn people back to dust, saying, “Return to dust, you mortals.” A thousand years in Your sight are like a day that has just gone by, or like a watch in the night. Yet You sweep people away in the sleep of death—they are like the new grass of the morning: In the morning it springs up new, but by evening it is dry and withered. We are consumed by Your anger and terrified by Your indignation. You have set our iniquities before You, our secret sins in the light of Your presence. All our days pass away under Your wrath; we finish our years with a moan. Our days may come to seventy years, or eighty, if our strength endures; yet the best of them are but trouble and sorrow, for they quickly pass, and we fly away. If only we knew the power of Your anger! Your wrath is as great as the fear that is Your due. Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom. Relent, Lord! How long will it be? Have compassion on Your servants. Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days. Make us glad for as many days as You have afflicted us, for as many years as we have seen trouble. May Your deeds be shown to Your servants, Your splendor to their children. May the favor of the Lord our God rest on us; establish the work of our hands for us—yes, establish the work of our hands. Psalm 90, NIV
INTRO
“Of all arithmetical rules this is the hardest – tonumber our days.Men can number their herds and droves of oxen and of sheep, they can estimate the revenues of their manors and farms, they can with a little pains number and tell their coins, and yet they are persuaded that their days are infinite and innumerable and therefore do never begin to number them.” (Tymme)
Because of the privilege and authority God has given me, I give each of you this warning: Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us. Romans 12:3
A NOT SO MODERN DILEMMA
There is a spoken and an unspoken demand on your life to fulfill other people’s desires.
For David, after he had served the purposes of God in his own generation, fell asleep. Acts 13:36
Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where He prayed. Simon and his companions went to look for Him, and when they found Him, they exclaimed: “Everyone is looking for you!” Jesus replied, “Let us go somewhere else—to the nearby villages—so I can preach there also. That is why I have come.” Mark 1:35-38
There should be a distinct difference between what you can do and what you should do!
WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT TIME
1/ Time is an earthly concept.
2/ Time is linear.
3/ Time is given for order.
Then God said, “Let lights appear in the sky to separate the day from the night. Let them be signs to mark the seasons, days, and years.” Genesis 1:14
4/ Time cannot be stopped.
5/ Time is fleeting.
Your life is like the morning fog—it’s here a little while, then it’s gone. James 1:14
“All people are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall.” 1 Peter 1:24
“Lord, remind me how brief my time on earth will be. Remind me that my days are numbered—how fleeting my life is.” Psalm 39:4
6/ Time can be redeemed.
NUMBERING OUR DAYS
1/ We should acknowledge some things.
2/ We should appreciate some things.
3/ We should assess some things.
“Relationships are the only thing on the earth of eternal worth.” PD
It is important to assess our relationship with the Lord.
“Life’s value is not its duration but its donation – not how long we live but how fully and how well.” William James
It is important to assess our relationship with our spouse.
It is important to assess our relationship with our children/grandchildren.
It is important to assess our relationship with our self.
GAINING A HEART OF WISDOM
1/ We should ask some things.
“Lord, what do You want this relationship to look like?”
Where there is no vision, the people perish. Proverbs 29:18
“What practical steps need to be taken to get there?”
“Lord, will You bless my efforts?”
2/ We should act on some things.
“Nothing changes, if nothing changes.” Unknown
SCRIPTURE
Lord, You have been our dwelling place throughout all generations. Before the mountains were born or You brought forth the whole world, from everlasting to everlasting You are God. You turn people back to dust, saying, “Return to dust, you mortals.” A thousand years in Your sight are like a day that has just gone by, or like a watch in the night. Yet You sweep people away in the sleep of death—they are like the new grass of the morning: In the morning it springs up new, but by evening it is dry and withered. We are consumed by Your anger and terrified by Your indignation. You have set our iniquities before You, our secret sins in the light of Your presence. All our days pass away under Your wrath; we finish our years with a moan. Our days may come to seventy years, or eighty, if our strength endures; yet the best of them are but trouble and sorrow, for they quickly pass, and we fly away. If only we knew the power of Your anger! Your wrath is as great as the fear that is Your due. Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom. Relent, Lord! How long will it be? Have compassion on Your servants. Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days. Make us glad for as many days as You have afflicted us, for as many years as we have seen trouble. May Your deeds be shown to Your servants, Your splendor to their children. May the favor of the Lord our God rest on us; establish the work of our hands for us—yes, establish the work of our hands. Psalm 90, NIV
INTRO
“Of all arithmetical rules this is the hardest – tonumber our days.Men can number their herds and droves of oxen and of sheep, they can estimate the revenues of their manors and farms, they can with a little pains number and tell their coins, and yet they are persuaded that their days are infinite and innumerable and therefore do never begin to number them.” (Tymme)
Because of the privilege and authority God has given me, I give each of you this warning: Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us. Romans 12:3
A NOT SO MODERN DILEMMA
There is a spoken and an unspoken demand on your life to fulfill other people’s desires.
For David, after he had served the purposes of God in his own generation, fell asleep. Acts 13:36
Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where He prayed. Simon and his companions went to look for Him, and when they found Him, they exclaimed: “Everyone is looking for you!” Jesus replied, “Let us go somewhere else—to the nearby villages—so I can preach there also. That is why I have come.” Mark 1:35-38
There should be a distinct difference between what you can do and what you should do!
WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT TIME
1/ Time is an earthly concept.
2/ Time is linear.
3/ Time is given for order.
Then God said, “Let lights appear in the sky to separate the day from the night. Let them be signs to mark the seasons, days, and years.” Genesis 1:14
4/ Time cannot be stopped.
5/ Time is fleeting.
Your life is like the morning fog—it’s here a little while, then it’s gone. James 1:14
“All people are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall.” 1 Peter 1:24
“Lord, remind me how brief my time on earth will be. Remind me that my days are numbered—how fleeting my life is.” Psalm 39:4
6/ Time can be redeemed.
NUMBERING OUR DAYS
1/ We should acknowledge some things.
2/ We should appreciate some things.
3/ We should assess some things.
“Relationships are the only thing on the earth of eternal worth.” PD
It is important to assess our relationship with the Lord.
“Life’s value is not its duration but its donation – not how long we live but how fully and how well.” William James
It is important to assess our relationship with our spouse.
It is important to assess our relationship with our children/grandchildren.
It is important to assess our relationship with our self.
GAINING A HEART OF WISDOM
1/ We should ask some things.
“Lord, what do You want this relationship to look like?”
Where there is no vision, the people perish. Proverbs 29:18
“What practical steps need to be taken to get there?”
“Lord, will You bless my efforts?”
2/ We should act on some things.
“Nothing changes, if nothing changes.” Unknown