Regardless of how time was used before, becoming a follower of Jesus means we use our time differently. We are probably used to spending time on ourselves, but we now want to now make time for two new activities:
First, Christians are called to devote Time for God
Yes, God is present everywhere, all the time, but we want to have specific time laid aside for God. Jesus did this himself:
Immediately he made the disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone… (Matthew 14:22-23 ESV)
This isn’t the only example, there are many examples like it. Today, people focus time on God by reading his Word, the Bible. A key part of our community is that we base all our teaching on the Bible, and encourage you to read daily. Secondly, focus on God in prayer. We encouraged you to start this in our Becoming like Family series, but don’t forget!
Second, Christians are called to devote Time for others
When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.” (Matthew 9:36-38 ESV)
Jesus dedicated enormous amounts of time to serving the needs of hurting people around him. Following Jesus means we are meant to focus our lives outward as well.
If all this sounds really busy, you are probably thinking we have to add these to our schedules. These are not additions, but are meant to replace, refresh, renew, or as we have named this series, reset our use of time. Some of the things we used to do were wasting time, and now we are invited to redeem that lost time.
What will you let go? Budget your time. Think of it as a limited resource, sine we can’t create time, and can only manage it.
Challenge: Watch your schedule next week. Write down how much time you spent on each activity, then categorize it as me, God or others. What’s out of balance?
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Jesus always has the Pharisees, or religious lawyers, in mind as he teaches.
Pharisees were essentially seeking a checklist of laws they can work through.
Jesus says that wasn’t the point of the law. Look back to the beatitudes, the content that we started this series with. Jesus was always expanding the law to look at our motivations, not just outward actions we can check off our do/don't do list.
It's a good thing, because we know life isn’t like that. Life throws stituations at all of us that we never anticipated, and could never have listed in advance.
Jesus describes keeping God’s law with this line: So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.
He goes on to recognize, this is no checklist, this is very difficult: narrow gate to pass through.
Baggage doesn’t fit. All your religious background, credentials, money, power, etc. all get left behind if you want to go through this gate.
Every human can go through this door if we are willing to let go of all the sin baggage that keeps us from God.
The narrow path – or the cramped path – does not allow us to take with us the things we can carry on the broad path. What are those things?
Our failure to live this way, to go through Jesus’ narrow door, is due to our self-centeredness.
We are instinctively self-centered, self-loving. Fall.
40% of millenials say that "being self-promoting, narcissistic, overconfident, and attention-seeking is helpful for succeeding in a competitive world."
Almost 80% say that their friends use social media for those reasons.
So Jesus uses that against us. Uses our self-love to love others. He redeems our self-love.
Self-love is powerful. Usually our guide – now Jesus says it’s for others, too.
Jesus calls us to an awareness of others as God’s beloved children, too.
We’re not the only ones.
Prevents need for endless rules for every situation. Put self in other’s shoes.
Question: Describe the most self-centered person you know. What do you have in common with them? What characteristics do you share? Why is this so hard to admit?
