I'll Do it Tomorrow
Notes
Transcript
1 Samuel 9:1-2
1 Samuel 10:1-2
1 Samuel 17:1-11
We have spend the last couple of weeks talking about the Truth about Change.
Change isn’t always fun.
But change often brings some very positive results.
Because change can be scary, we often put off things that we know will bring change.
What do you procrastinate about?
A chore?
homework?
a project at work
Dealing with an awkward situation
Everyone procrastinates sometimes.
But some people procrastinate all the time.
I’ll be honest, I’m a horrible procrastinator.
I like to say that I’m a perfectionist, I like things orderly and clean and just right…to be honest, I’m slightly OCD.
But the problem is I’m a procrastinating perfectionist…I want it perfect, but I’ll fix it tomorrow.
It’s not usually based in laziness, or something like that…usually I just have so many things going on, I have a hard time setting down the other irons I have in the fire to take care of the one that fell out of the fire.
The toilet downstairs in the basement needed a new flapper for a while now.
I added an alarm on my phone to take care of it.
It went off, and I hit snooze.
It went off again, and I cancelled it - I just couldn’t get to it right then.
I reset the alarm on repeat every day, so that I would be reminded.
I repeatedly turned it off.
One day finally, I just set everything down, and went downstairs and looked at the toilet.
There was no angle stop on the toilet to turn off the water, great!
I’ll have to figure out a way to keep the water from continuing to run so I can take the flapper with me to the store, Because I don’t trust my memory to get the right kind of flapper…I guess I could have taken a picture, but that would be difficult to see what I needed to see to match up with the old one.
I don’t have time for this right now…so I put it off.
The light switch plate cover broke in the boys bathroom downstairs.
I went to look at it, probably an easy fix…but the ring that screws onto the button to hold the button onto the light switch was missing.
I’ll deal with it later.
You’ll be happy to know that since I was preaching on procrastination, I figured I better get these projects done this week…and I did.
When you have so much going on it’s difficult not to procrastinate.
Especially when your mind runs like a tornado through an office... papers, Ideas, and to do lists flying everywhere.
Charlotte Lieberman wrote about procrastination in the New York Times article, “Why You Procrastinate”
“Procrastination isn’t a unique character flaw or a mysterious curse on your ability to manage time, but a way of coping with challenging emotions and negative moods induced by certain tasks—boredom, anxiety, insecurity, frustration, resentment, self-doubt and beyond. … The particular nature of our aversion depends on the given task or situation. It may be due to something inherently unpleasant about the task itself—having to clean a dirty bathroom or organizing a long, boring spreadsheet for your boss. But it might also result from deeper feelings related to the task, such as self-doubt, low self-esteem, anxiety or insecurity”
Last week we saw that God wants to make changes in our lives, little by little, to make us more like Christ.
However, if we allow procrastination to hinder our spiritual growth, we will never be what God wants us to be.
In 1 Samuel 9, we meet Saul, the son of Kish, a man from the tribe of Benjamin.
Saul’s father had two donkeys that had gone missing, and so Kish sent Saul along with a servant to go search for them.
Saul and this servant went looking for the donkeys for three days.
When they can’t find them, Saul decides to turn back, so that his father won’t worry about them.
But the servant suggests that they go see a prophet in a local town.
Maybe he will know where the donkeys are.
So they try this one last thing before heading home.
1 Sam 9:14 And they went up into the city: and when they were come into the city, behold, Samuel came out against them, for to go up to the high place.
15 Now the Lord had told Samuel in his ear a day before Saul came, saying,
16 To morrow about this time I will send thee a man out of the land of Benjamin, and thou shalt anoint him to be captain over my people Israel, that he may save my people out of the hand of the Philistines: for I have looked upon my people, because their cry is come unto me.
17 And when Samuel saw Saul, the Lord said unto him, Behold the man whom I spake to thee of! this same shall reign over my people.
When they meet Samuel, he tells Saul that his donkeys have already returned and invites him to stay the night.
You see in chapter 8, the people of Israel have asked God for a king.
God was their King, but a king that they could see and touch to lead them.
Samuel was very mad at Israel, but God told Samuel:
8 According to all the works which they have done since the day that I brought them up out of Egypt even unto this day, wherewith they have forsaken me, and served other gods, so do they also unto thee.
9 Now therefore hearken unto their voice: howbeit yet protest solemnly unto them, and shew them the manner of the king that shall reign over them.
God told Samuel, they are not rejecting your leadership as a prophet, they are rejecting my leadership as their king.
So Samuel told the people what a human king would do, he warned them...
He will take your sons as soldiers
They will work for him
and reap his harvest
they will make his instruments of war
he will take your daughters for cooks and bakers
he will take your fields and vineyards and oliveyards
He will take a tenth of your seed
He will take your servants to be his servants
He will take a tenth of your beasts and sheep
You won’t like it then!
But the people refused to hear Samuel and said, “Nay but we will have a king over us.”
So here we find the man that God has chosen for their king.
And boy does he ever fit the bill!
Handsome and tall, no better looking or more kingly man in all of Israel!
He looks like a king!
He was the good looking quarterback who was on track for a full ride scholarship at his chosen college!
Now let’s fast forward to 1 Samuel 17.
The armies of Israel, led by their King, Saul, are on one hill and the Philistines are on the other hill.
Goliath, a hulk of a man, decked out in armour taunts the Israelites.
8 And he stood and cried unto the armies of Israel, and said unto them, Why are ye come out to set your battle in array? am not I a Philistine, and ye servants to Saul? choose you a man for you, and let him come down to me.
9 If he be able to fight with me, and to kill me, then will we be your servants: but if I prevail against him, and kill him, then shall ye be our servants, and serve us.
All of the Israelites are terrified and no one is willing to go into battle, even King Saul, the biggest and brightest of all of them.
Then comes along David, just a young man whose three older brothers were soldiers in King Saul’s army.
David came to bring supplies to his brothers from home, but hears Goliath’s taunts.
16 And the Philistine drew near morning and evening, and presented himself forty days.
Eighty times Goliath taunts Isreal.
26 And David spake to the men that stood by him, saying, What shall be done to the man that killeth this Philistine, and taketh away the reproach from Israel? for who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?
His eldest brother chastises him, but David is not distracted from his purpose.
When Saul heard what David was saying he sent for him.
32 And David said to Saul, Let no man’s heart fail because of him; thy servant will go and fight with this Philistine.
Saul tells him that he is just a kid!
But David tells King Saul that he has already killed a bear and lion when they attacked his sheep...
36 Thy servant slew both the lion and the bear: and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be as one of them, seeing he hath defied the armies of the living God.
37 David said moreover, The Lord that delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine. And Saul said unto David, Go, and the Lord be with thee.
We know the rest of the story, how David sinks a stone in Goliath’s head and he falls.
David cuts off Goliath’s head, and the philistines run, the Israelites chase after them and win the battle.
We have heard the story many times in Sunday School and church.
But focusing in on Saul, Why was he there on that battlefield for forty days with an army allowing this heathen Philistine mock God and his people?
The downfall of King Saul can very closely relate to our own struggle wiht passivity, if we are not careful.
Saul was a large gifted man, called by God to lead Israel.
He had everything He needed to succeed, but he was a colossal failure.
He should have exuded the confidence David did in facing Goliath…He should have been the first one to lead His people into the battle, knowing that God was on their side!
As much as he looked like the leader, he refused to fight the battle.
His passivity, cost him.
Slowly the hearts of the people of Israel were turned toward David.
And decision after decision caused Saul to lose his kingdom.
If we refuse to fight the battle we will pay the price.
Doctors and Psychologists today do give us some ideas on how to tackle procrastination…things like:
Eat the elephant one bite at a time
Take care of the Little things before tackling the big ones.
Ignore the distractions
And it’s good advice, but for the Christian, this goes beyond just self-help!
When it comes to doing the things that God gives us, it is a matter of obedience!
When we put off doing what God wants us to do, we disobey.
We need to be honest with ourselves and our God, confess our sin of disobedience and have the faith and courage in God’s Strength to enable us to do what He wants us to do.
Perhaps it’s a difficult conversation or confrontation that you need to have to either gain or give forgiveness.
We put it off, but the result brings anxiety, and worry, and dread.
We end up with sleepless nights rather than the peace that comes with obedience!
There are a few principles that I want to point out:
I. Delayed Obedience is Disobedience
I. Delayed Obedience is Disobedience
I have often told our kids, obedience is doing what I say, when I say it, with the right heart attitude.
If you don’t have all three, you have not obeyed.
When God tells you to do something, delaying to obey…is disobeying.
60 I made haste, and delayed not To keep thy commandments.
We should never be slow in obeying what the Lord wants us to do.
Without delay…make haste!
Obey right away!
Saul knew that he was supposed to fight the Philistines.
He was there with the army!
But Saul delayed in his obedience.
Saul disobeyed.
It took a young man to show Saul what God could do.
And it furthered King Saul’s separation from His kingdom.
How many times in our lives do we miss out on God’s best in our lives…just simply because we do not obey the first time the Holy Spirit convicts us, or tells us to do something.
Some time ago an 18-year-old girl from Washington state attended a worship service. For the first time in her life she heard the gospel message (Mark 16:15). The next week the church received a letter from her. It read: Dear Church members: Last Sunday I attended your church, and I heard your preacher. He said that all men have sinned against God. Because of their sin they all face eternal separation from God. But then he also said God loved men and sent his Son, Jesus Christ, into the world to redeem men from their sins and all those who believe in him would go to heaven and live with God eternally. My parents recently died. I know they did not believe in Jesus Christ. If what you believe is true, they are damned. You compel me to believe that you yourself either don’t believe this message, or that you don’t care. You see, we live only three blocks from your church, and no one ever told us.
If we only understood the cost of our disobedience!
Delayed obedience is disobedience.
Thomas a Kempis has been attributed as having first written these words.
He said, “Instant obedience is the only kind of obedience there is; delayed obedience is disobedience. Whoever strives to withdraw from obedience, withdraws from Grace.”
What a cost for disobedience!
We miss the grace that God offers us for that moment!
Secondly I want us to see that:
II. Partial Obedience is Disobedience
II. Partial Obedience is Disobedience
1 Samuel 15. tells of another situation involving King Saul’s obedience.
1 Samuel also said unto Saul, The Lord sent me to anoint thee to be king over his people, over Israel: now therefore hearken thou unto the voice of the words of the Lord.
2 Thus saith the Lord of hosts, I remember that which Amalek did to Israel, how he laid wait for him in the way, when he came up from Egypt.
3 Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass.
So Saul gathered together his army and he went to the city of Amelek and attacked.
Saul and his army smote the Amalekites, but he saved one person, the King of the Amalekites, King Agag.
9 But Saul and the people spared Agag, and the best of the sheep, and of the oxen, and of the fatlings, and the lambs, and all that was good, and would not utterly destroy them: but every thing that was vile and refuse, that they destroyed utterly.
At this the Lord comes to Samuel and tells him that he has changed his mind regarding Saul being king.
He said, “He has turned his back from following me.”
But he only saved one man, and only the best of the sheep and oxen, and fatlings and lambs.
The rest he killed!
Samuel comes the next day, heartbroken…the Bible says he cried all night.
When He arrives, Saul greets Samuel
13 And Samuel came to Saul: and Saul said unto him, Blessed be thou of the Lord: I have performed the commandment of the Lord.
14 And Samuel said, What meaneth then this bleating of the sheep in mine ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?
15 And Saul said, They have brought them from the Amalekites: for the people spared the best of the sheep and of the oxen, to sacrifice unto the Lord thy God; and the rest we have utterly destroyed.
“But, It’s for the Lord!” Saul says.
“We planned to use it for a sacrifice to God.”
Was it a sacrifice?
Did it cost them anything?
Can we really call this a sacrifice?
22 And Samuel said, Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, As in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, And to hearken than the fat of rams.
I remember when I was a kid, my mom would tell me to take out the trash or to do some other chore, and I would try to delay it as long as possible.
So I would come up to my mom and give her the biggest hug and kisses I could.
But I will never forget her telling me this story of King Saul, and then she looked at me and said, “Obedience is better than hugs and kisses.”
I have often said that to my kids as well.
We want to mask our disobedience in good things, but partial obedience is still disobedience.
We have seen that Delayed obedience is Disobedience
WE have seen that Partial Obedience is Disobedience
And now let’s come to the realization, that in regard to procrastination...
III. Tomorrow Never Comes
III. Tomorrow Never Comes
I’ll do it tomorrow, we tell ourselves!
But the truth is as the day turns, it becomes today.
With the new day comes new challenges and new distractions.
Come January, I’ll start reading my Bible faithfully!
Why not today?
I’ll come to church next Sunday.
Why not this Sunday?
I should really get more Bible instruction, someday I need to start coming on Sunday nights and Wednesday nights.
Why not tonight?
We are not promised tomorrow!
And we can do nothing about yesterday!
The only time we have to make any changes is right now!
1 Boast not thyself of to morrow; For thou knowest not what a day may bring forth.
How many people woke up yesterday saying, “Tomorrow I’ll do...” But they never made it to today.
On average, 150,000 people die every day around the world.
On average that is about 2 every second.
SNAP two times per second.
The next snap could be our turn, we are not guaranteed any amount of time.
What will we do with what we are given right now?
If you were to die today, do you know 100% sure that you would go to heaven.
27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:
1 out of every 1 people in this world will die.
Human kind has a 100% mortality rate!
If your time was just a few snaps away…do you know that you would be in heaven?
The apostle John said,
13 These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.
This is the reason he wrote the book of 1 John…that you may know that you have eternal life!
If you cannot say that you know 100% sure, today is the day of salvation!
You need to realize that we have all sinned!
23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
We have all failed in the area of holiness!
Because of this falling short, there is a penalty for that sin.
23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
The wages you earn at your job, is what you earn for your hard work.
The wages you earn for your sin is death - eternal separation from God in the Lake of Fire.
But God never designed hell for us!
He does not want anyone to go there!
9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
So He has made a way of escape, we just have to by faith go the way that he has prepared for us.
23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
Christ died on the cross so that we would not have to be separated from Him or His Father.
We only have to, by faith, accept Him and His death as the payment for the wages of our sin.
8 But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach;
9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
If you do not know 100% sure that you will go to heaven when you die, will you right now in your heart bow before Him,
confess that you are a sinner
Tell Him you believe that Jesus died for you
Tell Him that you are accepting Christ as your Payment
Tell Him that you are calling upon Him now to be saved.
He has promised that if you trust in Him, he will in no wise cast you out!
Conclusion
Conclusion
For those of us who have accepted Christ as our Savior…what are we holding back regarding our obedience to Him?
Are you delaying your obedience?
Then you have disobeyed, and we must confess that sin to God.
Are you only partially obeying what He convicts you about?
then you have disobeyed completely, and we must confess that as sin to God.
Are you procrastinating and telling God that tomorrow you will do what He wants you to do?
confess it to God, realizing that tomorrow is not promised to you.
Experts estimate that a:
Lightening bolt last 45 to 55 microseconds
Average running shoe lasts 350 to 500 miles
Hard pencil can write up to 30,000 words
Ball point pen can draw a line 7,500 ft. long
100 watt incandescent bulb lasts 750 hours
25 watt bulb will last 25000 hours
One dollar bill lasts 18 months in circulation
Yet, James says our life is but a mist, a cloud, a smoke, and a vapor.
What will you do with your life today?