120 Sermon Illustrations on Time

It had been some time since Jack had seen the old man. College, girls, career, and life itself got in the way. In fact, Jack moved clear across the country in pursuit of his dreams. There, in the rush of his busy life, Jack had little time to think about the past and often no time to spend with his wife and son. He was working on his future, and nothing could stop him.

Over the phone, his mother told him, “Mr. Belser died last night. The funeral is Wednesday.” Memories flashed through his mind like an old newsreel as he sat quietly remembering his childhood days.

“Jack, did you hear me?”

“Oh, sorry, Mom. Yes, I heard you. It's been so long since I thought of him. I'm sorry, but I honestly thought he died years ago,” Jack said.

“Well, he didn't forget you. Every time I saw him he'd ask how you were doing. He'd reminisce about the many days you spent over 'his side of the fence' as he put it,” Mom told him.

“I loved that old house he lived in,” Jack said.

“You know, Jack, after your father died, Mr. Belser stepped in to make sure you had a man's influence in your life,” she said.

“He's the one who taught me carpentry,” he said. “I wouldn't be in this business if it weren't for him. He spent a lot of time teaching me things he thought were important... Mom, I'll be there for the funeral,” Jack said.

As busy as he was, he kept his word. Jack caught the next flight to his hometown. Mr. Belser's funeral was small and uneventful. He had no children of his own, and most of his relatives had passed away.

The night before he had to return home, Jack and his Mom stopped by to see the old house next door one more time. Standing in the doorway, Jack paused for a moment. It was like crossing over into another dimension, a leap through space and time. The house was exactly as he remembered.

Every step held memories. Every picture, every piece of furniture... Jack stopped suddenly.

“What's wrong, Jack?” his Mom asked. “The box is gone,” he said.

“What box?“ Mom asked.

“There was a small gold box that he kept locked on top of his desk. I must have asked him a thousand times what was inside. All he'd ever tell me was 'the thing I value most,'“ Jack said.

It was gone. Everything about the house was exactly how Jack remembered it, except for the box. He figured someone from the Belser family had taken it. “Now I'll never know what was so valuable to him,” Jack said. “I better get some sleep. I have an early flight home, Mom.”

It had been about two weeks since Mr. Belser died. Returning home from work one day Jack discovered a note in his mailbox. “Signature required on a package. No one at home. Please stop by the main post office within the next three days,” the note read.

Early the next day Jack retrieved the package. The small box was old and looked like it had been mailed a hundred years ago. The handwriting was difficult to read, but the return address caught his attention. “Mr. Harold Belser” it read.

Jack took the box out to his car and ripped open the package. There inside was the gold box and an envelope. Jack's hands shook as he read the note inside.

“Upon my death, please forward this box and its contents to Jack Bennett. It's the thing I valued most in my life.”

A small key was taped to the letter. His heart racing, as tears filling his eyes, Jack carefully unlocked the box. There inside he found a beautiful gold pocket watch. Running his fingers slowly over the finely etched casing, he unlatched the cover. Inside he found these words engraved:

Jack, Thanks for your time!

Harold Belser

“The thing he valued most... was... my time.” Jack held the watch for a few minutes, then called his office and cleared his appointments for the next two days.

“Why?” Janet, his assistant asked.

“I need some time to spend with my son,” he said.

“Oh, by the way, Janet... thanks for your time!”

*

“In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord.” (Isaiah 6:1)

These words of Isaiah were spoken with a tender awareness of time. I first noticed this when the death of a loved one weighed heavily on my mind. Time felt heavy and eternity just felt far away. King Uzziah was a good king whose presence Isaiah mourned deeply. In the moments of life when time weighs heavily with pain and uncertainty, our vision of things eternal is seen most clearly. In the year that King Uzziah died, or in the year that my father died, or in the year of the World Trade Center attacks, I saw the Lord lifted up high and mighty and the hem of his robe filled the temple.

Songwriter Rich Mullins has written a hauntingly powerful song with lyrics that ask repeatedly, “Do You who live in eternity, hear the prayers of those of us who live in time?” Does God care about time? It is a question of utmost importance. If we put God too far into time, our understanding of God suffers anthropomorphism; we undermine the infinitude of God. But if God is seen as far removed from time and existing only in eternity, our understanding of God is impersonal, unresponsive, and indifferent.

The Gospel accounts of the life of Christ challenge both views. We would do well to correct our vision with a vision of Christ in Gethsemane. Three times in prayer, Jesus utters the words, “My Holy Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will” (Matthew 26:36-44). The One who came in the fullness of time, fully knew that to stand in time with his eyes fixed on eternity was to accomplish the will of the Father. Likewise, in the crowds, aware of those who were trying to kill him, Jesus escaped knowing that his “time had not yet come.” Time matters, it is important to God, and this is a comforting truth.

In the midst of his sorrow, in the midst of mourning, firmly aware of death and time, Isaiah tells us that he saw the Lord. And the reality of God overwhelmed him: the hem of His robe filled the temple and Isaiah realized that he was in front of the eternal, almighty, holy and living God right then, in that moment in time, in that moment of pain and loss. And he said, “Woe is me! I am a man of unclean lips and I live among a people of unclean lips.” In the presence of God, such is our reaction: “What is man that you are mindful of him?” What is time that eternity is mindful of it? In time is the potential of a moment when you will see and know that the eternal presence of God is with you right now. In time is the hope of eternity.

When I was a young child contemplating heaven, eternity seemed empty and full of time. It scared me and sounded horribly boring. As I have come into a deeper relationship with Christ, and a greater understanding of God's Word, I have come to see that eternity is not more time, but time fulfilled by His presence. As Johann Sebastian Bach once proclaimed, “God's gift to his sorrowing creatures is a joy worthy of their destiny.” Let us remember the promise of God, a promise lived among us in time, and far-reaching into eternity, for “Through Jesus Christ, God set forth a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth” (Eph. 1:9).

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Copyright © 2003 Ravi Zacharias International Ministries (RZIM). Reprinted with permission. "A Slice of Infinity" is a radio ministry of Ravi Zacharias International Ministries.

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A few years ago Forbes Magazine published an issue that dealt entirely with what they called the biggest concern of our age. The articles began boldly, “We have beaten or at least stymied most of humanity's monsters: disease, climate, geography, and memory. But time still defeats us. Lately its victories seem more complete than ever. Those timesaving inventions of the last half-century have somehow turned on us. We now hold cell phone meetings in traffic jams, and '24/7' has become the most terrifying phrase in modern life.” Certainly this statement is a telling look at some of our modern assumptions. Particularly fascinating is the categorizing of time as a monster. Indeed, time is limiting, and no doubt the greatest modern monster of all is to find ourselves limited in any way.

I was reminded of this article and its fearful expressions of limitation while reading through the book of Psalms recently. Like the candid passage above, the Psalms are known for their sincere expressions of troubling ailments and enemies. And yet the gigantic differences in worldview are not only evident but helpful in uncovering logical perspective. It is easy to be blinded by progress and convenience such that we find “humanity's monsters” the problem that needs correcting and not humanity itself. Significantly, the psalmist presents his list of the various monsters that limit and block his way — before the Lord. “Be merciful to me, O Lord,” writes the psalmist, “for I am in distress; my eyes grow weak with sorrow, my soul and my body with grief” (Psalm 31:9). Standing before the One who is limitless casts limitation in a wholly different light. The psalmist powerfully concludes, “But I trust in you, O Lord, I say, 'You are my God.’ My times are in your hands... Let your face shine on your servant; save me in your unfailing love.” Gazing at the trustworthy Hands that hold our fleeting days, the psalmist recognizes that like time itself, our weaknesses too, will fade, but God's unfailing love will not.

The Christian perception of our own weakness is steeped in the person and character of God. In his letter to the Corinthians, Paul speaks of that which he calls the “thorn in his flesh.” No doubt a striking expression of limitation, scholars have debated what this thorn might have been — a physical ailment, a burdensome opponent, a disability of some sort. No one can be sure. But what is certain is that Paul was powerfully used by God in spite of this limiting thorn. He writes, “Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But He said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.'“ “Therefore,” says Paul, “I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Corinthians 12:8-10).

What God can do with us through hardship, through limitation, even through seeming failure, is a testimony to his grace and his authority, his sovereignty and his care. I am reminded of the words of Bishop Phillips Brooks, “Do not pray for easy lives; pray to be stronger men. Do not pray for tasks equal to your powers; pray for powers equal to your tasks. Then the doing of your work shall be no miracle, but you shall be a miracle.”

What is in the time you hold before you this very moment? Do you see limits and fear? Or do you see as Paul saw, delightful limitations and glorious impossibilities made approachable by the God who is near? In our gazing at the One who has given us this moment, even in our weakness, He can accomplish much. God has given you this day. He will give you what you need to walk in it mightily with Him.

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Copyright © 2003 Ravi Zacharias International Ministries (RZIM). Reprinted with permission. "A Slice of Infinity" is a radio ministry of Ravi Zacharias International Ministries.

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New York City residents spend an average of about one full week a year getting to work — the longest commute time in the nation among large cities, according to a new ranking of American Community Survey data released today by the U.S. Census Bureau.

New York City residents take an average of 38.4 minutes to get to work each day — more than five minutes longer than Chicagoans, who face a commute of 32.7 minutes.

States with some of the longest commute times are New York (30.8 minutes), Maryland (30.0), New Jersey (28.3), Illinois (26.7) and California (26.6) —all above the national average of 24.4 minutes. States with the shortest commute times are North Dakota (14.8 minutes), South Dakota (15.0), Nebraska (16.1) and Montana (16.7).

News of the Weird has reported twice on incredibly long daily commutes to work (a 25-year U.S. Navy Dept. employee, 342 miles round trip from Trenton, New Jersey, to Washington, D.C., reported in 1992, and a 39-year veteran rural West Virginia newspaper carrier, 200 miles round trip, reported in 1996). A January 2004 Boston Globe profile of retirement-fund analyst Stephen Jordan described his 340-mile daily round trip from his farm in Augusta, Maine, to his downtown Boston office, but unlike the other two, who drove all the way, Jordan drives only to Portland and takes a train to Boston (on which he “get[s] a ton of work done,” he said).

In His time, in His time,

He makes all things beautiful

in His time.

Lord, please show me ev’ry day,

As You’re teaching me Your way,

that You do just what You say,

in Your time.

In Your time, in Your time,

You make all things beautiful

in Your time.

Lord, my life to You I bring,

May each song I have to sing

be to You a lovely thing,

in Your time.

“In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord” (Isaiah 6:1).

These words of Isaiah were spoken with a tender awareness of time. The year of King Uzziah's death was one indelibly marked in the prophet's mind. Uzziah was a good king in a history of wicked rulers, and his presence Isaiah mourned deeply. Still, I didn't realize how strong a factor time played in the words of Isaiah 6 until the death of a loved one weighed heavily on my own mind. In those months marked with death and grief, time felt heavy and eternity far away. And yet, Isaiah's words suggest that even as time weighed heavily upon him, eternity was nearer than he realized.

In a song written shortly before his tragic death, songwriter Rich Mullins asks repeatedly, “Do You who live in eternity, hear the prayers of those of us who live in time?” Whether it is asked in times of uncertainty or contentment, the question is of utmost importance: Does God care about time? Can one in eternity be involved and attentive to those in time? If we place God too far into time, our understanding of Him suffers anthropomorphism, and we undermine the infinitude of God. But if God is seen as far removed from time and existing only in eternity, our understanding becomes one of an impersonal, unresponsive, and indifferent being.

The actions of God throughout the Scriptures, and the Gospel accounts of the life of Christ challenge both of these views. As Christ stood in the Garden of Gethsemane hours before he would be arrested and condemned to death, three times in prayer, he uttered the words: “My Holy Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.” (See Matthew 26:36-44.) In this cry of anguish to a personal Father, Christ stood in time looking to the eternal purpose in it, looking to the eternal King.

In the midst of his sorrow and mourning, firmly aware of death and time, Isaiah tells us that he saw the Lord. In fact, perhaps so aware of his present grief, the startling reality of God overwhelmed him. Before the prophet, the Lord was seated on the throne, and the HEM of his robe filled the temple. Finding himself in front of the living and eternal God in that moment of time and loss, Isaiah uttered, “Woe is me! I am a man of unclean lips and I live among a people of unclean lips” (Isaiah 6:5). In the presence of a God who understands (more than we do ourselves) the fullness of the moments that make up our lives, such is the only fitting reaction. What is man that you are mindful of him? What is time that eternity would step into it?

When I was a young child contemplating heaven, eternity seemed so far away, empty and full of time. It scared me and sounded horribly boring. As I have come into a deeper relationship with Christ and a greater understanding of God's Word, I have come to see that eternity is not more time, but time fulfilled by his presence. I have come to see how deeply time matters to God.

In time is the potential of a moment when you will see and know that the eternal presence of God is with you right NOW. In time is the hope of eternity: “Through Jesus Christ, God set forth a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth” (Eph. 1:9).

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Copyright © 2005 Ravi Zacharias International Ministries (RZIM). Reprinted with permission. "A Slice of Infinity" is a radio ministry of Ravi Zacharias International Ministries.

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O God, our help in ages past,

Our hope for years to come,

Our shelter from the stormy blast,

And our eternal home!

“O God, Our Help In Ages Past,” Isaac Watts (1674-1748)

In 1714, the people of England were anxious. Queen Anne lay dying, and she had no son or daughter to succeed her. Who would be the new monarch, and what changes would that make? Isaac Watts had reason to worry. His father had been imprisoned under the previous regime because his views did not please the ruling family. As a young child, Isaac has been carried by his mother to visit his father in jail. But Queen Anne had brought a new tolerance, and freedom for the elder Watts. Now that she was dying, what would happen?

Isaac Watts turned to Psalm 90 on this occasion and penned what may be the greatest of his more than six hundred hymns. In essence, it is a poem about time. God stands above human time, and in Him all our anxieties can be laid to rest. The greatness of our eternal God was a favorite theme of Watts. When the events of the day bring worry, the God of all ages remains our eternal home.

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Adapted from The One Year® Book of Hymns by Mark Norton and Robert Brown, Tyndale House Publishers (1995), entry for January 29.

This I say, brethren, the time is short. — I Corinthians 7:29.

An apostle once commanded, “Redeem the time.” That means purchase it, buy it up. But we are to buy it up in order to set it free for service and in service. Elihu Burritt attributed his first success in self-improvement, not to genius, which he disclaimed, but simply to careful employment of those invaluable fragments of time called “odd moments.” While working and earning his living as a blacksmith, he mastered some eighteen ancient and modern languages, and twenty-two European dialects. Chilo, one of the seven sages, was asked to say what was the hardest thing for a man to do. He replied: To use and employ a man’s time well.”

Time is indeed a precious boon,

But with the boon a task is given:

The heart must learn its duty well

To man on earth and God in Heaven. — E. Cook.

Have you ever noticed how often we are surprised by the passing of time? How often do you catch yourself with the familiar maxim on your mind, “Time flies!” or perhaps another version of the same: “Where did the semester go?” “I can’t believe it’s already February.” Or maybe you recall the last time you noticed a child’s height or age or maturity with some sense of shock.

Isn’t it odd to be so poorly reconciled to something so familiar, to be shocked at a universal experience? C.S. Lewis likened this phenomenon to a fish repeatedly astonished by the wetness of water. He then added, “This would be strange indeed! Unless of course the fish were destined to become, one day, a land animal.”(1)

As we consider the idea of time itself, seconds on the clock faithfully pass even as we ponder. All the same, we recognize that time is not just a fleeting thing. As Ravi Zacharias notes, “[Time] never moves forward without engraving its mark upon the heart -- sometimes a stab, sometimes a tender touch, sometimes a vice grip of spikes, sometimes a mortal wound. But always an imprint.” To be sure, the most profound imprints hold in our minds a definite place in history -- the birth of a child, the death of a loved one, occasions of exceptional joy or beauty, moments of unusual pain. But isn’t there sometimes a sense that they also hold something more? In such moments, we are touched by the reality of a purpose, a meaning that is bigger than this very moment. We are taken beyond the brush strokes of time and shown a canvas that makes our usual view seem like paint-by-number. In these moments is the stirring thought that eternity will be the vantage point from which we see the big picture.

Those who challenge the notion of eternity claim that it is a human invention, like religion itself, created to soften what we do not understand, to undermine the painfulness of life, to release us from the finality of death. As scientist Carl Sagan writes, “If some good evidence for life after death were announced, I’d be eager to examine it; but it would have to be real scientific data, not mere anecdote... Better the hard truth, I say, than the comforting fantasy.”(2)

Even as I give this quote some thought, my mind returns to the crematory disaster that touched the headlines across the U.S. some years ago. Few could overlook the unfathomable outrage. Over 300 bodies were carelessly discarded around the woods and lakes of the property, bodies that should have been cremated but for whatever reason were not. Deceitfully, families were handed containers holding cement or burned wood in place of a loved one’s ashes. Across the nation, people commonly noted that they felt somehow violated by this act of sheer irreverence. In fact, at the time laws against such matters did not even exist. Who would have thought them necessary? Yet few denied that these were crimes against both the living and the dead.

But why? If we are destined for nothing more, if this life is all there is, if we are merely a collocation of matter and chance, why would we sense that something sacred had been desecrated? Why would we be astonished at such a treatment of the dead if life itself is nothing permanent? On the contrary, I think we are outraged because quite certainly, something was trampled on indeed.

In a lifetime, we see countless glimpses of eternity; we remember sacred moments in time, and we understand human life to have intrinsic dignity and worth, even when our philosophies say otherwise. Note that no one asked the names, occupations, race, or accomplishments of any of the victims. Our dignity is not assigned because of who we are, nor is our worth due to something we have accomplished. But humankind is significant because God is significant. There is a sacredness about life and death because there is one who lives in eternity. Our surprise at time’s passing and our outrage at life’s violation are thoroughly strange, unless God is involved in both our origin and our destiny. We are made in his image. We are destined for another land.

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1. C.S. Lewis, REFLECTIONS ON THE PSALMS, 138.

2. Carl Sagan, THE DEMON-HAUNTED WORLD, 204.

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Copyright © 2007 Ravi Zacharias International Ministries (RZIM). Reprinted with permission. "A Slice of Infinity" is a radio ministry of Ravi Zacharias International Ministries.

During the Middle Ages it was believed that time spent in worship was FREE TIME — not in the sense of time FREE OF OBLIGATIONS, but as time that was not subtracted from a person’s life. People believed that even though an hour or two had actually passed, being in worship meant that they were not a hour or two older that they were when it began.

We live in an age when a common view of worship is that it is time SPENT. People complain if the Sunday morning service goes much over an hour. The sanctuary clock is usually placed so only the pastor can see it! But God's time is more important than any other time.