FROM SUCCESS TO SIGNIFICANCE
TIME
DR. JIM DIXON
MATTHEW 6:25-33
NOVEMBER 12, 2006
Many years ago,cWilliam Bell and Jacob Rosen Waller were executed in Ossining, New York at the Ossining Correction Facility, better known as Sing Sing Penitentiary. They were executed by means of the electric chair. They were executed during Daylight Savings Time and their appeal was denied. What was their appeal? Their appeal was that they might be executed on Standard Time so that they might live one more hour. They wanted one more hour of life. What would they have done with it? God only knows. But is it not true that most everybody is looking for a little more time? Everybody wants more time.
William Penn, the Colonial Father, said, “Time is what we want most and use worst.” Of course, there is truth to that. And today we begin this new series looking at moving “From Success to Significance” and we’re going to look at significance in the context of time. We have two teachings this morning and the first teaching is simply this: Time is finite.
Many of you know that Barb and I have a dog, a little Yorkshire Terrier that we have named “Puddin”—Yorkshire Puddin—very clever, very creative. Of course, Barb found this dog at Daniel’s Park, abandoned. There was no identification. Barb took the dog to the pound, and no one had reported a lost dog. Of course, over time no one claimed the dog and so we adopted little Puddin. Barb took the dog to the vet and the vet gave the dog the appropriate shots and checked the dog out and told us that Puddin might be as young as three years of age. That was a little less than three years ago. Just a few weeks ago Barb said to me, “I think we should take Puddin in to get her teeth cleaned.” I was all for that. Sometimes Puddin has a little bit of bad breath. We give her all the right food that is supposed to clean her teeth, but it doesn’t seem to work. How much could this cost? No problem.
So, Barb took Puddin in for a teeth cleaning. Here is the bill—$457.71! It turns out Puddin’s teeth were not in very good shape and a lot of them had to be extracted so we had to pay for the administration of fluids, for a catheter placement, for a pre-anesthesia blood work. We had to pay for a pre-surgery exam. Of course, the anesthesia we needed to pay for the extractions, the general cleaning, the pain injections, the antibiotic injections afterwards, and of course the day time charge for hospitalization. It all adds up to $457.
I thought, “Wow! Maybe Puddin is a little older than we thought. How many 6-year-old dogs need virtually all of their teeth pulled? Barb called the vet that did the surgery and said, “How old do you think Puddin is?” The vet said, “She might be as old as 12.” We said, “Wow! How long does this kind of dog live?” He said, “11 to 13.” It has dawned on us that Puddin might be soon departing. Of course, she will be taking a lot of our dollars with her. Isn’t it a reminder though that time is finite? The reminders are all around us. Life is short. Life is finite. Sometimes life just seems all too short. If it is true of our dogs, it’s true of us. Life seems sometimes all too brief.
I am sure all of you have heard of Napoleon Bonaparte. The year was 1796 when Napoleon married Josephine, and he loved her even more than he loved power. Napoleon loved power but he had a greater love for Josephine. In the year 1805, Napoleon crowned Josephine Empress of the Empire in the city of Paris at the Cathedral of Notre Dame. He gave her a tiara for her head, a crown, and of course this tiara was made of gold and silver. Incredibly, it was inlaid with 805 diamonds. Just recently the tiara of Josephine was exhibited—actually, it is being exhibited today all over the world in major cities. Those who have seen it (and I have not) say that it is just as beautiful today as ever it was.
But of course, you notice Josephine was not part of the exhibition. She has not been exhibited in any city. She is long gone, and she’s gone dust to dust, ashes to ashes. And that’s the way of human life. Life is short. Life is brief. Time is finite and that is why in the Psalms, in Psalms 90, verse twelve, we read these words: “Teach us to number our days that we might have hearts of wisdom.” “Teach us to number our days…” I ask you, “Do you number your days?” Not with anxiety, as we saw in our passage of scripture today. God does not want us to live lives of anxiety, but do you number your days? Are you aware of the gift that each day is and how precious the gift of time is? For it belongs to God. He created the time/space continuum in which we live. It all belongs to Him, and He’s given you a certain amount of time. Every day is a gift. Do you seek significance each day, knowing that every day has value? Do you have that wisdom?
Two days before John Kennedy was inaugurated as President of the United States, JFK called Billy Graham. He didn’t really know Billy that well, but he had talked to him on a couple of occasions and now that he was about to be inaugurated, he wanted a little time with Billy. And so, he called him and said, “Billy, I’m flying down to Florida and I would like you to go with me. I am going to play a little golf with Senator Smathers, and I would like you to join us. And then we’ll get in the car and we’ll go over to the Kennedy Compound and have a little dinner. We will fly you right back. I just want a chance to talk to you and maybe we can have a little fun.” Billy said, “Sure, I’d love to do that.” He got in the Kennedy plane, and they flew down to Florida, played golf together and had a good time.
After golfing, they were driving over to the Kennedy Compound and JFK said, “I’d like to ask you a question.” Billy said, “Sure.” Kennedy said, “Do you believe that Jesus Christ is going to come back to this earth?” Billy Graham said, “I surely do,” and Billy began to go through the prophetic passages of scripture relating to the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. They then went to the Kennedy Compound, had dinner, and went home.
Kennedy became the next President, but only a thousand days after talking with Billy Graham, Cardinal Cushing was standing over the grave of John F. Kennedy reciting 1 Thessalonians, chapter 4, verses 16 and 17. “The Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with the cry of command, with the Archangel’s call, with the sound of the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ shall rise. We who are left until His coming shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. We shall always be with the Lord, so comfort one another with these words.”
Today Billy Graham says he does not know whether JFK really believed in Jesus Christ. He simply does not know. But you wonder, if John Kennedy had known when he talked to Billy Graham that he only had a thousand more days on this earth… if he had known that he only had a thousand more days to live, would he have changed anything? Would he have spent a little more time in church? Would he have spent a little more time in scripture? Would he have loved Jackie more? Would he have ceased to womanize? Would he have changed his life?
How about you? Your time is finite. My time is finite. Our days are numbered. Every day a gift. Are you seeking significance in the days that are yours? It was Jesus who told the story of the rich man and his barns in Luke’s Gospel, the 12th chapter. Jesus said, “The land of a rich man brought forth plentifully and he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? For I have no place in which to store my grain and my goods.’ He said, ‘I’ll do this. I’ll tear down my barns and I’ll build larger barns and there I will store my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years. Take life easy. Eat, drink and be merry. God shall say to him, ‘Fool! This very day your soul is required of you. And the things which you have accumulated, whose shall they be?’ So shall it be,” Jesus said, “with all who are rich toward themselves and not rich towards God.” If you want to find significance, I promise you are going to need to be rich towards God in whatever time remains for you and whatever time remains for me.
And so, we come to our second teaching this morning, our final teaching, and it is this: Serve the infinite. Time is finite so serve what is infinite. Serve the infinite.
As we think of the subject of moving from success to significance, many books have dealt with this subject. Some of you have read Bob Buford’s book called Halftime. He talks about moving from success to significance particularly in the context of the second half of your life. Peter Drucker has written and spoken on these subjects. Of course, Steve Covey’s book The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People speaks of moving from success to significance. Jim Collins in his book Good to Great talks about moving from success to significance. This is a very common theme, what we are going to be looking at during the next five weeks, but when we understand significance in the context of time, we understand that how we spend our days becomes critical.
I think most people who are looking for success perhaps define success a little differently. Some people view success as career advancement, and so they receive the necessary education, the necessary training. They begin the long task of climbing the corporate ladder. They want career advancement. That is how they identify success. Other people look at success in terms of accumulated wealth. They spend much of their lives operating on the basis of the rules that whoever has the most money when they die, wins. So this is their understanding of success.
Some people, of course, define success as loving relationships with family and friends. Not a bad idea. Some people view success as having time for comfort and relaxation. I think most Americans, most people in our culture, kind of combine all of these things. They seek a little bit of career advancement, some measure of accumulated wealth. They hope to have a certain number of loving relationships with family and friends, and of course time for comfort and relaxation. Collectively this is kind of the American dream. I am not up here this morning to kind of rag on the American dream. I am not up here to speak against the American dream, but I do want to say this. If you are a Christian, if you are a follower of Jesus Christ, if you are His apprentice, then He has something better for you, something better than success. He wants you to move into the area of significance. Of course, He wants us to understand a basic biblical truth.
If you were to travel to Milan today and you were to go to the great cathedral, the Milan Cathedral, you would see three doors at the front of the cathedral. Above the far-left door it says, “All that pleases is but for a moment.” Above the right door it says, “All that troubles is but for a moment.” Above the great center door it says, “Nothing is important save that which is eternal.” Understand that this is the beginning of moving toward significance. As we live these lives in this finite world, we need to somehow be connected to the infinite and to the eternal. And this means that we need to find connection with Christ. Jesus Christ is the infinite come into the finite. He is the eternal come into the temporal. He is invaded this time/space continuum. He has shared our flesh, our humanity. All significance is tied to Him.
You notice that in Revelation, chapter 22, Jesus said, “I am the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.” In the Greek idiom this is a way of describing that which is infinite, that which is eternal, that which is everlasting, the Alpha and the Omega. He transcends time and space.
Remember how, when Jesus was talking to the religious leaders (and he was talking to them about Abraham) he was telling them what Abraham believed and even how Abraham was feeling right then in heaven. The Jewish religious leaders were incredulous. “How can You know what Abraham is thinking in heaven right now? Abraham lived 2,000 years ago. You didn’t know Abraham.” You know how Jesus responded. “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham ever was, I Am.” An incredible statement. He took the Tetragrammaton, He took the divine name, and He applied it to Himself. He basically said, “I am the Infinite One. I transcend time.” I promise you, all significance is tied to Him.
Remember, as we’re approaching Christmas, a passage like Isaiah 9, a prophetic passage that describes the birth of Christ prophetically. “Unto us a child is born. Unto us a Son is given. The government shall be upon His shoulders. His name shall be called ‘Wonderful Counselor,’ ‘Mighty God,’ ‘Everlasting Father,’ ‘Prince of Peace.”‘
Have you ever wondered why Jesus, the child born in Bethlehem, would be called “Everlasting Father?” I mean, isn’t He the Son of God? Why would He be called “Everlasting Father?” The Hebrew is “Abi Ad,” and “abi” is the Hebrew word for father. “Ad” is the Hebrew word for “eternal,” “everlasting,” “infinite.” So, you combine these words, and it can mean, “Everlasting Father” or “Infinite Father” but, you see, that is probably not the meaning of the Hebrew. The Hebrew can and probably should be rendered this way: “Father of Everlasting.” Not “Everlasting Father,” but “Father of Everlasting,” “Father of Eternity.” Indeed, the word “Abi,” the word for father, can also mean “source.”
Our granddaughter who sang in the Dinky Singers this morning, her name is Abigail, from Abi, which means, “Father,” and gail, which means, “Joy.” Abigail—”the joy of the father,” or the father’s joy.” But it can also mean “source of joy” because “abi” not only means “father” but means “source.” So, when you call Jesus “Abi Ad,” it can mean, “Source of Eternity,” “Source of the Infinite,” “Source of Everlasting.” It’s an amazing title. What God wants us to understand this morning is that significance is tied to Him and serving Him and His cause in this finite world.
You look at Matthew, chapter 6, and you look at verse thirty-three, and what does Jesus say? He has already told us that we cannot, by our anxiety, add one cubit to our span of life. He has already reminded us that time is finite and you cannot add one cubit to your span of life. But what does He tell us to do? Well, Matthew 6:33, “Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness.” That is what Jesus tells us. “Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness.”
Can you honestly say as you sit here this morning that you seek first His kingdom and His righteousness? Significance, true, genuine significance is tied to this: Seeking first His Kingdom and His righteousness. The word righteousness in the Greek is “dikaiosune.” We find it throughout the Bible. There are many passages that relate to righteousness and its pursuit. Of course, in 2 Timothy, chapter 3, verse sixteen we have that famous verse that “All scripture is God-breathed,” “Theopneustos.” “All scripture is inspired of God and is profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness, that the man or woman of God might be complete and equipped for every good work.” The word “correction” is the Greek word, “epanorthosis.” Epanorthosis is the word for correction, but it comes from three Greek words—”epi,” “ana,” and “orthos.” Epianaorthos means, “to make right again.” God has given us this Book to help us be made right again. Righteousness. So, He’s given us this Book that we might be made right again in the pursuit, the hunger and thirsting after righteousness. Jesus said, “Blessed are they who hunger and thirst after righteousness,” and of course this is part of what it is to live a life of significance. It is to long for and to seek righteousness.
Of course, in the last few weeks we have all been reading a lot about Ted Haggard. Barb and I were on vacation. We did something we had not done in 15 years. We just got in our car and we drove. It was fun. We drove 2,500 miles. It was fun to see Western America. We stopped in a variety of places. We made our way to California. Everywhere we went, Ted Haggard was headlines. Los Angeles, St. Georges, Utah, Las Vegas, Grand Junction. He was the headlines in all the newspapers. Of course, here in Denver for four consecutive days Ted Haggard was headlines because the secular media loves the fall of an evangelical leader. I have to confess to you that Barb and I were depressed, just depressed, driving around and reading those newspapers. I feel sad for Ted. I feel sad for his family and sad for the New Life Church. I feel sad for the church universal and sad for Christians. I feel sad for pastors.
I know this morning and in the weeks ahead perhaps many people will go to church and wonder what kind of hidden life their pastor has, and that is sad. I know many pastors and I can tell you most pastors do not have hidden lives. They do not have hidden lives. Most pastors are just seeking to serve Jesus. We are all sinners, of course. We are all bozos on the bus! There’s no doubt about that, but most pastors do not have hidden lives. It is sad that a stigma like that could be attached to the pastorate. And yet, I think of Ted Haggard and there is a sense in which now this is an opportunity for him to move toward significance. He has had a lot of success, hasn’t he? He’s had a lot of success but now maybe he will move toward significance in the area of righteousness. “Epianaorthos,” “being made right again.” That is significance, righteousness. If he hungers for it, if indeed he longs for it, what an opportunity.
How about you? Do you long for righteousness? This is significance. Of course, Jesus said for us to seek His kingdom and His righteousness. Are you seeking His kingdom?
I know that many of you have heard of the protestant work ethic, and of course the protestant work ethic fueled the building of America. The protestant work ethic really came out of the teachings of the Protestant Reformer John Calvin. The protestant work ethic was popularized by a man named Max Weber. He was a German economist. He wrote that book The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit Of Capitalism. It was powerful in its impact upon the West and upon America.
What did the protestant work ethic teach? Well, basically two things. First that your job, your career—if it is a respectable job, if it’s a moral job—is a divine calling. That was the first teaching of the protestant work ethic. As surely as a clergy person has a divine calling, your job is a divine calling, whatever it is, as long as it is respectable. Butcher, baker, candlestick maker, it does not matter. It is a divine calling.
The second teaching of the Protestant Work ethic was this: You cannot work too hard on your job. Whatever your job is, give it all you have. You cannot work too hard because you are working out the curse. Genesis, chapter 3: “You shall work by the sweat of your brow. You shall eat bread by the sweat of your brow.” You are working out the curse. You cannot work too hard. So that fueled America and its growth. Some people put in hundred-hour work weeks. Children were put to work in factories. Ultimately, they saw, “This is getting out of control. We need child labor laws.” But the protestant work ethic just said, “Hey, you cannot work too hard. Your work is a divine call. You cannot work too hard. Work as hard as you can. Go to church on Sunday. Keep your nose clean. God will be pleased.”
The only problem was it was not biblical. That is the only problem. A small problem. It is really not biblical. It is true that your job, if it is respectable, is noble. That much is true. Certainly, your job, if it is a respectable job, it is noble but there is nowhere in the Bible where it says you can’t work too hard. There is nowhere in the Bible where it says, “work at your job as hard and as long as you can.” It just does not say that. God calls us to balanced lives and to the wise use of time. So, you see, if you are going to seek significance, you are going to have to craft the time that has been given to you. You ‘re going to have to cut out a little bit of time (or a lot of time) for your family if you want significance. You are going to have to cut out some time for the kingdom, time for the church, time for Christ. You are going to have to find some time.
Jesus told the Parable of the Laborers in the Vineyard in Matthew, chapter 20. I think it’s one of the most misunderstood parables in the whole of the Bible. Jesus tells us how the householder, the lord, sent laborers into His vineyard—sending them at various hours. The first group he sent at the first hour. The last group he sent at the eleventh hour. There were many groups in between. The first hour was 6:00 AM, “Work in my vineyard.” The eleventh hour was 5:00 PM. With only one hour of daylight left, he sent them into the vineyard to work. At the end of the day, they all got the same thing. At the end of the day they all got one talent.
Some people cry, “Oh, that’s not fair.” Some people think, “Oh, that must mean in heaven that at the end of the day there are not varying rewards. There are no varying rewards in heaven. We all get one talent.” That’s a total misunderstanding of the parable. If that parable meant that there are no varying rewards in heaven, then it would contradict countless other parables in the Bible. The parable does not have to do with heavenly rewards. It has to do with salvation. That one talent represents salvation by grace. That is what Bible scholars will tell you, that one talent represents salvation by grace. It does not matter whether you came to Christ at the first hour or you came to Christ at the eleventh hour. You are saved by grace and that is what the talent represents. So, if I became a Christian at age 5, which I did, or if I became a Christian at age 80, we get the same thing—salvation by grace.
Do you understand that? You must also understand that when you look at a parable like this, that Jesus is saying something else. “Work in My vineyard.” You see, His people, those who are bound for heaven, they have this in common. They have worked in His vineyard—some from the first hour, some beginning at the eleventh hour, but they have all gone into the vineyard. In the Old Testament, the vineyard represents Israel. In the New Testament, the vineyard represents the church of Jesus Christ.
So, have you worked in His vineyard? Do you carve a little time out to work in His vineyard? I promise you, in the midst of this finite life, seek the infinite if you want significance. And so, when you teach Sunday school, you are working in His vineyard. When you go into the inner city and tutor an inner-city child in the name of Christ, you are working in His vineyard. If you sing in the choir, you are working in His vineyard. There are many ways to work in His vineyard. Jesus said, “I will build My Church and the powers of hell will not prevail against it.” Work in His vineyard and you will be serving eternity and working on things with eternal significance.
Every week has 168 hours. The average person spends 56 hours sleeping—8 hours a night, 7 days a week. You see, the average person spends 48 hours a week working, 48 hours at work. The average person spends 12 hours a week eating—a little over a half hour a meal, twenty-one meals a week. That leaves 52 hours. That leaves 52 hours every week for other things where perhaps you have some measure of freedom. Have you ever thought of tithing that 52 hours, maybe giving 5 hours to the vineyard? All time is His anyway. All time is His. You do not have any time that belongs to you, and it is finite. You do not know how many days you have. I do not know how many days I have. But have you ever thought about just giving a few hours, maybe 5 hours a week, tithing the fifty-two to the vineyard? Maybe 20-24 hours a month to the vineyard. What could that mean? I want you to see a little 1-minute video:
“Here’s the deal. We all know that life is busy. There are not enough hours in the day to do all the things that we want and need to do. In fact, you’re probably thinking of all the things you need to do next week right now, wondering how you’re going to squeeze it all in. But the fact is, no matter who you are, no matter what you do, no matter how much is on your plate, we all have the same gift of 24 hours each day—24 hours, 1440 minutes, 86,400 seconds. All the money in the world will not let you buy one single second more than the next guy. Once that second is gone, it has gone forever. Look! There goes one right now. Another one, gone. You would think that we would judiciously use such a limited and valuable gift. You would think we would choose wisely how to spend—no, invest—our time. But do we really? After taking the time for eating, sleeping and all the other basic necessities, do we really use this gift the way we should? Think of all the great things you could do in 24 hours, all the lives you could touch, all the significant changes that could be made in your life and others. The fact is, you could actually make a difference in this world in 24 hours. Or not. So, how are you investing your time?”
Well, the dude is kind of intense I think but it is true. Think if you would give 24 hours how significant that might be, and particularly in the vineyard. Really, it is all about love. If you’re going to seek His righteousness, that would only be because you love Him. If you are going to seek His kingdom, it would be because you love Him. If you’re going to enter into ministry and service, it’s because you love people. God is love and significance always is related to love. And so you see 1 Corinthians 13 the Bible tells us, Paul tells us, “Faith, hope and love. These three abide. These three remain. These three are eternal. The greatest of these is love.” What is infinite? Faith, hope and love. Significance is tied to these things.
I want to tell you a little story. We are kind of wrapping up. It is the story of Czar Nicholas I. I know most of you have never heard of Czar Nicholas I, but I think in a sense you have because we have all heard stories. Even as children, we have heard stories of kings who have gone incognito amongst their people, right? Kings who have left their thrones and kind of gone stealth among their people. We have all heard stories like that, and they are really based on the life of Czar Nicholas I. Historians tell us he was the king who did this.
Czar Nicholas, I reigned over Russia from 1825 to 1855, for 30 years, and he went incognito among his people. There are many stories tied to that and historians tell us we do not know whether they are all true. We know that they are generally true. One story tells us that Czar Nicholas I one day decided to go out amongst his people as a beggar. He put on pauper’s clothing, beggar’s clothes. His clothes had holes and stains on his garments, and he just looked horrible. He put smudge on his face, and he went out and just began to beg in the streets. People passed him by. They did not have time to help—and after all, what was in it for them? Remember, biblical love, agape love, is selfless love. But most people love when they think something is in it for them. Agape love, the love we are called to, the significant love is selfless love. People just did not have time for that, but he noticed one family stopped. This family stopped and they were moved with compassion when they saw him begging and they invited him to come with them to their home. He went to their home, and they fed him. They fed Czar Nicholas I without knowing him. And they clothed him. They offered him bathing and lodging. He could stay at their home as long as he needed, and he did stay there for three or four days and then he just disappeared. He went back to his throne.
It was only a few days after that when the royal carriage pulled up in front of that house that had served him. It was the carriage of Czar Nicholas I and he was there in all of his power, wealth, and majesty. According to the story, he went into the house, told him who he was, and gave them everything he had power to give.
I do not know whether the story is literally true. I do know that Jesus Christ is kind of like that. Jesus is out amongst His people. He is out amongst His people. He is at your house. He is at my house. He is at your place of work. He is at my place of work. He is at our church. He is looking at your days. He is looking at how you spend your time and He’s looking at whether or not it’s significant in His sight and whether you hunger and thirst after righteousness and whether you seek first His kingdom and whether you enter into His vineyard and whether you’re growing in love. He is looking at all of these things and I know that He does reward us. Some day He will, but I do not think that is why we do it, surely.
As we conclude I just want to mention the Victoria Cross. You have all heard of the Victoria Cross. The Victoria Cross was first given by Queen Victoria in 1857 in Hyde Park, the city of London. She gave the first Victoria Cross to a soldier whose body was maimed in her service. He had put his life in harm’s way because there had been a clear and present danger. It is important to remember that on Veteran’s Day. And so, she offered the Victoria Cross to this maimed man. As she gave it to him, he said, “If I had my life to live over, I would gladly serve you again.” Queen Victoria began to cry. If you have read anything of her life you know that it was very rare for her to cry, but she wept. Then she did something even more rare. She never hugged people. That was a well-known fact of her life. She never hugged people, but she grabbed this man and she just hugged him. As she cried, she just hugged him. Later as the man left with the Victoria Cross, people came up to him and said, “Hey! That is really cool. You must really be excited to receive this award from the Queen.” He said, “You know, I’m really not excited about that. I do not care about awards. I am just happy because I could see that I pleased her.”
Don’t you, at least at some times in your life, feel that way about Jesus? It is not about the rewards. You just want to please Him. Don’t you, at the end of this time, this finite time in this world as you stand before Him, long to see a smile on His face? Do not you long to hear Him say, “Well done, good and faithful servant”? Don’t you long to hear Him say those words? Really, significance is tied to that. And so we use our days, we use our time, focusing on the infinite in the midst of the finite, seeking to serve Christ, to seek righteousness, to serve His kingdom, His Church, to enter the vineyard. This is the way of significance. Let us look to the Lord with a word of prayer.