Only One Life

I've never dedicated a sermon before I preached it, but today friends I'm going to break tradition and dedicate this sermon to a man who had a incredible impact on my life. Some of you may be familiar with him, some of you may not, but that matters little. This is a tribute to him and I pray God can use it in your own life.

Dr. Stephen F. Oldford taught me many things. He was not only my homiletical mentor teaching me how to preach, expository preaching, but he taught me the importance of a daily quiet time with God and he taught me the doctrine of the spirit-filled life lived under the lordship of Christ. We wrote a book together on his homiletical mentor Dr. W. Graham Scroggie and I can say this friends about Dr. Oldford that when he stood in the pulpit he spoke with the authority of heaven from a spirit anointed consecrated life.

I wish I was more like him because he was so Christ-like. The title of my sermon today was his life's motto which was penned by C.T. Studd. It is the reason why he left a promising secular career to become a minister of the gospel and that little poem by C.T. Studd goes like this Only one life it will soon be past only what's done for Christ will last you only have one go around in life friend how you choose to live it whether selfishly for you and this world or selflessly for others and eternity will determine much both in this world and in eternity it seems easy to get caught up in the demands of a career the responsibilities of a family soon work becomes your life and you give God the leftovers even a busy pastor can get wrapped up in putting out fires into duties in his congregation and lose sight of maintaining a close intimate broken walk with God Stephen Alford was 86 years old when he shared this statement with me he said it was harder for him at his age to maintain a daily quiet time with God than when he was a young man wow at the time I looked at him like how can that be I would think it would be the other way around but now that I'm an old man myself I tend to agree with him old age is fraught with dangers Abraham in his old age in his old age foolishness went into Hagar Solomon in his old age his old age foolishness didn't even take his own advice and fill in a hog wall of sin with many foreign women I know one thing friends although there have been times where I have disappointed my lord and let him down he's never ever once disappointed me or ever let me down I've been challenged in my own life lately to stay more focused on the things of eternal worth over the cares and concerns of this fleeting world I must stay focused on those stirring words only one life which will soon be passed only what's done for Christ will last in first Corinthians chapter 3 beginning in verse 11 we have our text for today here now is the word of God and may the spirit of the Lord attend the reading of his holy word for other foundation can no man lay than that is laid which is Jesus Christ now if any man build upon this foundation gold silver precious stones wood hay stubble every man's work shall be made manifest for the day shall declare it because it shall be revealed by fire and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is if any man's work abide which shall be built there upon he shall receive a reward if any man's work shall be burned he shall suffer loss but he himself will be saved yet so as by fire let this first challenge each of us this morning friends to live for Christ and eternity for the things that matter most God's glory and the souls of men how terrible it would be to one day appear before our Lord on that day and lean down to scoop up the ashes of a wasted life and then press those ashes into his nail pierced hands let us pray