Only One Life

Years ago, I had a business partner, and he told me he wanted to make as much money as he could in life, and then when he died, he wanted the following words put on his tombstone, win, win, win. I remember I went home that day and told my wife about what he said, and I said to her what I wanted on my tombstone, and they were the following words. Only one life, it will soon be past, only what's done for Christ will last, and my convictions on that subject have only deepened since that time.

Listen friends, this world's an empty bubble, this world will one day be destroyed by fire, we see this in 2 Peter, as the word of God declares, but the heavens and the earth, which are now by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. But there was a time in my life when I was seeking this world and all its allurements, I was captivated by this present world, and I wanted to taste its pleasures, but there came a day when God changed my life, and when he did that, he changed the direction of my life, I ceased living for this world and began living only for eternity. I began to ask God to take out his divine pruning knife and cut away all the waste in my life that was cluttering up and hindering his kingdom work through me, I gave up my sports, I gave up my entertainments, I gave up my television, I asked God to change me into a man he could use for his glory, it was a painful process, and it still is a painful process.

I recently read a news story about a man who just died and left an estate of 8 million dollars, what made the story so fascinating was the fact that this man was a janitor, and he lived so frugally in his community that his neighbors thought he was a pauper, he wore a safety pin on his cap to hold it together, it was so old and ragged, his sweater had holes in it, and when he went to the local coffee shop for a cup of coffee, strangers would buy his breakfast because he looked like a bum, a homeless person, but he saved every penny he ever made, and he invested it in the stock market, and it grew to over 8 million dollars, he left 6 million dollars to his community hospital and library, he ended up being one of the biggest philanthropists in his New England town, and as I read that story, it made me think about my life as a Christian, have I lived my life in such a way as to shun this world and live only for another world, have I, like that frugal man, denied myself the worldly pleasures of gratification, so as to impact an entire community in my death, or have I just lived for this world and its baubles, and it made me think of that poem by C.T. Studd, which I quoted part of it earlier, C.T. Studd did what the rich young ruler would not, he gave away a fortune to God's work, and then he gave his life to God to use for his glory in the salvation of souls, he was a man of fame, he was a household word in England in his day, for he was the top cricketeer, he was a sports star in his day, and he came from an extremely wealthy family, he was young, handsome, and rich, he graduated from Cambridge, he had the whole world in the palm of his hand, but then God got a hold of him, and saved him, and changed the course of his life, he gave away his fortune, he went to China as a missionary, he then went to India as a missionary, and at the age of 53, in poor health, he took a one-way ticket to Africa to bring the gospel to the unreached region of the Congo, he died there, pouring his life out for Christ, he lived only for eternity, and the salvation of souls, the title of my message this morning friends is Only One Life, and that's the title of C.T. Studd's poem, allow me to read it to you in its entirety now, two little lines I heard one day, traveling along life's busy way, bringing conviction to my heart, and from my mind I would not depart, only one life it will soon be passed, only what's done for Christ will last, only one life, yes only one, soon will its fleeting hours be done, then and that day, my lord to meet, and stand before his judgment seat, only one life will soon be passed, only what's done for Christ will last, only one life, the still small voice, gently pleads for a better choice, bidding me selfish aims to leave, and to God's holy will to cleave, only one life, that will soon be passed, only what's done for Christ will last, only one life, a few brief years, each with its burdens, hopes and fears, each with its days I must fulfill, living for self or in his will, only one life, that will soon be passed, only what's done for Christ will last, when this bright world would tempt me sore, when satan would a victory score, when self would seek to have its way, then help me lord with joy to say, only one life will soon be passed, only what's done for Christ will last, give me father a purpose deep, in joy or sorrow, thy word to keep, faithful and true, what e'er the strife, pleasing thee, in my daily life, only one life will soon be passed, only what's done for Christ will last, oh let my love with fervor burn, and from the world, now let me turn, living for thee, and thee alone, bringing thee pleasure on thy throne, only one life, it will soon be passed, only what's done for Christ will last, only one life, yes only one, now let me say, that will be done, and when at last I'll hear the call, I know I'll say it was worth it all, only one life, will soon be passed, only what's done for Christ will last, I love that poem by C.T. Studd, don't you dear friends, and how true it is, what are we living for, are we living our lives in light of eternity, or are we living for this world, turning your bibles to 2nd Corinthians to chapter 5, we will read verse 10, then we will jump back to 1st Corinthians chapter 3, for our passage today, here now is 2nd Corinthians 5 10, for we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that everyone may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad, think about that friends, think about that future day, when we stand before our Lord and Savior, it's a personal time, it's just him and me, he and you, his eyes are upon us, and how we lived our lives for him, or not for him, what will be our excuse on that day, for the time we wasted on the foolish things of this world, what will be our excuse for not witnessing more, for not praying more, for not reading our bibles more, for not denying ourselves for his sake, to further the gospel in our generation, what will be our excuse for indulging ourselves and gratifying our flesh, when we stand before him, who has eyes of fire, all that will matter, will be how we lived our life for Christ, and how we shared the gospel to our generation of hell-bound sinners, it won't matter on that day, what your golf handicap was brother deacon, it won't matter on that day, how much money you squirreled away for your family dear businessman, it won't matter a hill of beans on that day, how many television programs, and how many hollywood movies you wasted your time on, or how many football games you sat at and hollered at, all that will matter, will be the worth of a soul, and how your life impacted others for Christ in your generation, do you believe that friend, do you? Turn in your bibles now to first corinthians chapter 3, we will be in verses 11 through 15, let me read that to us now, and may the spirit of God attend the reading of his preached word, for other foundation can no man lay, then 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 he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward, if any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss, but he himself shall be saved, yet so as by fire, now I want you to picture yourself there now friend, at that judgment seat of Christ, the bema seat, when I was in Greece, I saw an ancient bema seat where the judge sat, and the judge of all the earth will sit before you on that day friend, he will test and try your works, your entire life will be brought into review on that day, picture yourself there now, Jesus is facing you, he is reviewing your life as an open book, how you lived it, while you were here on his earth, in your body, will your life be gold, silver, and precious stones, reflecting his glory, or will your life pass into the fire, and be consumed into wood, hay, and stubble, and as you stand there, knee deep, in the ashes of a wasted life, how will you feel, as you press those ashes, into his nail pierced hands, only one life, which will soon be passed, only what's done for Christ will last, I want each one of us, to contemplate that time, to see yourselves at that bema seat, look at your life friend, what will remain, when it passes through that fire of testing, you can alter things now, while you still have the time, but you will run out of time on that day, you won't be able to go back, and make changes, what will your life be, gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, or stubble, how you live your life today, will impact eternity then, oh friends, how each one of us, should live our lives, in light of eternity, and that future judgment seat, oh how it would alter our prayer lives, how it would impact our witnessing for Christ, in our day, how it would move us, to live a life of holiness, unto the Lord, for his glory, what kind of fruit, is being produced, in your life friend, at this hour, or is the fruit of your life, rotten on the ground, will we even be able to look him in the eye on that day, or will we be too ashamed, there we stand, as one who has passed through the fire, what will remain, God has a blueprint, for a life, so to speak, we see this in Ephesians 2 and verse 10, which states, for we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus, unto good works, which God hath before ordained, that we should walk in them, when Jesus unrolls the heavenly blueprint, for your life friend, will your life match up to it, to where he declares, just according to plan, or will we realize, that we miss God's best for us, on that day, I want to close this message, with another poem, which underscores our theme today, it is entitled, his plan for me, here it is, and may it alter, the rest of our days, when I stand, at the judgment seat of Christ, and he shows his plan for me, the plan of my life, as it might have been, had he had his way, and I see, how I blocked him here, and checked him there, and I would not yield my will, would there be grief, in my savior's eyes, grief though he loves me still, would he have me rich, and I stand there poor, stripped of all, but his grace, while memory runs, like a hunted thing, down the paths, I cannot retrace, Lord of the years, that are left of me, I give them to the hand, take me, and break me, and mold me, to the pattern, that thou hast planned.