My Time Has Not Come!

Time just seems to fly passed without us noticing- it seems like only yesterday I was at the birth of Peter, my first son, in the hospital in Liverpool and today he is thousands of miles away in Washington State. Times waits for no man and it can’t be bought back no matter how much money you have- once it is spent it is gone. And you cannot just rewind it.

There are three ways to think of time:

• SPAN OF TIME or Calendar time. At primary school- Medieval history. A-levels I studied Ancient and Modern history. Jesus was not thinking of time like this. He did not have a date in mind.
• POINT OF TIME [Clock time] When we make appointments we need more than a calendar, we need a clock. I have become aware of time now because I know that at 12noon here is is 3am in Seattle. When we phone Peter we have to bear this in mind!! What Jesus had in mind was not the time of the clock or even of the sun
• OPPORTUNITY OF TIME [open and closed doors]. God’s appointed time- it was an idea very familiar to the Jews who had, and still have, a keen sense of destiny and time. WE see examples of opening and closing doors in Acts 15- one opens for Paul to go to Europe to take the gospel into a whole new dimension but other door closed- Bithynia and Mysia. What he was saying was that the time that God had in mind for the climax of his work- his death and resurrection- had not come just yet. He knew that it was close and that if he went to Jerusalem and made his work public the Jews would respond and the plot against him would thicken and develop. So he stayed away for a while longer.

The Jews were very conscious of their calling to obey God- they knew that they were not just pawns in the major game- they were not like little boats blown about on the sea by the wind- God was in control- he is above time and space- to him there is no past, no future- for him the past and the future are all laid out in front of him.

He is still experiencing the coming of Jesus into the world

Still experiencing the pain of the crucifixion and still seeing his glorification on the mountain of transfiguration and his ascension as he returned to heaven from where he came.

They knew that God had appointed a time for the Messiah and for the day of the Lord. As Christians we do too and that is what makes us different to the rest of the world. We too know that God has a plan and God has his time scale all worked out- he is not thinking on his feet looking for the best time.- Economists look closely for the best time to buy houses and to invest in business- God knows the time already- we know that time is limited and will not go on for ever- God has appointed a time for everything- Eccles 3:1—

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven;

…born and die…

plant and to uproot

..to kill and a time to heal….”

What makes the difference between the believer and the unbeliever is that the believer makes God the centre of his life- he does that by being a follower of Jesus Christ who is the “way the truth and the life”

This God we worship is not some kind of passive being who looks on from above but one who is intimately concerned about all that happens to us.

He is active,

he is personal

he is called YHWH- the one who was and is and will be, always.

Paul tells us that this God has begun a good work in the lives of the Philippians and that he means to complete that work- he knows what he wants them to be like and he will not cease until he is finished- it is the same for believers in Belfast and in the Crumlin ward.. In the spin of Tony Blair this time that Jesus speaks of is the hand of history tapping him on the shoulder. This time for us, between the great acts of God in the past and the great acts of God in the future is a time of opportunity-if God can see and experience past, present and future then this time is surely and truly a time of opportunity- he delays his return and the end of the world as we know it that more men and women may have an opportunity to know God and the power of His salvation.

Jesus was just waiting for the time,. His time, to come and he would begin the final phase of his work- are we ready to work in this our time?

What is this good work that Paul speaks of? It’s not about doing good works that we might gain life in eternity- that is what many people seem unable to understand. Good living is not a pre-requisite to being “saved” Being a Christian is not primarily about moral behaviour- not that good behaviour is not important but the good work that God does within us does change behaviour but it comes after we receive the gift and its not the reason for the gift.. Being a Christian is all about allowing God to do His good work in us. Its’ about trusting God and letting Him make us normal and normal is being like God because that was His original wish. The point is that it is God who does the work- Paul tells us

“When the time had fully come God sent His son….to redeem those under the law….”

For Jesus that time had not yet arrived- it was close but not quite . He knew that the time for public disclosure would mean a heightening of the tension and the plotting. Jesus had no fear of this because he knew his father and the plans he had- he did feel the pain and he did look to the future with concern but he knew that God was in control and this was all part of His plan and so wanted to do it.

The point is not that Jesus died

Nor even that he died an innocent man

The point was that this was part of God’s plan and initiative for insubordinate sinners like you and me.

His brothers failed to understand and they did not believe in him.. For them it was simple- go to Jerusalem where all the people are congregating and prove yourself to them and we might also believe. This was His opportunity to become famous- as the Messiah so he should go up to Jerusalem to the festival of Tabernacles and make a name for himself.

Do you see what they were doing? Possibly without knowing it they were tempting Jesus once again just like Satan did in the wilderness-

• Turn these stones into bread and feed yourself and the people
• Just follow me and I will give you everything you ever dreamt of!!
• Throw yourself off the church tower and the angels will save you- prove it!!

This was the work of the devil as he tempted Jesus and this is what His brothers were doing also! But Jesus remained true to His Father and listened and looked for His directions.

We think that we can do things better than God only to find out the truth- Jesus demands our allegiance- above everything else

• Above family
• About nation
• Above politics
• Above ambitions
• Above material possessions.

In Ps 46 the Psalmist says, in the midst of great distress and turmoil-

”Be still and know that I am God”

We have all been disturbed by the recent bombs in London but at times like these we have to make important decisions about the right way to respond. Surely we in Northern Ireland have learnt after 30 years of this kind of thing that there are some things that will not solve the problem:

• security is not the answer
• democracy will not either- even is Messers Bush and Blair keep telling us that it is the answer.
• Covert intelligence will not save us

The Psalm tells us the answer- “Cease, be still” these are the words and this was the reaction of Jesus in the middle of the storm- when he told the wind and the rain to stop- this nation is at a cross roads- will we trust in God or will we trust in ourselves? Will we respond like with like or will we demonstrate the love of god in Christ?

The Christian is called to trust in God through Jesus Christ. While most of us have been brought up with a knowledge of the evangelical language- being born again and being saved yet that does not mean that we have the experience which they describe. The point behind the Psalm is that we should know, as in experience, that God has His hand on the tiller of the ship. He is the captain- at this point Jesus knows that God is the captain and pretty soon God will call Him to action and the last days of His earthly life.

What is the relevance to you and me?

Jesus was waiting for God to tell him his time but this is our time. We are called to reach out with the gospel today and in this place. We need to think and pray and plan about how to reach the so far un-reached. WE need to take every opportunity

When Habitat For Humanity begin to build on Danube Street, Geoffrey Street and McChandless Street we need to be right there helping- that will be a gospel opportunity

When there is a problem on the streets we need to be ready to speak up with the word of truth

We need to be involved in the community and take the opportunities which will present themselves. The world needs to see practical Christianity and we need to have an answer for the hope which is within us.

We have an important message for these streets of people

“YOUR WORTH IS MEASURED IN THE BLOOD OF CHRIST”

There is Hope in Christ. THIS is our time- its NOT our time WILL come, OUR TIME HAS COME. CARPE DIEM