No Time For God

            I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happened to them all  ( Ecclesiastes 9:11 ).

God created the Heavens and the earth.  He made the sun, moon, and stars to give time on earth.  In Heaven, there is no time, only eternity.  Time was only given to man on earth.  What we do with that time is very important.

Our lives are regulated by time.

We go to bed by time.

We awake by time.

We go to work by time.

We go home by time.

Everything we do, is regulated by the time clock.  Have you ever heard the statement, “Seems I’m running out of time?”  How about this one, “I just don’t have the time.”  Of course, there is this one, “Time sure gets away from me.”

If we could control time, just think how happier we would be.  If we could reach up and stop the wheels of time, we would have no more days, weeks, months, and years.  We would have no more birthdays, anniversaries, and other events to celebrate.
Thank God, man cannot control time, as all time is controlled by Him.   Sometimes

I would like to turn back the pages of time, but this cannot be done.

Time is given to us by God to be used in the present tense.  We cannot live our lives in yesterday, or tomorrow, but we must live it in the present, today.

Man does not know when his time is up, when it is time to die and be buried.  This is in the hand of God.  How we use our time is very important to us.  We should plan so that every precious moment of time is used to our advantage.

Some people spend their time drinking.

Some people spend their time gambling.

Some people spend their time getting rich.

Some people spend their time doing drugs.

Some people spend their time in prison.

Some people spend their time doing nothing.

Some people spend their time marking time.

Some people spend their time wasting time.

Some people I know, spend their time living for Jesus Christ.

Our text says that time and chance happens to everyone.  Some people are so busy and caught up in time with the things of this world, they don’t have time for their eternal soul.

They have time for business, time for pleasure, time for riches, but no time for God.

Jesus walked this earth one day and wept over the city of Jerusalem because they knew    not    the    time    of     their    visitation.     They    did     not     comprehend    the

time had come for their Messiah of deliverance.

I believe Jesus is weeping over America today, because people are neglecting to take time out for Him.  People do not realize the time of our end.  One day soon, time will be no more.

Paul stood before Felix one day and told him about righteousness, temperance, and

the judgments of God to come.  Paul told Felix about Jesus Christ, His death, His burial, and His resurrection.

This was the time and chance for Felix, as mentioned in our text.  What a great opportunity for him to accept Christ and be saved.  Felix was under conviction so bad, that he trembled at the gospel.

You would think such a man like this would gladly submit to Christ.  People are like this today.  Their time and chance comes to hear the gospel of Jesus, they get under conviction and tremble, yet they make flimsy excuses.

This was what Felix did.  He said to Paul, “Go thy way for this time; when I have a convenient season, I will call for thee.”  Felix let the most precious moment of his life slip right through his fingers.

He neglected his time, his chance to be saved.  He put it off.  He was counting on tomorrow.  A lot of tomorrows never come.

I read through the New Testament, and do not find where Felix ever was converted to Christ.  He lost his time and chance.  He waited for a better time, a more convenient season, but it never came.  He did not have time for God.  He was a loser in the game of time, chance, and opportunity.

Now he has all the time in the world.

There are no clocks in Hell.

There are no calendars in Hell.

These words will ring through the mind of Felix throughout eternity,  A MORE CONVENIENT SEASON, A MORE CONVENIENT SEASON, A MORE CONVENIENT SEASON.

It was the same in the days of Noah.  Sin was abounding on every side.  People had time for sin, time for pleasure, but no time for God.

Noah preached to them of the coming judgment of God.  They laughed and made fun.  They had all the time in the world to get saved, but not now.

They took a chance, gambled with time, and lost.

Their time had run out.

Their opportunity was past.

God’s mercy was exhausted.

No time for God, never!

The rains came down and the floods came up.

The air was filled with screaming.

The air was filled with weeping.

The air was filled with praying.

The air was filled with moaning.

“My God, Noah told us so!”

They ran  to  the  Ark  and  pounded  on  the  door,  “Open  up  Noah,  we  believe

you now!”

God shut the door.  Noah could not open it.

It was too late.

They had no time for God, now God had no time for them.

Millions perished in the flood because of their own choice.

The Bible tells us we are living today, just like it was in the days of Noah.  Our generation is just as wicked as the generation of Noah.  Our generation is committing the same sins.

Does history repeat itself?  “Yes!”

Judgment is coming on our world; it is just a matter of time.

God’s mercy is still extended.

The door of grace is still open.

Time and chance is still available.

Time is slipping away fast.

Sinner!  Your time and chance to be saved is about gone.

Backslider!  Your time and chance to return is about gone.

Saints!  Your time is about come.

Each day brings us closer to judgment and face to face with Jesus Christ, the Almighty God.

 

There are millions of people in Hell today, who have lost the battle with time.
They had time for sin.

They had time for fun.

They had time for pleasure.

But they had no time for God.

They waited too late.

They put it off.

They made silly excuses.

Now they have plenty of time.  They have time to pray.  They have time to cry.

They have time to scream in agony.

           

If I had the power to open Hell today, that place would be empty.  People in Hell would come screaming to these altars, begging God for mercy.

You sit here and neglect God.

You make your silly excuses.

People in Hell right at this very moment would trade places with you in a flash.  You now have the greatest opportunity of your lifetime.

“Preacher, I don’t have time for God.”

You got time to die, you better take time for Jesus.

Oh, time, time, how you go by so fast.