Missed Opportunities, That May Never Come Again

Missed Opportunities, That May Never Come Again
Jn. 9:4;

Jn. 9: 4 I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work.

Intro.: Have you ever missed out on an opportunity that your really regretted? Wouldn't it have been nice to have bought into yahoo.com or some other high-flying stocks early on. I am sure none of you would have like to have purchased Microsoft when it became public years ago and have great wealth because of it.

Well if you are like me, you did not do this. You missed a great opportunity. We are faced all the time by sales people that want us to take advantage of a "Once in a lifetime opportunity." I want to talk about different opportunities today. We have many great opportunities in front of us fir the Lord if we but grab them. I want to talk about missed opportunities today.

First let us look at Christ, we see…

Christ knew that our opportunities are often fleeting

As a 12-year old - He had to be about His Father's business

Wedding at Cana - His time had not come, yet he did the miracle

Samaritan woman at the well - John 4: 4 And he must needs go through Samaria.

Lazarus Jn. 11:32b -"Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died."

We also see that…

The disciples also felt the urgency of opportunities

When He sent the seventy out in Luke 10 they understood oportunites

Luke 10:1 After these things the Lord appointed other seventy also, and sent them two and two before his face into every city and place, whither he himself would come.
2 Therefore said he unto them, The harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth labourers into his harvest.
3 Go your ways: behold, I send you forth as lambs among wolves.
4 Carry neither purse, nor scrip, nor shoes: and salute no man by the way.
5 And into whatsoever house ye enter, first say, Peace be to this house.
6 And if the son of peace be there, your peace shall rest upon it: if not, it shall turn to you again.
7 And in the same house remain, eating and drinking such things as they give: for the labourer is worthy of his hire. Go not from house to house.
8 And into whatsoever city ye enter, and they receive you, eat such things as are set before you:
9 And heal the sick that are therein, and say unto them, The kingdom of God is come nigh unto you.
10 But into whatsoever city ye enter, and they receive you not, go your ways out into the streets of the same, and say,
11 Even the very dust of your city, which cleaveth on us, we do wipe off against you: notwithstanding be ye sure of this, that the kingdom of God is come nigh unto you.
12 But I say unto you, that it shall be more tolerable in that day for Sodom, than for that city.

We can see some instances in the book of Acts of their understanding…

Peter and John at the temple, Peter healed the lame man from birth - Acts 3
Philip when he preached to the Eunuch - Acts 8
Peter when God sent him to Cornelius - Acts 10
Paul when he dealt with the Philippian Jailer - Acts 16
Paul when he preached to Agrippa, Festus and Bernice - Acts 25

We can also see in the Old Testament some characters that saw the need for urgency

David when dealing with Goliath - carried the sling (needed EXTRA stones)
Saul when he missed the opportunity with Agag and the Amalekites
Esau when he missed his blessing - it was not important enough

Heb. 12: 14 Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:
15 Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled;
16 Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright.
17 For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears.

Lot When he had the initial choice of direction and chose Sodom and Gomorrah -

AND… When he went back there after his rescue by his uncle Abraham

We see others that came up short because they failed to grab the moment…

Five foolish virgins in Matthew 25 had not oil - they missed the bridegroom

Individual with one talent lost the blessing because he did not use what God gave him - Mt. 25

14 For the kingdom of heaven is as a man travelling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods.
15 And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability; and straightway took his journey.
16 Then he that had received the five talents went and traded with the same, and made them other five talents.
17 And likewise he that had received two, he also gained other two.
18 But he that had received one went and digged in the earth, and hid his lord's money.
19 After a long time the lord of those servants cometh, and reckoneth with them.
20 And so he that had received five talents came and brought other five talents, saying, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me five talents: behold, I have gained beside them five talents more.
21 His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.
22 He also that had received two talents came and said, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me two talents: behold, I have gained two other talents beside them.
23 His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.
24 Then he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strowed:
25 And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine.
26 His lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strowed:
27 Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received mine own with usury.
28 Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him which hath ten talents.
29 For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath.
30 And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

We also see…

Many miss unknown opportunities

Matt. 25:31 When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:
32 And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats:
33 And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.

34 Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:
35 For I was an hungered, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:
36 Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.
37 Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungered, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?
38 When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?
39 Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?
40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.
41 Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:
42 For I was an hungered, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink:
43 I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.
44 Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungered, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee?
45 Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.
46 And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.

Are you missing great opportunities by your inaction for Christ?

John 4: 35 Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest.
36 And he that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal: that both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together.
37 And herein is that saying true, One soweth, and another reapeth.
38 I sent you to reap that whereon ye bestowed no labour: other men laboured, and ye are entered into their labours.

Do not miss the opportunities God gives you and us today.

If you are lost, there is a great opportunity for you to receive Christ and eternal life today!

If you are saved, consider how you are serving and worshipping the Lord.

Are you missing a great opportunity to serve God today?

Will your inaction cost your family, your loved ones, your friends an opportunity to turn to Christ?

Is your family waiting on you to move?

Gary Marcum - East 38th Street Free Will Baptist Church - 120300am