The Dash

WHAT DOES THE WORD ‘DASH’ MEAN?

• Race (track and field) a short-distance running race
• Rushing movement – a quick purposeful movement by a person or a group of people in a particular direction
• Small quantity added – a small quantity of something added to something else, e.g. to improve the flavor of food or drink or to enliven speech or writing
• Punctuation mark – (grammar) a short horizontal line (-) used as a punctuation mark, often in place of a comma or colon, or as a sign that a letter or word has been omitted
• (also used negatively — to smash something, ruin something, or to discourage somebody)

A SHORT DISTANCE RUNNING RACE; A QUICK PURPOSEFUL MOVEMENT BY A PERSON OR GROUP OF PEOPLE IN A PARTICULAR DIRECTION – (implies a start and a finish)

1 Corinthians 9:24-27
Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize?  So run to win!  All athletes are disciplined in their training.  They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize.  So I run with purpose in every step.  I am not just shadowboxing.  I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should.  Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified.

Hebrews 12:1-3
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up.  And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.  We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith.  Because of the joy awaiting Him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame.  Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne.  Think of all the hostility he endured from sinful people, then you won’t become weary and give up.

A SMALL QUANTITY OF SOMETHING ADDED TO SOMETHING ELSE (ie. Improve taste)

Matthew 5:13
“You are the salt of the earth…”  (salt used for flavor & preservation)

Colossians 4:6 (NIV)
Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.

TO SMASH OR RUIN SOMETHING – (“dashed to the ground”, “my hopes were dashed”)

Ecclesiastes 12:6-7
Remember your Creator now while you are young, before the silver cord of life snaps and the golden bowl is broken.  Don’t wait until the water jar is smashed at the spring and the pulley is broken at the well.  For then the dust will return to the earth, and the spirit will return to God who gave it.

PUNCTUATION MARK

Ecclesiastes 5:13-20
There is another serious problem I have seen under the sun.  Hoarding riches harms the saver.

(Israelites, manna, and “daily bread”…)

Money is put into risky investments that turn sour, and everything is lost. 

(economy, fear, & uncertainty…)

In the end, there is nothing left to pass on to one’s children.  We all come to the end of our lives as naked and empty-handed as on the day we were born.  We can’t take our riches with us.  And this, too, is a very serious problem.  People leave this world no better off than when they came.  All their hard work is for nothing — like working for the wind.  Throughout their lives, they live under a cloud — frustrated, discouraged, and angry. 

(millions are spent on advertising…)

Even so, I have noticed one thing, at least, that is good.  It is good for people to eat, drink, and enjoy their work under the sun during the short life God has given them, and to accept their lot in life.  And it is a good thing to receive wealth from God and the good health to enjoy it.  To enjoy your work and accept your lot in life — this is indeed a gift from God.  God keeps such people so busy enjoying life that they take no time to brood over the past.

(… but…)

Luke 12:15-21
“Beware!  Guard against every kind of greed.  Life is not measured by how much you own. “

(in enjoying the provision and gifts of God, be careful not to neglect the Giver…)

Then he told them a story: “A rich man had a fertile farm that produced fine crops.  He said to himself, ‘What should I do?  I don’t have room for all my crops?’  Then he said, ‘I know!  I’ll tear down my barns and build bigger ones.  Then I’ll have room enough to store all my wheat and other goods.  And I’ll sit back and say to myself, “My friend, you have enough stored away for years to come.  Now take it easy!  Eat, drink, and be merry!”‘ 

But God said to him, ‘You fool!  You will die this very night.  Then who will get everything you worked for?’  Yes, a person is a fool to store up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God.”…

(God wants a relationship with us… what is evangelism but sharing that great news… and what is ministry but demonstrating His love and investing in the lives of other people…)

Luke 9:59-60
He said to another person, “Come, follow me.” The man agreed, but he said, “Lord, first let me return home and bury my father.”  But Jesus told him, “Let the spiritually dead bury their own dead! Your duty is to go and preach about the Kingdom of God.”

Love Them Like Jesus

• Zephaniah 3:17
• Ephesians 1:3-4
• Romans 5:1-11
• Ephesians 5:1-2

Experience the Love of Jesus - Believe and Receive

• Romans 8:35-39

Love Empowered by Jesus

• 1 Timothy 1:14
• John 1:16-18

Respond - Pay It Forward

• John 21:15-17
• Philippians 2:1-4

Love Begins with our Attitude

• Philippians 2:5-11
• 1 Corinthians 13:1-7, 13
• What is the opposite of love?

Love in Action

• Galatians 5:6
• 1 John 3:16-19

The Command to Love

• John 13:34-35
• Matthew 22:36-40
• 1 John 5:1-3
• 2 John 1:5-6
• 1 John 2:7-8
• Romans 13:8-10
• 1 John 4:7-12

Application: Do you KNOW His love for you? How are you responding to such wonderful love?

Closing: Ephesians 3:14-21

Dedication

Jesus Presented in the Temple

• Luke 2:22-23 Then it was time for their purification offering, as required by the law of Moses after the birth of a child; so his parents took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord. [23] The law of the Lord says, "If a woman's first child is a boy, he must be dedicated to the Lord."

Old Testament Context

• Exodus 13:1-2 Then the Lord said to Moses, [2] "Dedicate to me every firstborn among the Israelites. The first offspring to be born, of both humans and animals, belongs to me."
• Deuteronomy 11:18-21 "So commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these words of mine. Tie them to your hands and wear them on your forehead as reminders. [19] Teach them to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up. [20] Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates, [21] so that as long as the sky remains above the earth, you and your children may flourish in the land the Lord swore to give your ancestors.
• Psalm 78:1-8 O my people, listen to my instructions. Open your ears to what I am saying, [2] for I will speak to you in a parable. I will teach you hidden lessons from our past- [3] stories we have heard and known, stories our ancestors handed down to us. [4] We will not hide these truths from our children; we will tell the next generation about the glorious deeds of the Lord, about his power and his mighty wonders. [5] For he issued his laws to Jacob; he gave his instructions to Israel. He commanded our ancestors to teach them to their children, [6] so the next generation might know them- even the children not yet born- and they in turn will teach their own children. [7] So each generation should set its hope anew on God, not forgetting his glorious miracles and obeying his commands. [8] Then they will not be like their ancestors- stubborn, rebellious, and unfaithful, refusing to give their hearts to God.

God is Our Father

• Psalm 103:13-18 The Lord is like a father to his children, tender and compassionate to those who fear him. [14] For he knows how weak we are; he remembers we are only dust. [15] Our days on earth are like grass; like wildflowers, we bloom and die. [16] The wind blows, and we are gone- as though we had never been here. [17] But the love of the Lord remains forever with those who fear him. His salvation extends to the children's children [18] of those who are faithful to his covenant, of those who obey his commandments!
• Psalm 127:3 Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from him.
• Isaiah 59:15-21 Yes, truth is gone, and anyone who renounces evil is attacked. The Lord looked and was displeased to find there was no justice. [16] He was amazed to see that no one intervened to help the oppressed. So he himself stepped in to save them with his strong arm, and his justice sustained him. [17] He put on righteousness as his body armor and placed the helmet of salvation on his head. He clothed himself with a robe of vengeance and wrapped himself in a cloak of divine passion. [18] He will repay his enemies for their evil deeds. His fury will fall on his foes. He will pay them back even to the ends of the earth. [19] In the west, people will respect the name of the Lord; in the east, they will glorify him. For he will come like a raging flood tide driven by the breath of the Lord. [20] "The Redeemer will come to Jerusalem to buy back those in Israel who have turned from their sins," says the Lord. [21] "And this is my covenant with them," says the Lord. "My Spirit will not leave them, and neither will these words I have given you. They will be on your lips and on the lips of your children and your children's children forever. I, the Lord, have spoken!

Application:

• Romans 12:1-2 And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice-the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. [2] Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God's will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.
• Proverbs 14:26 Those who fear the Lord are secure; he will be a refuge for their children.
• Ephesians 6:4 Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger by the way you treat them. Rather, bring them up with the discipline and instruction that comes from the Lord.
• Proverbs 22:6 Direct your children onto the right path, and when they are older, they will not leave it.

Jesus Blesses the Children

• Matthew 19:13-15 One day some parents brought their children to Jesus so he could lay his hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples scolded the parents for bothering him. [14] But Jesus said, "Let the children come to me. Don't stop them! For the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to those who are like these children." [15] And he placed his hands on their heads and blessed them before he left.