It's About Time Series

Good morning, church family. Thank you for worshipping with us and for being apart of the 40-Day Challenge. Inside your worship guide is a 40-Day Challenge card. Will you take this out and put me before you in the moments to come? I want to speak to you on a message I’ve entitled, “It’s About Time.”

How do you think of your time, your personal time here on earth? Jesus said we only have so much time on earth. In fact, the earth itself only has so much time. Now you don’t have to be Jesus to know your time is limited. You don’t even have to be human.

Even dogs know the value of time. (Media Team, please begin showing this video when I start telling the story.)

Go with me to the Lost Our Home Pet Rescue in Tempe, Arizona. Everything was peaceful at the Pet Rescue in there last week until around midnight. Yes, everything was peaceful until King, a rescue dog broke out of his kennel. King broke out of his kennel and even tried to break out his friends. With little success in getting a party going, he did manage to open a door and was soon eating and drinking. King was having a great time and making a big mess! The problem was King set the alarm off. He was having so much fun, that the alarm kept going off again and again. King was eventually busted by a Tempe Police officer. An anonymous police officer put King back to bed and even stuck around to clean up his mess. Even a dog, knows the pressing nature of time. King says, “I just can’t stay locked up in here anymore.” In case, you and I are not as perceptive as King the dog, I invite you to turn to Ephesians 5 with me. I want to talk about time and, specifically, your time this morning.

Again, if you have a Bible, I invite you to turn to Ephesians 5:15 with me.

Paul likely wrote the letter of Ephesians from a prison cell. In the first part of Ephesians, Paul says in effect, “Your life before you came to know Christ was dominated by sinful ways.” “You partied it up; you lived for yourself and did whatever you wanted.” “Now that you know Christ, you cannot live this way.” “Now that you have a new life in Christ, you cannot live this way.”

The difference between a Christian and a non-Christian is one is trying to be nice, and the other doesn’t care about being nice. The Bible says one is in the realm of darkness while the other is in the realm of light. Here’s how to live your life because your life has been revolutionized by the cross of Jesus.

Today’s Scripture

“Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ” (Ephesians 5:15-21).

All of us know we only have so much time and only so much opportunity in this life. How are we to use our lives wisely?

1. Redeem Your Time

“Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil” (Ephesians 5:15-16).

To make the best use of time, God’s word commands us to stop and think. I want to reverse engineer verses 15 and 16 by looking at the phrases in reverse.

1.1 Buying Time

The Bible says we are to “[make] the best use of the time, because the days are evil” (Ephesians 5:16). The phrase “making the best use of the time” means to “buy up time” or redeem the time.

1.1.1 Daniel and Nebuchadnezzar

There was a king who demanded people tell him what he dreamed during the night and what the dream meant. He said, “if you do not make known to me the dream and its interpretation, you shall be torn limb from limb, and your houses shall be laid in ruins” (Daniel 2:5b).

Of course, no one could do this, so they stalled for time by rambling on before the king. The king says to them, “You’re attempting to buy time because you don’t know what you’re talking about.” One man stepped forward, and God gave him the ability to interpret dreams. Do you know his name? The king’s name was Nebuchadnezzar, and the prophet’s name was Daniel.