Eph. 5:15-17 Redeeming the Time!
Intro: New Year’s is a time when many people tend to look back and also look forward.
During this time of year nearly every major newspaper, magazine and Television channel will have a special recalling people & events that made news during the previous year.
This also when many folk will make New Year’s Resolutions.
Here are some of the most popular resolutions.
• Lose Weight
• Pay Off Debt
• Save Money
• Get a Better Job
• Get Fit
• Eat Right
• Get a Better Education
• Drink Less Alcohol
• Quit Smoking Now
• Reduce Stress Overall
• Reduce Stress On-the-Job
• Take a Trip
• Volunteer to Help Others
Notice that these have nothing to do with the spiritual realm.
New Year’s is a good time for the Christian to look back over the past year and see how we did spiritually & makes some plans to do better this coming year.
How did you do this past year? Were you busy & did you use your time wisely?
Will we be just as busy this year? Will we make any better use of our time? Will we be looking back with joy, or with regret?
There is a passage of Scripture that I believe can help us during the coming year.
Read passage.
(Eph 5:15-17) See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, Redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.
PROP. We need to redeem the time during the coming year.
I. What does it mean to redeem the time?
To understand this we need to examine two words: “time” and “redeem”
A. Time = There are three Greek words used in the N.T. to refer to time.
1. Hora is usually translated “hour.”
2. Chrono from which we get our English Chronological refers to time in general, a period or measured time.
3. kairos, the word used here and it refers to an appointed time, a fixed or special occasion—those moments or seasons when opportunity knocks!
B. Redeem = The basic meaning of the word “redeem” is to “buy back.”
It was used of buying a slave, to make him your property, so you might set him free.
Thus this means to buy up all the time (every opportunity that God gives you) of our remaining life on the earth so that you might set it free.
It means to not let one suitable moment/opportunity to pass by unheeded or wasted.
Thus we are to devote our entire life to the Lord.
It means that we should to stop frittering time away and take advantage of every opportunity possible to serve the Lord.
How do we “fritter” time away?
T.V., computers, sports, “chatting” online & on the phone, etc.. are a few examples.
The Lord puts us in certain circumstances and places for reason. He allows our path to cross with others for a reason. We should stop & consider what those reasons are. Perhaps:
We are to witness to a lost person.
We are to encourage the discouraged.
We are to bind up the wounded, etc. etc…
Trans: Now that we know what it means to redeem the time, we should discuss “Why?” we need to redeem the time.
II. Why should we redeem the time?
A. We should redeem the time because our days are limited (5:16).
Time is limited for each of us. No one will live forever on this earth.
(Psa 39:4-5) LORD, make me to know mine end, and the measure of my days, what it is; that I may know how frail I am. Behold, thou hast made my days as a handbreadth; and mine age is as nothing before thee: verily every man at his best state is altogether vanity. Selah.
(Psa 90:10) The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labor and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away.
(Jam 4:13-14) Go to now, ye that say, Today or tomorrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain: Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.
I can remember when I thought anyone over 40 was ancient. But no longer!
God has established a set amount of time on the earth for each of us.
None of us have any assurance of tomorrow, therefore we need to redeem each day and use it to glorify God.
Likewise, the days of those around us aren’t certain. If we don’t redeem the time, they may never have another chance to hear the gospel.
One day we all will stand in judgment before Christ – therefore we need to redeem the time.
B. We should redeem the time because the days are evil (5:16).
Ephesus was a very wicked city. It was filled with paganism, debauched living, and about every sin known to mankind.
As a result of their environment it was imperative that the church at Ephesus redeem their time.
Likewise, wickedness is increasing in America.
Sins of every sort abound all across the USA.
Do I really need to get graphic and list the sins in our “Christian” nation?
- Take a look at the movies playing at the theatre:
For example “Brokeback mountain”…-- gay cowboy movie…
- Take a look at what is on the shelves of some video stores, and magazine racks.
- Take a look at what is currently on T.V. ….
- Consider the new show by NBC that will begin Jan. 6th.
It is called "The Book of Daniel" and it is purported to be a serious drama about Christian people and the Christian faith. The main character is Daniel Webster, a drug-addicted Episcopal priest whose wife depends heavily on her mid-day martinis. Webster regularly sees and talks with a very unconventional white-robed, bearded Jesus. The Webster family has a 23-year-old homosexual Republican son; a 16-year-old daughter who is a drug dealer; and a 16-year-old adopted son who is having illicit relationship with the bishop’s daughter. And then there is Webster’s lesbian secretary who is sleeping with his sister-in-law.
Surely, you don’t need much convincing that the days we live in are evil too.
Therefore, it is imperative that we “redeem the time”.
C. We should redeem the time because we are lights in the world (5:8).
Read Eph. 5:8
Redeeming the time is the appropriate thing for a child of God to do.
It is fitting for those who are “light”. You might say it is our duty.
We can understand why the unsaved (those in the “darkness”) don’t redeem the time. Sometimes we wrongly expect the unsaved to live like they are saved. They can’t because they don’t have a new nature or the
Holy Spirit residing in them, like a believer does.
It is also wrong for the Christian to live like a lost person and waste all of the opportunities that God graciously gives us.
III. How do we redeem the time?
A. We redeem the time by walking in the light (5:8).
1. To walk in the light we need to pursue truth.
a. Jesus is the truth so we must pursue Him.
(Joh 14:6) Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
b. God’s Word is truth, so we must study it.
(Joh 17:17) Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.
2. To walk in the light we need to pursue holiness.
We must attempt to do only those things that are holy & pleasing to the Lord. We must attempt to avoid any action that may be considered evil.
Following hard after Christ & being in His Word will saturate our life with Truth. That, in turn, will change our behavior to be more holy.
This right knowledge and right behavior will make us a bright light to shine in
a world full of dark ignorance and falsehood. The world is full of false philosophies and world views.
When we hear a false belief – we need to loving shine God’s truth on it.
When evil deeds are committed – we should not condone it, but shine God’s holiness on it.
Trans.: Walking in the light is a good first step in redeeming the time.
B. We redeem the time by walking in wisdom (5:15).
1. To walk in wisdom requires carefulness.
Barnes notes in his commentary that “the word rendered “circumspectly” - ἀκριβῶς akribo¯s - means “diligently,” and the idea here is, that they were to take special pains to guard against the temptations around them, and to live as they ought to.
Thus, the Christian needs to be careful about how he lives and spends his time.
If a Christian isn’t careful they may revert to their old ways, and follow after worldly wisdom.
The World’s Wisdom God’s Wisdom
- Lookout for #1 - Esteem other better than self
- Eat, drink,… tomorrow we die - live for eternity not the present
- lay up treasure on the earth - lay up treasure in heaven
- don’t submit to your husband - wives submit to your own husband
- use/abuse your wife - treat her as a weaker vessel, dwell
with her according to knowledge, etc.
- let your kids run wild… - have children in subjection (1 Tim. 3)
C. We redeem the time by making the most of every opportunity.
It is not just sin that makes demands on our time. Sometimes even good things can make demands.
The story of Mary & Martha & Lazarus makes this truth very clear. Martha became so preoccupied with work in the kitchen that she failed to spend time at the feet of Jesus.
This is a constant struggle for me.
I am sure many of you struggle in this area too.
We should love to “sit at the feet of Jesus”.
We should take advantage of opportunities to witness for Christ, to
hear the Word of God preached, to serve Christ in some capacity, etc.
Application:
I would like to offer some practical suggestions to help you Redeem the Time:
1. Establish Biblical Priorities: God first, family second, and other things including work after that.
Who or What is first in your life?
- A look at your check book and your calendar will give make it pretty easy to figure out.
- Think about who or what gets pushed aside when you get busy or have a financial crunch and it will be easy to figure out.
If you are going to “redeem the time” this year, then God will have to have first place no matter how busy you get or how tight it gets financially.
2. Schedule some definite time each day to pray, to read, study & meditate upon His Word.
Pray for yourself, your family, your church, your missionaries, and for people around you.
3. Spend regular quality time with your family.
Men you need to take your wife on a date once in a while.
Ladies, be careful not get so busy with the house (cooking & cleaning) and taking care of the kids, etc.. that you neglect your husbands.
Dads & Moms you need to spend time with your children, too. They’re growing up ever so fast. These are precious moments. Don’t let them get away. Make sure that you spend quality time with your children. Make sure that your family is very high on the list.
4. Have a right attitude toward Work.
- Christians ought to be good workers. If you are going to redeem the time, you should give you’re your employer an honest days work, & not cheat them.
- Christians ought not to be materialistic. So, work enough hours to provided for you family. You need to guard against becoming a work-aholic.
5. Have a realistic number of commitments.
Many people are overloaded with commitments. In addition to all of our necessary responsibilities and commitment we add too many optional ones. Some parents enroll their kids in practically every activity known to mankind and spend countless ours running here and running there.
Perhaps, you might want to limit the number of activities to a couple favorite ones?
6. Have a right attitude toward things.
- It is okay not to have the latest and greatest of everything.
- It is okay to have a little wear & tear or scratch on something.
- It is okay not to have 50 pairs of shoes.
- It is okay not to have an immaculate house or lawn…
The more you worry about things and the more things you have the more of your time they will take up.
Conclusion: Perhaps some of us will wish that we could live our lives over again, but that will not be possible. The time to live for the Lord Jesus is now. The time to serve Him is now. We need to redeem the time now.
"Only one life, ’twill soon be past,
Only what’s done for Christ will last."
Invitation:
