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.
1.1.2 The Going Price of Time
Isn’t that an interesting phrase, “buying time.” If time were available to purchase on the commodity market, how much do you think it would go for? At what price would the market demand when you could buy extra time? If a roll of toilet paper is scarce during COVID-19 and one pound of gold is over $32,000, how much would an hour of additional time go for? To purchase time, means we are to take full advantage of any and every opportunity. To redeem the time means to do everything with urgency.1
I think of the retired person who says, “I wish I could go back and pursue my education. I knew then what I know now. But I’ve wasted all this time.” She wishes he could buy time. I think of the father who’s left his kids and his wife for a fling alone on the holidays. He wishes he could redeem the time. I imagine there is something in life that you wish you could buy time and do-over. The Bible says, “If you want to use your time wisely and efficiently, then do this.”
1.2 Stop and Think
The Bible says if you want to redeem the time, then “Look carefully.” The Bible commands you to “Look carefully.” God wants you to stop and think. The original word in verse 15 for “carefully” means to do something accurately and precisely. Or give it your close attention.2
[Pause here for a moment, Scott.]
Have you ever attempted to get someone to think? The mind is a muscle. I had someone tell me just this week about the impact of my words in a meeting. They gave me some good counsel on how I could approach a matter for a better result. Their words told me to pause and think. Again, the mind is a muscle. But we don’t always think.
Husbands, has your wife ever looked at you sternly with dagger eyes that said “THINK” after you’ve said something stupid? You can train your mind to think, to focus. It may not be immediate but by the Holy Spirit’s help, you can train the muscle of your mind to think and to focus. God wants you to think; He wants you to focus. If you’re going to really redeem the time you have, it’s going to require some thought on your part.
1.3 Think about What?
When the Bible says, “Look carefully then how you walk …” (Ephesians 5:15a), it doesn’t mean exercise. “Walk” is your lifestyle. By the aid of the Holy Spirit, you are to carefully consider your moral lifestyle. With the divine assistance of the Holy Spirit inside believers, give careful attention to how they conduct their day-to-day lives. Devote your brain cells to how you act, react, and speak in your day-to-day lives. If you are a coach, think about how you speak to the players. If you are a teacher, think about how your words reflect on Jesus Christ when you are in the classroom. If you are a politician, you cannot simply adopt the speech patterns common to modern-day politics. Instead, you must be alert to your moves and your countermoves. Wise living requires some brain cells.
1.4 Wake Up!
In fact, Paul contrasts your lifestyle as a believer with your former life as being asleep versus being awake. Look back at verse 14 with me: “Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you” (Ephesians 5:14b). The Bible says the majority of people are asleep morally and spiritually. Are you asleep on the matters that matter most in life?
1.4.1 Smoke Alarms and Little Children
Moms and dads, have you ever attempted to wake young elementary-aged children up from sleep in the middle of the night? Little children are remarkable in what they can sleep through. In a 2019 study by researchers at the University of Dundee in Scotland, only 28% of small children wake up using a standard smoke alarm.3 The researchers worked with more than 640 children to determine whether a standard fire alarm would actually wake them up. They found that the majority slept through the alarm or woke only briefly before falling back to sleep. The research was so alarming that the BBC repeated the experiment with 8 children under the age of 10. Every one of the children except one child did not wake at all when using a standard smoke alarm. The one that did awake got up to retrieve a nearby teddy bear and then went back to sleep.4
Little children find it hard to wake up.
1.4.2 Hearing their Mother’s Voice
One last aspect on this: 90% of the children woke up when researchers introduced a smoke alarm that recorded their mother’s voice instructing them to wake up.5 Isn’t that amazing? 90% woke up when a familiar voice, the voice of their mother, told them to wake up. You know the same pattern happens spiritually. You will not wake up to the things that really matter in life until you hear your Father’s voice say, “Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you” (Ephesians 5:14b).
You need to hear His voice this morning. Now, if you have heard your Father’s voice and you are awake right now, the Bible says to think about the way you act.
1.5 Awake because of the Spirit
And the Bible calls on you to live wisely, not unwisely. Again, you have the tools to do this by virtue of the Holy Spirit. You’re not awake until the Holy Spirit enters your life when you embrace Christ by faith. Earlier in Ephesians, the Bible even calls the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Wisdom and Revelation (Ephesians 1:17-19). You don’t have the necessary tools to be awake until that moment. God says you are effectively the “walking dead,” and you are asleep at the wheel. Once you’re awake, you are a child of light. Once you’re awake, you begin to think about your life.
1.6 Wise
“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).
If you’re going to redeem the time, you’re going to have to be wise. To be wise, doesn’t mean to simply be educated. It’s not intellect only or being successful in life. To live wisely means to live life with insight and ethically. This is redeeming the time. This is living life the very God’s very purpose when He made the universe.
1.7 2024
As a reminder, if this year operates like the year before it, you will be given 366 days in 2024 (it’s a leap year); 52 weeks; 8,784 hours; 527,040 minutes; And you will have 31,522,400 seconds in 2024. How will you spend your time in 2024?
1.8 Summary of Buying the Time
Watch carefully how you live, that is, be alert, be vigilant. Apply wisdom to redeem the time. That opportunity will never come again. These words ring with a sense of urgency. They are like the words of a platoon leader addressing his unit just before they enter combat. The air is tense, and your heart is beating fast and, even if you love battle, your hands are sweaty.6
The days are evil; opposition is great. Be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. Understand what the will of the Lord is. Don’t surrender your powers of judgment to alcohol. Believers will act wisely by snapping up every opportunity that comes their way. Redeem the time, my friend.
1. Redeem Your Time
2. Redeem Your Time by Relying on the Spirit
“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” (Ephesians 5:18-19). Paul shows you the key to maximize your time, the one crucial aspect to redeeming your time. You are to rely on the Holy Spirit.
2.1 General Comments on Time
How many times in your life do you find yourself saying, “I wish I had more time?” The ironic thing about getting older is the longer you live, the more you find yourself saying that. Remember, life is time, and time is life. No matter what circumstance you are in right now, you are living the time of your life. To have only one life and only a certain amount of time, Paul gives this great advice: “Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise” (Ephesians 5:15).
2.2 Experiencing the Speed of Time
I discovered a poem written by a man named Henry Twells on how we experience the passing of time in every stage of life. Now Henry lived in the 1800s and another man who lived in the 1900s popularized his poem and changed it a little.
When I was a babe and wept and slept,
Time crept;
When I was a boy and laughed and talked,
Time walked.
Then when the years saw me a man,
Time ran.
But as I older grew,
Time flew.
Soon, as I journey on,
I'll find time gone.
May Christ have saved my soul, by then,
Amen.9
For every area of life, let me show you God’s will for your life. For every kind of person here, let me show you God’s will for your life.
2.3 Rely on the Spirit
“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” (Ephesians 5:18-19).
The Bible says the best use of your time is to rely on the Spirit, to be filled by the Holy Spirit. God will give you all the time he wants you to have to live the life he wants you to live. There is enough time in every day to do everything that God wants you to do and do it well. When you rely on the Holy Spirit, you will have enough time in every day to do everything God wants you to do. When you are filled by the Holy Spirit, you will have enough time in every day to do everything God wants you to do. Now, there may not be enough time in every day to do what you want to do, but god's will for you every day is to do what he wants you to do. There will always be enough time every day and in every life to do what god wants you to do.
2.4 Three Kinds of People
There are at least 3 kinds of people here in this morning. There are those who are believers in Christ and there are those who don’t believe Jesus Christ is their Savior. But there are not just 2 kinds of people but 3, and here’s why. Among the group who knows Christ as Savior and Lord, there is one group who are Spirit-filled believers, and there is another group that is not filled with the Holy Spirit.
How do I know if I am filled with the Holy Spirit? Some people are full of themselves, but a Christian is to be full of the Holy Spirit.
2.3 The Holy Spirit AGEs You
When the Holy Spirit controls you and fills you, there are three marks or traits to look for:
1) you will sing (verse 19);
2) you will give thanks (verse 20);
3) you will submit to others (verse 21).
If I am filled with the Holy Spirit, it will AGE me. AGE is an acronym that stands for Attitude, God, and Everyone. When the Spirit of God fills you, he will change every part of you. A Spirit-filled life does something to your Attitude (verse 18), your relationship with God (verse 19), and your relationship with Everyone (verse 21).
2.4 The Spirit Makes Me Sing
“And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, 19 addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart” (Ephesians 5:18-19).
2.5 The Spirit Causes Me to Be Thankful
“And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, 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 5:18, 20-21).
When the Holy Spirit controls you and fills you, there are three marks or traits to look for:
1) you will sing (verse 19);
2) you will give thanks (verse 20);
3) you will submit to others (verse 21).
If I am filled with the Holy Spirit, it will AGE me.
AGE is an acronym that stands for Attitude, God, and Everyone.
2.6 The Spirit Makes Me Submissive
“18 And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, 20 giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, 21 submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ” (Ephesians 5:18, 20-21).
Once again, when the Holy Spirit controls you and fills you, there are three marks or traits to look for:
1) you will sing (verse 19);
2) you will give thanks (verse 20);
3) you will submit to others (verse 21).
If I am filled with the Holy Spirit, it will AGE me.
AGE is an acronym that stands for Attitude, God, and Everyone.
2.8 Conclusion
There are 2 things you will never get to do again the moment you die. There are 2 opportunities that will have totally passed you by the minute you draw your last breath. You will never get to give any money to God's work and you will never get to share the gospel with anyone who is lost.
So, the ball is in your court. How do you want to live your life? Wisely or foolishly? Carefully or carelessly? Time is very, very short. Eternity is very, very long. What you do with your time in this life will determine the eternity you spend in the next life. Any time you spend without Jesus Christ as the Lord of your life is wasted time.
EndNotes
1 Johannes P. Louw, and Eugene Albert Nida, “??a??????µa? t?? ?a????,” Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament: Based on Semantic Domains (New York: United Bible Societies, 1996).
2 Peter Thomas O’Brien, The Letter to the Ephesians, The Pillar New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: W.B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1999), 380.
3 https://www.dundee.ac.uk/stories/bbc-watchdog-live-showcases-university-smoke-alarm-research; accessed January 9, 2024.
4 https://www.earth.com/news/children-sleep-fire-alarm/; accessed January 9, 2024.
5 https://www.bbc.com/news/health-45968005; accessed January 9, 2024.
6 https://www.wonderopolis.org/wonder/how-many-seconds-are-in-a-year; accessed January 3, 2024.
7 John Piper, “Urgency and Gratitude,” Sermons from John Piper (1980–1989) (Minneapolis, MN: Desiring God, 2007).
8 O’Brien, 382.
9 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time's_Paces#cite_note-6; accessed January 9, 2024.
