Today we’ll conclude on the series of sermons on the New Year.
With the start of a new year, people want to make new resolution and start things afresh.
• Like what King Solomon says in Eccl 1:9 “…there is nothing new under the sun.”
• The Bible tells us only in Christ can we find the new life and a renewed purpose to life.
• Apart from Him, everything is “meaningless, a chasing after the wind.”
And then last week we talk about being builders in Christ.
• We don’t just make a living, we want to have some achievements in life. We want to do well at school, build a successful career, and raise a good family with great kids.
• But ultimately, we long to make lasting and purposeful achievements in life, and the Bible tells us only what is done in Christ and for Christ is valuable and lasting.
As believers, we must be involved in spiritual stuff - only these are valuable and lasting.
• In eternity to come, such works will remain. They are made of gold, silver and costly stones.
• Everything else will be burnt up. Therefore Jesus tells us to “seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness…” (Matt 6:33)
Today, we’ll come to Eph 5:15-17 [let’s read]
The first concern here is the use of our time. Be very careful how you live!
TECHNOLOGY ADVANCEMENT DID NOT MAKE LIFE SIMPLE
At the beginning of the year, you’ll see in magazines articles by experts predicting what they expect to see happening in the year or years ahead – about the economy, the stock market, population trends, etc. Some even go so far as to make predictions covering 5 years, 10 or 20 years in the future.
Some were fairly accurate, but others were way off. One about lifestyle - back in 1967 – some experts predicted that by the turn of the Century, technology would have taken over so much of the work we do, that the average work week would be only 22 hours long, and that we would work only 27 weeks a year.
As a result, one of our biggest problems would be in deciding what to do with all our leisure time.
Well, I don’t know about you, but that prediction certainly missed the mark as far as my life is concerned!
• Most of us are very busy people – whether in school or at the workplace.
• We’re always in a hurry. We walk fast, we talk fast, and we eat fast.
• And after we eat, all too often, we stand up and say, "Excuse me. I’ve got to go."
So these words in Eph 5 are important – it says live wisely, not as unwise, do not be foolish.
We want to remind ourselves three things, derived from the advice of Paul:
First of all, we must be very careful how we live because our time on this earth is limited.
I. TREASURE YOUR TIME BECAUSE YOUR TIME ON THIS EARTH IS LIMITED
Make the most of every opportunity, because you won’t always have them.
Ps 39:4-5
4 "Show me, O LORD, my life’s end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting is my life. 5 You have made my days a mere handbreadth; the span of my years is as nothing before you. Each man’s life is but a breath.
Ps 90:10
The length of our days is seventy years - or eighty, if we have the strength; yet their span is but trouble and sorrow, for they quickly pass, and we fly away.
Sometimes, I realise that for some of us who are young, 70 or 80 years sounds like a long, long time. But it’s just a matter of perception; you just feel that you’ve got a long way.
• For example, for those of us in love, talking together for an hour or two seems like a blink of an eye. How come so fast?
• But for someone waiting outside the operation room for a loved one, that one hour or two seems like an eternity. How come so long?
The psalmist says, “Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” (Ps 90:12).
COUNTDOWN CLOCK
A few years ago People Magazine published an article entitled "Dead Ahead" telling about a new clock that keeps track of how much time you have left to live.
It calculates an average life span of 75 years for men and 80 years for women. So you program your sex & age into the clock, and from then on it will tell you how much time you have left. It sold for US$99.95 (about S$170).
Intriguing idea, but I don’t think I will buy one even if it is available in Singapore.
• Just doesn’t feel good knowing how much time you’ve left.
• Yet this is the truth. That’s what the Psalmist says we ought to do – to number our days aright, so that we may live wisely.
Our time on earth is limited.
• So if I live to be 75 yrs old, I have 35 years left to live. I’ve already crossed my halfway line.
• If you are 20 years old, for sisters you’d have 60 years to go. One third of your life has gone.
But wait a minute. I don’t really have 35 years. You don’t really have 60 years.
• That’s just based on the average lifespan. It’s just a statistic.
• I don’t have a guarantee of even one day more to live.
For the man who builds bigger barns to store his crop, the Lord says, “You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?” (Luke 12:20).
In fact the Bible tells us not to count on tomorrow because tomorrow may not come for you or for me. All we have is right now. So our time on this earth is valuable because it is very limited.
II. MAKE THE MOST OF EVERY OPPORTUNITY
Paul tells us that we must make "the most of every opportunity" and he gives a reason, "because the days are evil."
Jesus said that Satan is a robber and a thief.
• One of the things he tries to rob from us is our time, because time is a very precious possession.
• Just think of the time people has wasted in sinning, gambling, in all kinds of addictions.
• Think of the time wasted in gossiping or fruitless chatters.
• Think about all the time wasted in worrying about things that eventually did not happen.
Jesus went to the home of Mary, Martha and Lazarus - He sat down to teach, and Mary was sitting at His feet listening and learning from Him. Martha was in the kitchen preparing dinner.
• You know the story - Martha was upset that Mary wasn’t there to help her. She complained, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!” (Luke 10:40).
• "Martha, Martha," Jesus answered, "You are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her." (Luke 10:41-42).
We get so caught up in the here and now, in the affairs of everyday living, that we fail to consider that which is eternal, that which is valuable, the things that will last forever.
LIFE OVERLOAD
Richard Swenson, a medical doctor, wrote a book in which he discusses one of the major maladies of our time - anxiety and stress. He calls it "overload," and says that people are just plain overloaded.
1. We’re overloaded with commitments. We’ve committed ourselves to go here and there, to take part in this activity and that social function. As a result people are seen to be always coming and going because we have overloaded ourselves in the area of commitments.
2. We’re also overloaded with possessions. Our closets are full, and our rooms are overflowing. We’ve gone into debt to pay for all of these things that we "simply must have." And now we’re so afraid that someone will steal them. We are overloaded in the area of possessions.
3. Thirdly, we have an overload in the area of work. We get up early, fight traffic, and experience intolerable working conditions because we have to if we’re going to pay for all those possessions that we’ve accumulated.
4. There is also an information overload. He said that as a doctor he has to read 220 articles a month just to keep up with all the changes in his profession. And now with the internet there’s an information-superhighway. But the problem is that we can’t possibly absorb it all. So we feel an overload in this area, too.
I could go on and on, but you get the picture. There are so many demands on our time, so many good things that need to be done. But there are just 8,760 hours in this year, and we’ve already used 514 of them (by 10am, 22 Jan 06).
We do want to make the most of every opportunity, so what are we to do?
III. UNDERSTAND WHAT THE LORD’S WILL IS
Paul tells us, "...do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is."
What do you think God’s will is for you this year?
• Reflecting on what we’ve heard over the last few sermons, your situation this year – whether you’re still schooling, going into the army, getting a job, or into a new company, etc. – give a thought to what the Lord’s will is.
• If we know what our parents expect from us – what we should do or not do…
If we know what our teacher at school expects from us, when we should submit our projects, what to do to score well…
If we work in a company and know what the boss wants, what we should do…
Then as Christians, can we not know what God wants, can we care less what our heavenly Father expects from us?
Let me make a couple of suggestions for you to consider.
First of all, establish your priorities.
You can’t do everything in life. There are 101 things we need to do. So ask yourself, "Who or what is most important?"
Maybe your answer would be, "My relationship with God, through Jesus Christ, is most important to me."
• If so, then put that at the top of your list of priorities, and say, "This will affect my decisions, my scheduling, my relationship with others, and my whole outlook on life."
• “ So He comes first in my life and I’ll worship the Lord every Sunday, rain or shine, nothing will interfere with that.”
You must spend time with your family. Spend time with your children, too. They’re growing up ever so fast - these are precious moments you can spend with them. Make your family high on the list.
Now most of us have to work. We want to be good workers. When someone hires a Christian they ought to know they’re getting someone who will give them an honest work and not cheat them. We have a responsibility to the Lord to honour Him in the marketplace.
And then, learn how to live today.
To make the most of every opportunity means we treasure the moments we have NOW.
• The two greatest enemies of time are (1) regrets for things we did or did not do in the past, and (2) anxiety about what will happen to us in the future.
• Many of us are living either in the past or in the future.
In fact, many of us are engaged in the little game of, "I wish it were..."
• "How I wish it were last week,” “I wish I had called earlier," or "I wish it did not happen.”
I WISH IT WERE…
Gary Freeman tells about a girl who went to college and she just hated it. But she told herself, "If I can ever get out of college, get married and have children, I know I’ll finally be able to enjoy life."
So she stuck with it. She went to classes every day and finally graduated from college. Then she got married and settled down, and discovered that children are a lot of work. So she told herself, "If I can just get these kids raised, then I’ll be able to relax and really enjoy life."
But about the time the kids were entering college, her husband said, "Guess what? We don’t have enough money to send our kids to college. I guess you’ll have to get a job."
Well, she didn’t want to, but she knew he was right and they needed the money, so she went to work. She did not enjoy it but she told herself, "When these kids get out of college, and the bills get paid, then I can quit work and really enjoy life."
Finally, the last child graduated from college, and all the bills were paid. So she walked into her employer’s office and said, "I quit."
He said, "Oh, you don’t want to quit now. If you stay with us just another 5 years you’ll have a pension for the rest of your life."
She thought, "Well, I don’t want to work another 5 years, but that’s a lot of money there. I really can’t turn down the opportunity." So she worked for another 5 years.
Finally, she and her husband retired at the same time. They sold their home and bought a little retirement cottage. They sat down on the swing in their front porch and looked at the family picture album and dreamed about the good old days.
Someone said, "Life is what happens to you while you’re making plans to do something else."
True, isn’t it? Another year has come and gone. A new year stretches before us.
Help us Lord, to redeem the time.
(1) Treasure your time, (2) Make the most of every opportunity, and (3) know what the Lord’s will is!
Establish your priorities and learn how to live TODAY.
May we all have a truly blessed new year in Christ – one that is not just happy but fruitful.
Let to share with you this New Year greeting I read: May you have….
- enough happiness to keep you sweet
- enough trials to keep you strong
- enough sorrow to keep you human
- enough hope to keep you happy
- enough failure to keep you humble
- enough success to keep you eager
- enough friends to give you comfort
- enough wealth to meet your needs
- enough enthusiasm to make you look forward to tomorrow
- and enough determination to make each day
better than the day before.
Pray: Lord, please help us to use the 8,760 hours of this year the wisest way we can for you, and for your glory.
