"the Clock Is Ticking"

“THE CLOCK IS TICKING” Eph. 5:15-17

CWBC – 4/14/19

Jon Daniels

INTRO – Clocks rule our lives.

- Story of friend of Jim Farrish. Died & went to heaven. “Where’s Jim’s clock?” “Oh, we keep it in the kitchen & use it as a fan.”

Clocks rule our lives. Basketball championship games –

- Heartbreak for us Mississippi State fans last year as our Lady Bulldogs played for the national championship against Notre Dame. A ND player hit a 3-point shot as the clock expired that gave ND the win & the national championship. The game was over & there was nothing else that could be done.

Bro. Jimmy Breland – 92 yrs old – Serving 3 different churches right now. Made me think, “I may have 40+ years left.” Or I may have less than a day left…or even less than an hour left.

My clock is ticking. Your clock is ticking. Paul challenged the Ephesian believers with that reality in Eph. 5:15-17. Open your Bible to that passage (pg. ____ in pew Bible) & here’s what I’m going to do today: Set my timer for 30 mins. When it goes off, the sermon is over & I will give the invitation. I’m going to ask everyone else in here to put your phone facedown or in your purse or pocket unless you are using it for your Bible (Start countdown clock).

Circle these words in your Bible: “look – making – do not (or “don’t”) – understand.” Let’s hit these 4 words from these 3 verses, & then make application:

LOOK – v. 15 – Paul telling his readers to “pay attention; understand; think about” how to walk & live for the Lord in a wise way. KJV – “See that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but wise.” Walking circumspectly means that you are walking w/ preciseness & accuracy, not carelessly & foolishly.

MAKE – v. 16 – Redeem the time that God has given you on this earth. Live a life of faith! Live for the Lord! Give your life away! Live w/ an outward focus, not an inward focus! John Piper wrote a book entitled, Don’t Waste Your Life - “Desire that your life count for something great! Long for your life to have eternal significance. Want this! Don’t coast through life without a passion.”

DON’T – v. 17a –

- ESV – “Do not be foolish”

- AMP – “Do not be vague & thoughtless”

- Common Eng Bible – “Don’t be ignorant”

- Cont Eng Version – “Don’t be stupid”

- TLB – “Don’t act thoughtlessly”

- MSG – “Don’t live carelessly, unthinkingly”

Need I say more?

UNDERSTAND – v. 17b – Have clear insight into the will of God. So many people ask, “What is God’s will for my life?” Wrong question. Should be asking, “What is God’s will – PERIOD?” God has given you a mind & He expects you to use it to know & understand His will as you read & study His Word & as you pray. And He’s given you a heart to obey His will. Obedience to Him IS His will for you & me.

APPLICATION: The clock is ticking for all of us. So what does that mean for YOU today? I want to challenge you right now to do those 4 things that Paul wrote about:

- Look at your life RIGHT NOW b/c the clock is ticking.

- Make the most of this time that we have RIGHT NOW in this worship service b/c the clock is ticking.

- Don’t be foolish, ignorant, stupid, thoughtless, or careless RIGHT NOW b/c the clock is ticking.

- Understand what God’s will is for you RIGHT NOW b/c the clock is ticking.

- And then OBEY RIGHT NOW b/c the clock is ticking.

THE CLOCK IS TICKING, & MAYBE YOU NEED TO:

BE A CHRISTIAN – Get saved! Some folks accuse me of being too evangelistic, of talking about people getting saved too often. Here’s why I talk about it so much: NOTHING ELSE MATTERS AT MUCH AS THIS! The clock is ticking, & if you don’t know Jesus when your time is up, it will be too late & you’ll spend eternity in hell.

- Acts 4:12 – “There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved.” (NLT)

BE A COMMITTED CHRISTIAN – The Christian life is not just a one-time decision to ask Jesus to save you. It’s a lifelong commitment to follow Him, honor Him, & serve Him. For many of us, our commitment to truly live for Him has waned. Rev. 3:15-16 – “I know you works: you are neither hot nor cold. Would that you were either cold or hot! So, b/c you are lukewarm, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth.” Is your commitment to Christ a lukewarm commitment?