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[0:00] Ephesians 5.

[0:12] I want to take some of your time to talk about time.! A day is a span of time. No one is wealthy enough to waste.

[0:23] Ephesians 5. Ephesians 5.

[0:56] It says likewise in Colossians 4 verse 5.

[1:10] Walk in wisdom toward them that are without redeeming the time. Walk in wisdom toward them that are without redeeming the time.

[1:22] So it's spoken of at least a couple of times here. Redeeming the time. Redeem the time. It means to make the most of every opportunity. Make the most of the time that you have.

[1:33] Not just busy doing things for God, but in His strength. Doing things with God's strength. This is a message to urge you, all of us, to consider how are we applying our time.

[1:50] Someone put it like this. Yesterday is history. Tomorrow a mystery. Today is a gift. That's why it's called the present.

[2:03] We've only got the now, haven't we? We've only got today. The day that we're in now. The time that we have now. As we live it, moment by moment. It's time to redeem the time.

[2:17] So buy it back. So use it wisely. So invest that time in that which matters. Someone put it like this. Time is a great teacher, but unfortunately it kills all its pupils.

[2:30] Sometimes we have wisdom in hindsight, don't we? We have wisdom too late. When we've done something and we think, oh, I should have done that. We learn through our mistakes, hopefully. But we should walk carefully.

[2:42] Walk circumspectly. Walk having your wits about you. Someone put it like this. You can't make footprints in the sands of time sitting down. Use the time wisely that you have that God has given to you.

[2:57] Make the very most of it. Why? Because the days are evil. Wicked. It's almost like, yeah, it's wicked.

[3:09] Yeah, that's good. No, it's not. Movie stars, they're wicked. Yeah, they're wicked. All right. Wicked jokes. Wicked education system.

[3:23] There's some preachers that are wicked. They're evil. Desperate days, as was prayed earlier. Wicked days. Perilous times. Days that are evil.

[3:35] Many are without hope, without God in this world that we live in. 2 Timothy 3.1. I know that was referred to in a message of late by Brother Brad.

[3:45] This know also that in the last days perilous times shall come. Times of great stress and trouble. Times of men being lovers of their own selves.

[3:57] Lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God. As we read in verse 4 there of 2 Timothy 3. So think of it now, friends, tonight. Time.

[4:08] What are we doing with it? What are we going to use our time for? Are we redeeming it or wasting it? I'll put it to you this way.

[4:24] Three things. You can simply lose it. You can lose your time. How often have you said, where did that day go?

[4:36] Where did that week go? That month? That year? Where did that decade go? You know, where did that time go? Time flies, doesn't it? Temple's future.

[4:47] Time flies. Where did that day go? That year? You can simply lose it. You can lose your time.

[5:00] Sometimes it's because we put things off, don't we? We procrastinate. We put it off. We put it off and put it off until it never happens. Tomorrow is often the busiest day of the year.

[5:16] We never get there, do we? Tomorrow is always the next day. We say we're going to do something or think we're going to do something tomorrow, but it doesn't always happen. And one of these days is too often none of these days.

[5:31] It's like some have talked about having around to it. You might have heard that expression. I'll get around to it.

[5:43] And someone makes this circle that says T-U-I-T. And they give it to them. You've got one now, so there's no more excuses for getting around to it. Just get on with it. You can lose your time.

[5:54] And we're losing time to deal with eternal things too. Eternal things. We mustn't trivialise eternal things. We should be redeeming the time.

[6:05] As the word says in Hosea 10 verse 12, It is time to seek the Lord. It is time to seek Him. To seek the Lord.

[6:16] As the rich fool found out when he had all these big plans. And God says, Time's up, buddy.

[6:29] Thou fool. This night thy soul is required of thee. Boast not thyself of tomorrow. It is time to seek the Lord.

[6:44] Lost ones. There's never been a better day. So behold, now is the day of salvation. Now is the accepted time.

[6:57] And Christians tonight. Sometimes we wait for a special meeting or a special preacher. We want to feel a special buzz inside.

[7:09] So really recommit our life to God. Every day should be a recommitment. Every day, every moment should be a wanting to be more like Him. To wanting to rededicate, to refresh our love for Him.

[7:23] Thou fool this night. He wasn't ready. I pray that you're ready for eternity tonight. That you're prepared for eternity. That's so vital.

[7:34] Nothing matters more. The Bible declares that our life is like a vapour. It's just gone. Just like steam out of your kettle. It's just whoosh.

[7:45] Life. It's like a vapour. It soon goes. And we can't regain it. Unlike the old time tunnel. On the telly, you know, you can't retrace your steps.

[7:57] You can't revisit the time that you've spent. You can't pass through some time war. At least there haven't been such a thing yet. But we can't retrace our steps, people. We've only got the now.

[8:09] And all we can do about yesterday is repent. Amen. When we have got it right. And rejoice when we did get it right. Thanks to Him. And His glory. His mercy.

[8:19] No one can go back in time. We can't undo what's done. But we can invest the now. Invest the now. We can lose it. We can lose time.

[8:32] And it's not just by our neglect. That can be stolen from us. Stolen minutes. Stolen hours. The devil. We see him in a fashion in that verse where the Lord says, The thief comes but to steal, to kill and to destroy.

[8:52] The devil is a thief of your time. He wants you to lose it and he'll steal it when you're not watching. One of the biggest time robbers we know is that big box in the front room.

[9:04] The biggest time robber. We've got to be careful about our time. Are we losing it? Are we losing it? We can lose it through carelessness. We can lose it through laziness. And wasting time is really wasting a life.

[9:17] You know, as people have reckoned it up over a lifetime, how much time is wasted in worthless things, in vain things? Like sands through the hourglass.

[9:29] Oh, no. So are the days of our lives. There's a profound scriptural truth in that. But no, strictly speaking, it's just like sand through the hourglass, isn't it?

[9:43] One of my favourite shows when I was growing up. No, not really. But when I used to go, I used to go home for lunch from school and my mum used to watch it. Where's my mum? So she can repent later.

[9:55] But no, like sands through the hourglass. I was young and the restless, wasn't I? It wasn't days of our lives. Like sands through the hourglass, people. Gone.

[10:06] Wasted minutes. Wasted moments. Wasted hours when you're wrecking it all up. What a waste. There is only one glass that you can never refill.

[10:19] The hourglass. Once it's gone, you can't put any more back in. The time just goes, doesn't it? The sands of times. Our passing. Shadows lengthen.

[10:31] Night is coming. Don't leave it to the last minute. To choose him. To serve him. Ecclesiastes 12 on it says, Remember now thy creator in the days of thy youth.

[10:45] Shadows are gathering. Deathbeds are coming. The old song goes, Time is the most valuable thing a man spends. And I appreciate you're giving your time tonight.

[10:57] It's time. And it's precious. It's the most valuable thing a man can spend. Time is a little chunk of eternity that God has given to us.

[11:09] And some will have the tragedy of lost years. Of misspent time. And some will leave it too late to trust Christ. What a reproach.

[11:19] What a tragic thing. To live a life and not to trust him. What a shame. Someone said, The devil's favourite tool is tricking people to put things off.

[11:32] Outsmart him. Do it now. Now. If you're thinking about becoming a Christian, Don't be like the man in Acts. He was almost persuaded.

[11:43] Almost a Christian. But. Near enough isn't good enough. He wasn't saved.

[11:54] Almost persuaded. But not saved. And Christians here tonight. Think of it. Of your time. You can lose it. You can lose it.

[12:05] Secondly. You can abuse it. You can abuse it. You can waste time. If you kill time, There'll be no resurrection. Like the old song goes, Years I spent in vanity and pride.

[12:19] You can abuse it. Wasted years. Years in sin. We that are saved can look back and think, If only I trusted him. Sooner. Amen.

[12:30] If only. A life without God is a wasted life. Do we misspend time? Have you ever made a poor investment? I have.

[12:43] I can think of some cars that I bought. And then I sold that car to get another car. And then to get another car. And you think, Whoa. Whoa. This is just money in the wind, isn't it?

[12:56] Wasted money. What about wasted time? You can abuse it. Imagine like someone put it, If you had a bank account, That every day, There was $86,400 credited.

[13:09] Credit of $86,400 in your bank account every morning. But you had to spend it that day. Otherwise it was just, It used to get taken back by the bank.

[13:22] What would you do with such a bank, With such an account? You'd want to draw every cent and use it, Wouldn't you? And you have such a bank, It's called time. You have 86,400 seconds every day.

[13:37] Time can be misused, It can be spent, Miss spent, In pleasures, Sinful pleasures, Not that pleasures is sinful per se, But time could be misspent, In partying, In vanities, In sinful pleasures, Rather than thinking, How can I use even those few short minutes, That I might have spared, Through the day?

[13:58] And I know some have recommended, Writing Bible verses, And flicking through them in your spare time, Just to help refresh your mind, And have a promise of scripture, Help memorize the word.

[14:10] Use those few short minutes, Perhaps a Bible on tape, Or MP3 in your car, When you're driving, Or when you've got spare moments at home. Here's a little poem, After the sowing of sin is all done, And the glory of earth has been won, After the sands of thy life hath all run, O what shall thy reaping be?

[14:34] After the pleasures of sin are all past, After the wealth of the world is amassed, When the death angel you face at the last, O what shall thy reaping be?

[14:48] We're going to reap what we sow, There's a reaping, Going to be happening, What are you sowing? Are you sowing seeds of kindness?

[15:03] Are you sowing, Godly things, Into the world, Into your neighbourhood, Into your life, Or are you sowing, Vain and empty things?

[15:16] You can lose it, You can abuse it, Or you can use it, You can redeem it, You can use your time, Redeem it, For God's glory, There's never been a better time, To be a Christian than right now, To be an active, Fervent Christian, An all out, Sold out Christian, It's high time, To awake, Out of sleep, Romans 13, 11, Our Lord urges us, Seek ye first, The kingdom of God, And his righteousness, And all these things, Shall be added unto you, Set your priority, Seek first, That which is of God, And for his glory, And use that measure, For the use of your time, How you decide to spend it, Are you living in the light, Of eternity, Are you a workman, That will be, Not ashamed, Approved unto God, Taking time,

[16:17] Time to worship, Time to fellowship, With your family, With other believers, Speaking to God, With God, For God, Using your time, If you've made a mess of it, Don't live in regret, Forgetting the things, That are behind, Press towards the mark, We all have regrets, We all have moments, We've blown it, Well and truly, We've wasted, Time, We've, Hurt people with our time, We've, Neglected, Our salvation, With our time, We've been, A poor testimony, To the world, To our family, With our time, Don't live in regret, Make the decision now, To move forward, To press towards the mark, For the prize, Of the high calling, Forgetting those things, That are behind, Today is the first day, Of the rest of your life, I'm starting to sound like, One of those positive preachers, Now, Aren't I?

[17:15] But it is positive, Amen? It is positive, To be a Christian, It is positive, To be saved, There's nothing better, There's nothing better, Choose you this day, Whom you will serve, Eternity, Is just around the corner, Are we prepared, Let us be faithful stewards, Stewardship, Time is one of those, Resources, That God entrusts to your hand, The precious minutes, Tick, Tick, Tick, Tick, You're a steward of that, You're a steward, Be a faithful steward, Make fruitful use of your time, There's going to be crowns, There's going to be rewards, For faithfulness, And service, Let's use wisdom now, How we spend our time, It's valuable, Instead of thinking, Of idle things, Of idle words, That we're all going to give a count of, Let's be wise, Let's be like the ants, In Proverbs 6, 6 to 11, The ants, God commands the ants, Now think of that,

[18:17] When you step on one next time, God commands the ants, He says, Consider the ant, Thou sluggard, Consider the ant, You lazy bones, You could put it in the, Andrew Craig version, You know, Consider the ants, There's no time to be a slacker, Use that time now, Wisely, Busy in the Lord's work, Busy in the Lord's work, It could be stamping tracks, It could be handing them out, It could be being a witness, In the workplace, In the home place, Busy in the Lord's work, That would be time, Spent wisely, Time is flying, Souls are dying, We must work, While it is day, John 9, 4, We must work, The Lord Jesus says, I must work, While it is day, John 9, 4, For night is coming, Night is coming, Harvest time is now, Friends, You've got 24 hours to live, Today,

[19:18] Well, You've got a bit less now, This time of the day, But today, What it is, You've got 24 hours, Imagine if, The doctor says, Brad, You've got 24 hours, Imagine that, What would you think, Darrell, You've got 24 hours, What would you do with us, 24 hours, It's like someone said to Wesley, And he said, I'll do just what I plan to do, Because he was already committed, To doing that, Which was going to be a wise use, Of his time, Using it, In the Lord's service, And, Who are you dedicating your time to, Psalm 90 verse 2, It says we should, Number our days, And apply our heart to wisdom, If you're not saved, There's limited time to be saved, One day it's like, Noah's heart, God shut the door, God shut the door, He said time's up, He's going to do it again, And then, It's all over, Red Rover, You know, No more, No more time, Friends, Now is the accepted time, Today is the day of salvation, And, Our minutes, Our hours,

[20:19] Our days, Our years, Are not our own, They belong to our God, We want to use them for his glory, As good stewards, Just to wrap up a quick poem, Tomorrow, He was going to be all that a mortal could be, No one should be kinder, Nor braver than he, Tomorrow, A friend who was troubled and weary, He knew, Who'd be glad of a lift, And who needed it too, On him would call, And see what he could do, Tomorrow, Tomorrow, Each morning, He stacked up the letters he'd write, And thought of the folks he would fill with delight, Tomorrow, Tomorrow, Tomorrow, It was too bad indeed, He was busy today, And hadn't a minute to stop on his way, More time I'll have to give to others, He'd say, Tomorrow, The greatest of workers this man would have been, The world would have known him, Had he ever seen, Tomorrow, But the fact is,

[21:20] He died, And he faded from view, And all that he left here, When living was through, Was a mountain, Of things he intended to do, Tomorrow, No, Boast not, Of tomorrow, The word says, Friends, And sometimes we put it off, We need around to it, You know, We don't ever get to the things that really matter, And, You know, Life is fleeting, It's a vapour, And, You know, I've seen some, Death of life, And we don't know when, The knock will come, On our door, And, We need to consider wisely, Consider our, Ways, And not be sluggard, Not be, Lazy like, The opposite of an ant, But to be like an ant, To be, And that doesn't mean, We run ourselves, We're self-ranked, Because there's time to sleep, There's time to rest,

[22:21] But, Friends, We've got to use our time, In the light of eternity, And of course, There's necessary employment, There's necessary things, That take, Time away from, Purely, Spiritual things, But that's not to say, In the workplace, We can't still be a witness for Christ, And God can still use us, And, And the money we make, Can be used for his glory, So there's opportunities to, Consider, How can we use, Each moment, For the glory of God, Take the time for personal Bible study, And prayer, Take time to be holy, As song goes, And friends, We all need to be reminded of that, As I say, We've got no guarantees, How long, We have got left, And you know, I'm not meaning to, Use, Scare tactics, Or anything of that nature, But it's the reality, Isn't it?

[23:14] It's the reality, The only time we've got, Is the now, And so, Consider, Friends tonight, What's the best use of my time, For God's glory?

[23:25] And, Pray about that, Ask the Lord to help you, To guide you, Let us pray, Heavenly Father, We thank you that, We have the wonderful gift of time, So precious, This, This fleeting time on this planet, That you give to each one, Help us Lord, To number our days, To apply our heart to wisdom, Lord, To redeem the time, Because these days are evil, And we know, It's, More so, Lord, Help us, To see, How we can invest our time, Not to lose it, Or abuse it, But to use it, Lord, That you would be glorified, By the use of it, Help us Lord, To, Recognise the wasteful things, To recognise those, Shameful things, That we spend time on, And to, Instead, Forget those things, That are behind, And to press towards the mark, Lord, To run that race, Lord, Knowing that you're there, Egging us on as the, Coach as it were,

[24:25] At the finishing line, The one who has already, Run the race ahead, Lord, That we can tread in your steps, And, That we can run towards, That finishing line, With your strength, Helping us to, Be energised, For your glory we pray, In Jesus name, Amen.

[24:50]  Amen.