Good morning. Open up your copy of God's Word to Ephesians chapter 5.
I want to start off by just kind of extending a real, you know, a genuine welcome to returning college students.
For many of you, this is your first time coming around and maybe your second Sunday.
But we have always had a very special place in our hearts at this church for college students.
And as you look out over the congregation, there's, I would say, a lot of the core members of our church are former college students that were here at some point.
And either got married and stayed here or just chose to find a job around here and to continue investing and being on mission in this area.
So we've always had a very soft spot for your demographic.
And actually, some of the leaders of this church, including myself and Nathan and Wes Shalnut, we met at North Georgia.
And Nathan was actually the second person I ever met in Dahlonega.
Kind of odd that he would never leave me alone like after that.
And still, we're still here.
And so very grateful for how God used those years in my life.
And though the message today is going to be particularly for college students, it is going to go across the board.
No matter where you are, no matter how old you are, no matter what stage of life you're in, it's still going to be very applicable to you.
And it's going to be very easy to draw the application for where you are.
But just because many of you are returning college students, we will have this message in a lot of ways directed at you.
But as I've said many times, college is a crossroads for many of you.
It's the first time a lot of you have been away from home.
It's the first time you're forming your opinions on what you actually believe, what life's about,
and a lot of big decisions being made about your job, your career, your relationship situation.
So many big changes that you're undergoing.
And it's such a pivotal time for professing Christians to either fall away a lot of the time from the faith
or really grow deeper in their faith.
That's typically what you see.
You don't see many middle ground people in that area.
It's a great time to grow spiritually.
And so that in mind, I just want to lead us in prayer just for a second.
Ask God to help us as we've been doing.
Father, I just want to submit to you that apart from the power of your word being applied by the Holy Spirit,
we have no hope of believing the truth from your word today.
And I pray that you would help us to worship you through our listening to your word,
by treasuring it, loving it, and when we leave here to live it out by grace, Lord, wherever we go.
So just be our teacher now.
Hold our attention.
If we're hungry, let us forget our hunger.
If we're tired, let us forget how tired we are.
And just be able to focus in on what you would have to say to us today.
And help me, Lord, a broken, feeble man who's not even the best public communicator,
just to throw himself at your mercy and to ask you, Lord, to beg you to teach your word to your people today.
In Christ's name, amen.
So the message today, I'm going to be speaking on redeeming the time or making the most use of the time.
And it's a message that's very particularly dear to me.
And a lot of you will know why, but I'll talk about it more later.
But you've turned to Ephesians 5, and usually I would just choose to use a larger text.
But today, I just want to focus in particularly on two verses.
Now, Paul, the Apostle Paul, wrote the letter to the Ephesian church.
And in the first three chapters of it, a lot of that is him spending time telling them who they are in Christ,
telling them about what God has done for them, about how they are the church,
and how God has saved them and made them his own, about salvation.
And then the latter three chapters mostly are about, in light of that reality, here's how you should live.
And that's how we kind of find ourselves in chapter 5.
So he's talking about Christian living now, living out who you are in Christ.
So let's look at chapter 5, verse 15.
Paul says,
Look carefully, then, how you walk, not as unwise, but as wise,
making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.
So I want these two verses to kind of burn into your mind.
In our text, we see that God has allotted each one of us time.
Let's focus on that word time to kind of get rolling here.
But the time he's using here is not the word chronos, which means like a clock time or chronology.
It's actually kairos, which means a season or opportunity, a fixed period within a time
when you're giving divine appointments to live for God and to do something for him.
We call those divine appointments a lot of the time.
And they're prearranged, providential times that God gives us to be faithful to him.
They're windows of time that are opened up by God for us to use.
And eventually, those times will also end and close.
You won't have it again, in other words.
And so, there's a lot of examples like that in the Scripture.
Example, in Isaiah 55, 6, God is calling his people to repent of their sins and come to him for forgiveness.
And he's saying, there's a time that I'm going to allow you to do that.
And then it'll stop.
But he says, seek the Lord while he may be found.
Call upon him while his name is near.
That's a kairos.
Also, in Psalm 69, David prays, oh, Lord, my prayer to you is in an acceptable time.
So, there's these little segments, windows, seasons of allotted time that God gives you to do something specific, something special.
And after that's over, it will be lost.
So, I want you to think of the college years as a special kairos in the span of the kairos of your lifetime.
All right?
So, big picture your life, small picture, this season of life that you have in school.
And the next phrase I want you to look at, so we've talked about time, is the phrase, making the best use of the time.
It's another awesome Greek word, but it also implies to redeem or purchase for one's use.
It's also using Colossians 4 or 5, the same word.
But the imagery here is of someone going to the marketplace.
And you catch something, something catches your eye, and it's something very valuable, something that draws your attention.
And you go to it, and the seller tells you that this very valuable item is available for purchase at this price only now, only in this moment.
And it will soon go off the market, and it won't be available for purchase anymore.
So, your choice is either to purchase it immediately or to walk away and lose that opportunity to buy it again.
You can't go back to the marketplace the next day or next week and expect to find the same item for sale.
So, you have to be swift.
You have to act immediately.
You have to take advantage of that.
You have to purchase it, redeem it for your use.
Because when you leave, it won't be there again.
You can't procrastinate.
It's a transaction that you have to move on or walk away from.
That's kind of like what the weight of this phrase, making the best use of the time or redeeming the time means.
So, God is saying to us in this passage, very simply, redeem the best use of the kairos, this season of allotted time that God has given you for eternity.
Redeem it for eternity.
Because it will come and go like the wind, and you won't be able to get it back.
Some of you say, I hate stuff like that.
I hate impulse sayings that I have to just make a quick decision on.
You're very indecisive.
Well, hopefully this message will challenge you to at least be decisive in this way, to make the best use of the time God has given you.
So, just a quick overview of these two verses, and then we'll get through some points.
And when you're used to having points, we'll have points.
But a text overview, okay?
An observation of this text, you'll see a few connections.
Just look at it with me, these two verses.
It says, you've been given a kairos and a lot of season of time by God.
You can choose to either waste it or redeem it.
Redeeming the time, according to our text, means walking carefully in wisdom with eternity in view.
And wasting the time means walking the opposite, carelessly in foolishness with only this present life in view and not eternity.
So, I want you to think about that.
And he throws in there, why?
Because the days are evil.
There is so much happening around you to lull you to sleep, to make you think that this life is all there is to it.
That eternity is not on the horizon.
They're clouding your vision.
And so, with this in mind, we want to take a look at just three things that will help you redeem the time or make the best use of the time that you've been given in this special kairos of your life.
I want you to remember that word.
I'm going to say it a lot today.
Strange words are different and they stand out to you and hopefully you'll remember it.
Instead of just saying, remember the time.
So, kairos.
Number one.
Very simple.
Why you should redeem the time.
Life is short.
You need to beware in some cases, not every case.
I'm not a doomsday-ish type person.
But a lot of universities will seek to daily indoctrinate you to adopt a secular humanistic worldview that basically says,
life is not about God.
Life is about you.
You are the center of the universe.
And therefore, you should live in a way that makes you the center of the universe.
It's about the here and now.
And there's many voices that are presenting that anti-God worldview to you.
And the following system of the world will say that college is a means to help you attain those things.
Self-fulfillment and your own desires.
Education is a means to success.
Education can be a blessing.
All right?
But knowledge itself is useless unless it's used in a way that honors Christ and helps others.
Okay?
So just because you know a lot doesn't mean you're a wise person at all.
Sometimes it makes you a fool.
Scripture actually says, knowledge puffs up, but love builds up.
One of my heroes of the faith, Jim Elliott, a missionary who was martyred in Ecuador,
he wrote this while he was in college at Wheaton.
And he was just kind of laying like, why am I doing it in school again?
Sort of thing.
Sort of like, why am I here?
And he actually wrote this really quick.
Just remember this.
Wisdom comes from God, not from PhDs.
PhDs.
Wisdom comes from God and not PhDs.
And they're going to, the system of the world, the fallen world,
is going to seek to make you buy a certain package, a bill of goods.
And it kind of goes something like this.
Now hear me out.
Just follow me.
This is the propaganda that at least Western culture tries to sell a lot,
particularly to young people in college.
It says, you were here in school.
And if you work hard, you get a degree.
That degree will lead to you getting a good job,
which will also give you a good salary, good money, good benefits.
Then you can buy fancy vehicles and a big house
and acquire more toys and possessions.
Get married or don't get married.
Maybe have kids, but if you do, only enough,
that's not going to get in the way of your personal consumption,
personal happiness.
And then eventually you can put your kids through college
and help them accomplish the same goal you just did.
And you eventually quit working,
retire by another house in the mountains or on the lake or on the coast,
and then just spend the latter hours and days and years of your life
just kicking back, doing nothing.
And believe me, the message here is not retirement is wrong or evil.
I kind of hope that I will one day.
But I work out with a man at the gym.
He's in his mid-60s.
He's one of those guys that just puts me to shame.
Like, I'll get off, like, the bench press machine,
and he, in, like, his 65 years old,
will sit down and put on, like, 20 more pounds of me.
And I'm like, come on.
So he's that kind of guy.
But he was a former ranger
and also worked in law enforcement.
And currently he's the Lumpkin County manager.
Stan Kelly is his name.
And I love this man because he's such an example.
And we have many other examples in our church of older people
who are using their retirement well for Jesus.
But he told me, like, Clay, I am scared to death
to join a lot of my friends
who are just settling down, retiring,
throwing all their money into their stuff and their toys
and maintaining that stuff in their toys.
I just don't want to join them.
That's what he told me.
He's like, I want to use my retirement well.
Like, God has given me help at this age in my life
to use for him.
And so he's doing two things in his retirement,
or three things.
He's being a faithful member of his church.
He's giving as much as he can to missions
going to unreached peoples.
And he himself is going to unreached peoples.
He's been to Nepal.
He's been, I think, three times to Nepal
in the last few years.
You know, God's given him that help, so he goes.
He's like, I don't want to go out just doing nothing,
you know, when my legs kicked up.
That's how we all should want to finish.
But that's the sell that they'll tell you.
Like, that's the goal.
That's the goal.
Is just get to this point in your life
where you can just enjoy all you've worked for.
And I've seen it.
It's a miserable thing to watch
retired communities just do nothing.
And as the world just is being destroyed
all around them,
when they have such potential to help.
Also in college,
you're kind of built with a certain invincibility.
Most of you are 18 to 25 years old.
Physically, most of you are in the prime of your life.
You feel invincible, young, fast, smart.
Can go all day long and sometimes all night too.
And however, you know, you have to think,
though for most of you,
you have many years ahead of you.
But for some of you, you might not.
The grim reality is that you can't ignore
as that life ends.
And your life will end.
My life will end.
And you can't turn a blind eye to it.
God says,
you are not invincible.
You are not immortal.
You will die.
You will leave this life behind.
And no one can take your place.
Like you're going to pass away.
We are physically going to pass away one day.
And God's word is filled with this imagery.
Let me just read a few to you.
Job 8, 7.
For we are but of yesterday and know nothing.
For our days on earth are a shadow.
Let's write that word down.
Shadow.
Job 14.
Or unto you,
A man who is born of woman
is few of days and full of trouble.
He comes out like a flower and withers.
He flees like a shadow and continues not.
Psalm 103.
As for a man, his days are like grass.
He flourishes like a flower of the field.
For the wind passes over it.
And then is gone.
And his place knows it no more.
There are so many passages that say the same kind of thing.
Your life is a vapor.
Your life is a shadow.
Your life is a breath.
And we tend to be blind to that.
But I'm telling you,
It's a gift if you can grasp that at an early age.
Because you can use all the years ahead to redeem the time.
To know that there will be an end.
Your life had a definite start.
And will have a definite end.
So, don't deceive yourself.
It's foolish for you to deceive yourself into thinking that this present life is all that there is.
And that this life is ultimately about the here and the now.
So, do whatever you can to pursue it and enjoy it.
And if you have to knock people down to do it, do it.
That's the goal of life.
But those are all broken cisterns.
Jeremiah 2.13.
They're things that you want to put your life into and pour your life into.
But they're broken.
And they're going to let you down.
That's where you need to have your hope in the living God.
And Him alone.
The goal of this life is not money, wealth, possessions, toys, clothes, and nice vehicles and big houses.
It's just going to absolutely and totally let you down.
Think about how many hours that you spend watching TV or being on social media.
Which a new statistic says that you almost spend three hours a day on social media.
It's just sad.
Playing video games, going to the gym or library.
There's so many things that aren't bad endeavors.
But if the goal of your life is to pursue those things,
then you're going to be severely disappointed.
I actually saw an article a while back that we've gotten to this point, okay?
Parents are hiring coaches to teach them to help raise their kids
so their kids aren't dependent on iPhones.
That's bad.
It's things like, go take a walk.
Go throw a ball with your kid outside.
It's things like that.
And that's just to the point where we are now.
And we're wasting and squandering the special keros of our life.
We won't get it back.
So that's foolishness.
But wisdom says it is wise for you to recognize and embrace that your time on earth is short.
Don't let that scare you.
Like, see it as like, okay, now I know what life's about.
I have the right perspective.
I can come and see how to make the most of my life.
Because when you're ready to die, that's when you're really ready to live.
I kind of sounded catchy, but I didn't mean it that way.
When you're ready to die, you're truly ready to live.
And wake up and realize that each morning you get out of bed,
God has sustained you while you slept.
And by His grace, He'll help you get through the day.
And He's doing it for the purpose of you knowing Him deeper and you making Him known to other people.
If you're not doing that, you're wasting it.
You're wasting the keros.
And you're doing it and you can do this in all that you do to make Christ known to other people.
And recognize that your time at school is meant not just to help you succeed in life,
not just to consume and enjoy, but it was made to glorify Christ.
Thomas Case, a Puritan who was thrown in prison for preaching the gospel,
this is something he wrote about redeeming the time.
Most men study rather how to pass away their time than to redeem it.
They waste precious hours as if they had no more.
They had more than knew what to do with.
Our season is short and we make it shorter.
How sad a thing it is to hear men complain.
Oh, how shall I pass the time?
I'm bored.
But oh, when trouble comes,
when the sword is at the body,
when the pistol is at the breast,
the knife at the throat,
death at the door,
how precious one of those despised hours be.
Evil days cry with a loud voice in our ears.
Redeem the time.
In life, threatening dangers,
when God threatens, as it were,
we can think of redeeming the time for prayer,
reading, meditation.
We can gather up the very fragments of time
so that nothing can be lost.
Please, God, teach our souls wisdom of redeeming the time.
Yeah, so Gary read earlier from Psalm 39.
Hope that stuck out to you.
But it talks about how asking God to help us know the measure of our days,
help us to realize how transient we are,
that we are but ham breaths.
We heap up wealth and it goes, disappears, right?
So that's the first point is life is short.
And it's tied to the next point.
Eternity is long.
Very catchy, did they?
Life is short.
Number two, eternity is long.
And according to our passage,
it's foolish for you to think that there's not another life
and another world that's waiting for you after this one.
Even for those of us who know Christ,
like, man, we so easily are lured into so many different traps
just to waste time and do nothing.
And I'm not talking about resting.
I'm talking about laziness, apathy,
disengagement, those sort of things.
So we can grow very nearsighted because the days are evil.
It says in verse 16,
it's trying to get us to forget about eternity.
Remember, life is about the here and now.
And we need frequent reminders to wake up.
That's why we need each other in the church
to help remind ourselves,
look, this life is going to come and go.
So hold your hand in Ephesians 5,
but flip to 1 Corinthians 3 really quick.
1 Corinthians 3.
This is one of those passages
that kind of can sober us a little bit.
1 Corinthians 3, verse 12.
And so the Scripture speaks of a judgment
one day for unbelievers
where they'll be judged basically
if they are in Christ or not.
We will not really face that judgment.
But it is very clear that even as the people of God,
even those who are found in Christ
will face another type of judgment
where we'll give an account
for how we've been faithful,
for our obedience,
things that we have done
to honor the Lord in this life,
which is kind of scary.
1 Corinthians 3, verse 12.
Paul says,
Now if anyone builds on the foundation
with gold, silver, precious stones,
wood, hay, straw,
each one's work will become manifest
for the day, capital D,
will disclose it
because it will be revealed by fire.
And the fire will test
what sort of work each one has done.
If the work that anyone has built
on the foundation survives,
he will receive a reward.
If anyone's work is burned up,
he will suffer loss,
though he himself will be saved,
but only as through fire.
You ever heard someone say,
Man, I just want to get into heaven.
That's not really like the right attitude at all.
Be concerned.
But look at that last part.
It's like,
yeah, some people will be saved.
Some people will enter into God's presence,
but they're going to suffer loss.
I don't know what that means.
But maybe holy regret,
as one writer called it,
wishing that you had spent
more focus on redeeming the time
than wasting the time.
Wishing like I wish
I had taken care of
all these opportunities that I had
instead of squandering them.
But,
the work that we do
that will last for eternity
will be rewarded,
and those that have squandered it
will lose it.
So,
one of those very
sobering texts.
That is foolish to think
that there's not eternity
on the horizon,
but it's wisdom,
it is wisdom
for us to realize
that this life is going somewhere.
Like,
after we breathe our last,
we will step into another world.
God has set that beginning
and the end of this time
on earth.
So,
we need to maximize
the kairos,
maximize the kairos.
I'll read this to you really quick.
2 Corinthians 4.
One of my favorite passages,
I guess,
I kind of used
the eternal type language.
2 Corinthians 4,
verse 16 says,
So we do not lose heart,
though our outer self
is wasting away.
Our inner self
is being renewed
day by day.
For this light
and momentary affliction
is preparing for us
an eternal weight
of glory
beyond all comparison.
As we look not
to the things
that are seen,
but to the things
that are unseen.
For the things
that are seen
are transient.
For the things
that are unseen
are eternal.
Ah,
let that,
hmm,
we've got to put
our minds
and our hearts
in this type of language.
What you see
is not going to be here
one day.
What is unseen
is going to be eternal.
This outer self
is wasting away.
It doesn't matter.
I don't care
if you go to the gym
five days a week.
I don't care
how good you look now.
I go to CrossFit.
Well,
you can cross
whatever you want to cross.
You're going to die one day.
You're not going to look
that way forever.
We need reminders
this life is transient
and the eternal
weight of glory
is before us.
Likewise,
Paul said in Colossians,
seek the things
that are above,
not the things
that are on the earth.
So,
life is short,
eternity is long,
and then thirdly,
in light of those two things,
thirdly,
redeem the time.
Make the best use
of the time,
the best use
of the kairos,
the sacred time
that God has given you.
Remember that.
That when you wake up
every day,
remember,
there's not a moment
to spare.
there should be freedom,
but there should be urgency.
Okay?
I'm not saying
beat yourself up
every day
to do a certain thing,
but there should be
a weight on you
that just says,
I've been given
another day
to live
for Christ.
Christ.
And so,
everything that's given
to you,
the money and possessions
that you have
are given to you,
young people
and older,
really,
are given to you
so you can use them
in such a way
that people can look
at that and say,
those things
aren't that person's treasure.
Christ is.
Relationships,
family,
friends,
significant others
are given to you
so that you can
live with them
in such a way
that shows that
Christ is your treasure,
but they are not
your treasure.
So many things,
so many opportunities
that you'll never
get replaced
or replicated again.
So,
seize that moment.
This is so important
to me because
most,
many of you know this,
but I was born
with a lung disease
called cystic fibrosis
in the early 80s.
And,
at the time,
the age expectancy
was 18
when I was born.
And,
no cure,
only treatments
for that.
And so,
I lived a pretty
normal life
a lot of the time
and until I got up
to my latter teens,
the disease
really started
to hit me.
But I don't
begrudge God
because
He used that
to humble me
and show me
that I was not
immortal.
That I was not
the awesome
dude I thought
I was.
My dreams
were I wanted
to be,
I wanted to play
sports in college
and I wanted
to go into
the military.
I wanted to be
an elite soldier
or actually
the Marine Corps
because that's
my family.
So,
that's what I wanted
to do.
That's like the
path I carved
for myself.
And God
just shut
it down.
I remember
when 9-11
came around,
I had several
really good friends
go and join
the military
and I remember
just sort of
feeling
left behind.
But,
that was early
in my
walk with Christ
and
it's as if
God was saying,
you're going to
stay here
and you're going to
fight a different
kind of fight.
and in my
flesh just
didn't like that
but my spirit
rejoiced.
And I was really
kind of bummed
that all my
dreams had been
kind of shot
down but also
just aware that
God was doing
something,
I just didn't
know what.
And one of my
best friends
who was,
his name was
Dustin Scoggins,
he showed up
one day at my
house,
well never mind,
he got a DUI
before he was a
Christian so he
couldn't drive
so I was always
picking him up.
But I picked
him up and
he threw this
hat at me and
he had this
made but it
basically says
on it the
Lord's Marine
Corps.
Like this is
the battle
you're going to
fight.
You're not
going to get
engaged in all
this other
stuff.
Forget about
it.
And ever
since then I've
seen it that
way even though
at times I
still struggle to
believe.
And when I
got to Cali
and I came up
here to North
Georgia in
Dahlonega,
this was a book
that I read
called Don't
Waste Your
Life.
By John
Piper.
So you
should pick up
this book
because it's
about what we're
talking about.
How do you
make the most
of the time?
How do you
redeem the
time and not
waste it?
So these
kind of thoughts
were heavy on
my mind in
college.
I was very
sick.
I had to go
in for
treatments pretty
often.
Somehow I
managed to
graduate.
I remember
being in the
hospital and my
doctor gave me a
pass to go and
graduate and come
back to the
hospital.
So I
walked with all
my crazy
friends.
And
eventually, as
most of you
know, I had to
get a lung
transplant in
2008.
And somehow I
survived that.
The surgeon said
that it was the
worst pair of
lungs he ever
had seen.
he had done a
lot of
transplants.
And I also
got severely
sick, like
bad infection
within the first
six months of my
transplant.
It nearly killed
me.
And I don't
have any memory
for a month.
And I was on
life support.
And then after
that I was just
sort of drug out
of my mind and
don't remember
anything.
But at one
point I was in
the CICU at
UAB Hospital in
Birmingham.
And I was in
there with two
other patients.
One girl and
one guy.
Around my age.
One was waiting
for a lung
transplant.
And one had
CF and had
received the
transplant but
was not doing
well at all.
kind of the
same thing.
And so for
about a week
we just kind of
fought to make
it through.
My parents met
their parents and
hung out with
their parents and
talked to their
parents.
My parents tried
to share the
hope they had in
Christ with those
other parents.
And for some
reason they both
died and I'm
still standing
here.
No control
over that.
But that
weighs on me.
why?
So God
chose to
extend my
life through
my transplant
and now I
feel that
weight to
redeem the
time.
In the first
year of my
marriage just a
few years ago
I got really
sick again and
had to go to
the hospital in
Birmingham and
my wife Kathleen
was with me and
we walked down
the hospital
ward.
the lung
transplant unit
kind of where I
was for so
long.
And
looked in the
rooms and saw
people on life
support.
Seeing people
that had just
received transplants.
There's tubes
coming out of them
just laying there
in the bed.
And it just
broke me.
I think that was
the last time I
actually just
bawled my eyes
out because I
just remembered
Lord.
That could still
be me.
Why did I
make it out of
there like
Lord help me
not to fall
asleep.
Let me not
waste this
life.
And even
though God
has chosen to
paint this to
me in a very
vivid way it's
no less true
for you.
Like every day
is a gift from
the Lord to
redeem for
his use.
And I know
that the Lord
loves me and
that I'm accepted
fully in Christ
that I can't
earn his love
no matter what
I've done.
But I still
want to
redeem the time.
Eternity weighs
heavy on my
mind.
So look back
at Ephesians
5.
Ephesians 5
verse 15
and 16
again.
Look carefully
then how you
walk not as
unwise but as
wise.
making the
best use of
the time
because the
days are
evil.
So I
want to give
you just
three things
to help you
redeem the
time.
So I'm in
college.
Give me some
things to hold
on to.
Give me some
things to focus
on to help
me redeem the
time.
This is some
application but
one is grow
in your
relationship
with Christ.
Christ.
Again for
many of you
you've never
really taken
your faith
seriously until
now.
Even though
you have
great
responsibilities
that feel
very weighty
to you
that probably
won't be as
weighty as
when you
graduate one
day and
have a
full time
job and
maybe have
children.
There are
moments of
time that
you'll never
get back to
study God's
word to
dive deep
into the
scriptures and
meditate on
them day and
night.
to realize
that the
Bible is
God's
written
revelation of
himself to
reveal himself
to you.
So much
time to
pray and
to sit at
the feet of
Jesus.
And you can
do this in
your time in
college.
You can do
it.
You can
redeem that
time to
grow close
to Christ.
Don't waste
it.
Ephesians 5
17 to read
on this one
word.
It says,
don't be
foolish,
but understand
what the
will of
the Lord
is.
Okay.
Well, I
thought the
will of
God was
this like
mystical
thing I
was supposed
to like
find and
chase.
Like, no,
don't be
foolish.
Know what
the will
of the
Lord is.
It's here.
If you
want to know
what's on
God's mind,
it's right
here.
What he
loves, what
he hates,
what he
believes about
you, what
he calls
you to,
it's all
in here.
It's not
out here.
Don't be
foolish, but
understand what
the will of
the Lord
is.
What's
not a word
for foolish?
This kind
of gets
me stupid.
Don't be
stupid.
Jeremiah
9, verse
23, let me
read this
to you.
Thus
says the
Lord, let
not the
wise man
boast in
his wisdom.
Let not
the mighty
man boast
in his
might.
Let not
the rich
man boast
in his
riches.
So, that's
what they're
going to
preach to
you.
Get some
money, get
some
wisdom, get
some riches,
be strong.
Don't boast
in that
stuff.
He says
in verse
24, but
let him
who boasts
boast in
this, that
he understands
and knows
me, that
I am the
Lord who
practices
steadfast
love, justice
and righteousness
in the earth.
For these
things I
delight, declares
the Lord, and
grow in your
walk with
Jesus while
you're in
school.
And these
other two
things actually
aids you in
that one
pursuit.
Secondly, grow
in your
relationship with
God's people.
Over the
years, we've
noticed a
huge pattern,
a difference
between students
who just kind of
chill out on
campus, hang
out with other
students, maybe
they're a part of
a campus ministry,
maybe not, that
side, and those
who actually say,
hey, you know
what, I actually
belong to the
church right
now, so I'm
going to throw
myself into the
body of Christ,
the local
church, and
they grow
light years ahead
of those who
just shot on
campus.
It's just a
fact.
It just is.
That's how God
designed it.
The church is the
family of God, it's
his people, it's the
bride of Christ.
And as I said
before, don't hate
on Jesus'
bride because it
will clean your
clock if you hate
his bride.
He loves his
bride.
And when he did
die for just
you, but he
also died for a
people that he's
called you to, to
be with, to live
with, they're your
family.
This is your home,
not this building,
but these people,
they're your
family.
And we need each
other as pilgrims
walking on this
earth.
Join a local
church.
Don't do the
whole dating the
church like I'm
going to be at
Christ's family this
Sunday, then go to
Brownsbridge next
Sunday, then
Passion City, then
next Sunday, and
then maybe try
Christ's family
again.
Just don't do
it.
Just find
somewhere that
loves the gospel,
that loves the
scripture, that
loves Jesus Christ
and loves the
mission of Christ,
and stay there and
pour your life out
there.
Young women, you
need older women to
learn how to live
from.
Like older women
to say, hey, come
and walk with me.
Come and let me
show you how to
follow Jesus.
Guys, you need the
same thing.
You need older men
in your life.
You're not going to
get that on campus.
There are some
guys and girls
too, finding their
lives in so many
things, and what
they need is the
gospel and the
church can help
you in that pursuit
of reaching those
people.
We need older
people to be
around.
So campus
ministries are good.
I was a part of
campus outreach.
I was on staff with
them for three years.
Good ministries.
They're actually not
in North Georgia
anymore, and I say
that with a heavy
heart.
But as good as
campus ministries are,
they are not to take
the place of the
local body.
And any campus
ministry worth anything
will tell you that.
No, no, no.
We're not it.
Go.
Be part of the
body.
Go.
So join a local
church, a healthy,
good local church.
We can tell you a lot
of them not to go to.
There's a few that we
would recommend.
You're welcome to stay
here.
But there are other
ones as well.
All right.
That's the second
thing.
Lastly, grow in your
obedience to Christ's
mission.
Grow in your obedience
to Christ's mission.
For those of you that
are in school, most of
you will never have the
relational influence you
have right now ever
again.
The special kairos you'll
never get back.
A lot of you.
You're surrounded by
people on a daily
basis that need to see
Christ, that need to
hear the gospel.
Colossians 4, verse 5,
the same kind of
phrase.
Walk in wisdom toward
outsiders, making the
best use of the time.
Open your eyes to the
lost people that are all
around you.
It's that young guy who
never leaves his room and
just plays video games all
day and night because he's
depressed and he doesn't
want to step out of his
dorm room to face the
world.
It's that girl.
Some of you know her.
She won't go out unless
she spends an hour getting
ready first to make
herself look beautiful
because she's afraid of
being judged and torn
apart by people just
looking at her all day
long.
It's that unpopular
nobody that sits alone in
the chow hall.
It's that person trying to
find their value in the
dating world or the sex
world or their party life.
They're trying so hard and
they're being destroyed
because of it.
Some of you know them.
It's that girl killing
herself to look good at the
gym because she's afraid of
how people are going to
evaluate her when she steps
out in public.
Look, it's that person
that always wants to speak
up in class and that may
annoy you at times but
they're trying to say I'm
smart.
I have something to offer.
Listen to me.
They're all around you.
Just open your eyes and pray
that God gives you just eyes
to see those people.
They need you.
They need you to bear
witness of Christ and the
freedom that you live in.
They need to see that.
Don't just say I'm going to
wait for the summertime.
I'm going to do missions
overseas this summer.
That's when I evangelize.
If you're not willing to
walk across the hall to talk
to Christ, about Christ to
someone, please don't go
overseas this summer.
The most faithful
missionaries are people
who are already being
faithful right here,
right now.
Jim Elliott, once again,
when he was in college,
he wrote this.
Father, make me a crisis
man.
Bring those I contact
to decision.
Let me not be a mile
post on a single road.
Make me a fork that men
must turn one way or
another on facing Christ
in me.
And on your bulletin,
there's a quote.
Jonathan Edwards wrote a
lot about making the most
use of his time.
This is one thing he said
on your bulletin,
on top of your bulletin.
Time is short,
and the work which we have
to do in it is so great
that we have none of it
to spare.
So I want to end with this.
I want you to rest in Christ.
If you're feeling like,
man, I feel overwhelmed
by this,
you should to some degree.
But as you study the Gospels,
you will see that Jesus
himself was very aware,
very tuned in to the
kairos that God had given him.
He talked about,
and John,
but I looked at John,
John 2, verse 4,
my hour has not yet come.
The hour where he was to be
arrested and tried
and crucified
and resurrected,
that's the time he's talking
about,
the culmination,
the climax of his life.
My hour has not yet come,
John 2, verse 4.
Later on in chapter 7,
he says,
my hour is not yet here.
Also in John 7,
it says,
his hour had not yet come.
John 12,
Father,
save me from this hour,
but for this purpose
I came into the world.
John 17,
Father,
here it is,
the hour has come.
The hour has come.
Glorify your Son,
that the Son may glorify you.
And then John 19,
verse 30,
it is finished.
So the good news
is even though,
even though as believers,
you and I both
have squandered
missed opportunities,
we have wasted time.
The good news is
that Christ never did.
And that he fulfilled
perfectly all the time
the Father had given him
to the very end.
And he brought us
eternal salvation.
So,
you never can earn that
no matter how faithful
you are of your time.
So remember this,
as you strive
to redeem the time,
know that you are
not striving
to enter
the love of Christ,
but you're striving
in the midst
of the love of Christ.
But he's already
secured for you
through what he did,
his finished work.
Yet,
true faith in you
will want
to redeem the time.
It'll be a fighter.
It'll say,
I've got to make
the most of this opportunity.
So don't ignore that.
Run after it.
Think about it.
And rest in that reality
that you can be
in the finished work
of Christ.
Let's pray to that end.
I want to close
by looking at Psalm 90.
Just go ahead
and turn there
and we'll pray from here.
Psalm 90.
This is a psalm
that Moses wrote.
Psalm 90.
Look at verse 9.
This kind of sums up
well our message today.
For all our days
pass away
under your wrath.
We bring our years
to an end
like a sigh.
The years of our life
are 70
or even
by reason of strength
80.
Yet their span
is but toil
and trouble.
They are soon gone
and we fly away.
Who considers
the power
of your anger
and your wrath
according to the fear
of you.
So here it is guys.
So teach us
to number our days
that we may get
a heart
of wisdom.
Number our days.