Before Time Runs Out

Ephesians 5: 15–16

Did you realize all the things we do with time?
We “MAKE” time,
and we TAKE time, for things that are important to us.
We “SAVE” time with all kinds of gadgets and doodads.
We “MARK” time,
we “KILL” time,
we “RACE AGAINST” time.
AND (someone noted) that the worst thing you can do with time,
is “WASTE” time.

One little girl complained to her mother after her first WEEK at school
“I’m wasting my time. I can’t read,
I can’t write—
and they won’t let me talk!”

Our text for today is Ephesians 5:15–16
"See then that you walk circumspectly,
not as fools but as wise,
redeeming the time,
because the days are evil."

We may think that Paul was SIMPLY saying
don’t waste your time. But it’s more than that.
The Greek word Paul uses here is “exagorazo”
which means to “REDEEM” the time.
It’s the same word Paul used in Galatians 3:13
Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law,
having become a curse for us--for it is written,
"CURSED IS EVERYONE WHO HANGS ON A TREE--"

To REDEEM means - to purchase, to buy,
to obtain by making a payment.
Paul is telling us that our time is so crucial,
so critical, that we must treat it like
a valuable and precious commodity that
MUST NOT be squandered and wasted.

We must redeem the time (he says) - but why?
What’s so critical about time that it must be redeemed?
Most of us would think the reason time is valuable
Is because we only have so much of it.
Sooner or later, we’re all gonna die.
Now, if you’re blessed you may live 80 or 90 or100 years,
but sooner or later your time is gonna run out.
So don’t waste your time!!!

But that is not really what Paul says here.
“Redeem the time... because the days are evil.”
What does that mean?
Well, think about it this way.
Do you have a bucket list?
A bucket list is a list of things
you want to do before you “kick the bucket.”
And what people have on their bucket list
tells you a lot about their priorities.

They may want to go to Europe,
or make a “Hole In One”,
swim with dolphins,
go deep sea fishing,
meet a famous person
or jump out of a plane.

There’s all kinds of things you could put on your “bucket list” –
and there’s nothing wrong with those things
(except maybe jumping out of an airplane).

God has some BUCKET LIST items for Christians
to add to their list:
1. Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father through him (Colossians 3:17).

2. Pray without ceasing (1^st Thessalonians 5:17).

3. In everything give thanks (1^st Thessalonians 5:18).

4. Lay hold on eternal life (1^st Timothy 6:12).

5. Be not ashamed of the testimony of our Lord (2^nd Timothy 1:8).

6. Hold fast to your profession of faith without wavering (Hebrews 10:23).

7. The just shall live by faith (Hebrews 10:38).

8. Forsake not the assembling together each Sunday (Hebrews 10:25).

9. Despise not the correction of the Lord, for whom the Lord loves he chastens, and scourges every son whom he receives (Hebrews 12:5–6).

This is just to mention a FEW
BUT what is that ONE THING
we must not leave off our bucket list?

Ephesians 5:17
“Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.”

This parallels with what one of the WISEST MEN ever in history
(King Solomon) concluded in Ecclesiastes 12:13
"Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter. Fear God, and keep His commandments; for this is the whole duty of man".

Paul continues in Ephesians 5:18
“ do not get drunk with wine, for that is sin,…
but be filled with the Spirit”
What? What’s he talking about here?
Well, he’s saying that in order for us
to fully understand God’s will,
we must be totally controlled by God’s Spirit.
And then he makes an odd comparison:
“don’t get drunk on wine” he says.
That seems illogical until you understand what he’s trying to say.

Have you ever seen someone who’s been drunk?
How can you tell if they’re drunk
if you never saw them take a drink?
Well, you can tell they’re drunk by how they walk,
by how they talk, by how they think
and by how they act.

Everything about their drunkenness
is obvious by their behavior.
They are FILLED with alcohol... and it controls them.
By contrast Paul says,
don’t be filled with alcohol (don’t get drunk)
but be FILLED with the Spirit.
In other words, the Spirit should so fill you
that it controls how you walk and talk
and how you think and act.

That is crucial for Christians –
we need to be so filled with the Spirit of God
that people know it when they see our behavior!
So, how do we get FILLED with the Holy Spirit?
Well, first we need to understand
that we already have the Spirit inside of us.

Acts 2:38 promises us "Repent and be baptized every one of you
in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins,
and you will receive THE GIFT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT.”

Ephesians 1:14 tells us –
God’s Spirit “is THE GUARANTEE of our inheritance
until we acquire possession of it,
to the praise of his glory.”

You can’t be a Christian without
God’s Spirit inside of you.
So, first we need to realize
we already have the Spirit inside of us.
But here in Ephesians it says
we need to be “refilled” with Spirit.
What’s that all about?

Well, first let’s examine what Paul tells us to do,
and then I’ll try to explain WHY this is so important.
First, Paul says that in order for us to be filled with God’s Spirit
we need to... SING.
We should be “addressing one another
in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs,
singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart” Ephesians 5:19

One group that I particularly enjoyed listening to
was a trendy folk group called “Simon and Garfunkel.”
As I listened to their music more critically,
I discovered that one of their songs went this way:
“I have no need of friendship,
friendship causes pain,
it's laughter and it's loving I disdain...
Hiding in my room, safe within my womb,
I touch no one and no one touches me.
I am a rock - I am an island.” (I Am A Rock).

It’s a Great song... but really depressing.
Another song declared: “Hello darkness my old friend .....
I’ve come to talk to you again!”
The Bible teaches us that music has
a spiritual power over the Spirit world!
One of the greatest singers in the Bible
was a little shepherd boy named David.
The book of Psalms is a collection of 150 songs
(or Psalms) that the Jews sang,
and David wrote half of them.

He was so good at singing
that people began to pay attention
long before David ever confronted Goliath.
In the meantime, King Saul (the King of Israel)
had decided to stop listening to God
and run his kingdom his own way.

So, God withdrew His Spirit from him
and the King became plagued with an evil Spirit.
He plunged into depression,
and that EVIL SPIRIT tormented King Saul so much
that (on the advice of one of his friends)
he sent for David to sing for him.

Music has power over evil.
And it has the power to bring peace to my heart and soul.
So, when you’re depressed or struggling –
find a song that glorifies God and sing it.

One song we could sing
in most any situation in life is
“This World Is Not My Home.”
“This world is not my home, I'm just a passing through.
My treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue;
The angels beckon me from heaven's open door.
And I can't feel at home in this world anymore.”
The chorus “O Lord, you know I have no friend like you,
if heaven's not my home, dear Lord what will I do?
The angels beckon me from heaven's open door,
and I can't feel at home in this world anymore.”

Now, it doesn’t matter if you can sing well
Or with much power. The point is:
find a song that glorifies God... and sing it.
Use the power of GOD’S music to lift your soul
out of despair and sadness.

Secondly - Paul tells us,
that in order to be filled with God’s Spirit,
we need to be “giving thanks always
and for everything to God the Father
in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” Ephesians 5:20

Now, quiz time: HOW OFTEN do should give thanks? (ALWAYS)
and FOR WHAT should we give thanks? (EVERTHING).
There’s a lot of people who have a hard time doing that.

Rudyard Kipling was a great writer and poet
who made a lot of money for his writings.
One day a newspaper reporter came up to him and said,
“Mr. Kipling, I just read that
somebody calculated that the money you make from your writings
amounts to over a hundred dollars a word;
Mr. Kipling raised his eyebrows and said,
“Really, I certainly wasn’t aware of that.”

The reporter cynically reached down into his pocket
and pulled out a one hundred dollar bill
and gave it to Kipling and said,
“Here’s a hundred dollar bill, Mr. Kipling.
Now, you give me one of your hundred dollar words.”
Mr. Kipling looked at that hundred dollar bill for a moment,
took it, folded it up, and put it in his pocket
and then smiled and said, “Thanks.”

He’s right! The word ‘thanks’
is certainly more than a hundred dollar word.
I would say it is more like a million dollar word.
Thank you is one word that is too seldom heard,
too rarely spoken, and too often forgotten.
If we would all adopt an attitude of thanksgiving into our lives –
our lives would be changed. We would cherish each day.

Studies have been done over the years
where people have been asked to
write down 10 things they’re thankful for
and after an extended period of time
the list is sadly too often still incomplete.

Many people become so negative
they struggle to think of 10 things they’re thankful for.
BUT, when given a tablet of paper
and asked to write down things they were unhappy about,
or disappointed with,
or frustrated about,
they could fill out an entire tablet of paper... and ask for another.

Why?
Why are they so unhappy?
Well, because most folks aren’t used to
being thankful for what they have.
For example, they don’t express thankfulness
for the fact that they have 2 hands.
Why should they? They’ve ALWAYS had those two hands.

And they’ve always had the ability to run
and laugh and hear and see and sing.
Why be grateful for those things?
By contrast, these folks tend to focus instead
on what they DON’T HAVE.
They dwell on the wanting of a better job,
or a better car, or a better spouse,
or a better ... whatever.
And that’s why they’re so depressed –

there is ALWAYS going to be stuff that they don’t have,
or that they can’t possess!
So they end up being miserable/unhappy people.

Philippians 4:4-7 says “Rejoice in the Lord always;
again I will say, rejoice...
do not be anxious about anything,
but in everything by prayer and supplication
with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
And the peace of God,
which surpasses all understanding,
will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Learn to be grateful for what you have
(and quit focusing on what you don’t have)
and you’ll be so filled with God’s Spirit
that it will change how you think and how you behave.
And the world around you will notice.

This was the key to Tom’s lesson last week:
Jesus is the Light,
We are to reflect that light,
AND let our light so shine before men
THAT they may see our good works…
And GLORIFY our Father who is in Heaven.

CLOSE: I want to close by explaining
WHY it’s so important to be “Filled” with Holy Spirit.
The Bible tells us that Spirit is a very powerful force.
He teaches us, He comforts us,
He helps us in our prayers
when we don’t know what to say.

Romans 8:11 tells us that We have the same power living in us...
that raised Jesus from the dead!!!!
“If the Spirit of Him who
raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you,
he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead
will also give life to your mortal bodies
through his Spirit who dwells in you.”

Being “filled with the Spirit” is all about
laying hold of the full power of the Spirit
God has given us.
You see, for the Spirit to operate fully in our lives,
we’ve got to make our hearts decent places for Him to reside.
For example, let’s say I invite you to come to my house.
But when you come in the door,
the first thing you see is my clothes scattered everywhere,
dishes are piled high in the sink
and papers are covering the counters.
I have cats all over the place... 3 or 4 of them...
and I have not cleaned up after them for weeks.

Now, how comfortable are you going to be?
How willing will you be to spend time with me?
Not very.
The same is true for having the Spirit FILLING our lives.
If we don’t clean up our lives
by filling our hearts with singing
and praise and such,
God’s Spirit is NOT going to feel
real comfortable with you.
But when we learn to sing songs
about God’s glory,
train our hearts to be grateful
and filled with thanks
THEN God’s Spirit can be COMFORTABLE inside us,
and be able to work His POWER
fully in our lives.
But that’s only if you’re a Christian.

If you don’t belong to Jesus,
His Spirit isn’t going to be inside you.
That’s why we need to respond to His free gift of salvation
as Acts 2:38 tells us
"Repent and be baptized every one of you
in the name of Jesus Christ
for the forgiveness of your sins,
and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”

Sermon Contributor : David Dykes