## Problems: Time

## Ephesians 5:15-17

Principles of Problems.

A. Tribulation = gr. thlipsis = pressure; also translated as persecution, trouble, anguish, and burden.

B. It is incorrect to think that once you come to Christ, all of your problems will be solved.

(John 16:33) These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.

C. God uses problems to test our faith and to bring us to maturity.

(James 1:3-4) Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.

Dealing with the Problem of Time

Eph 5:15-17 See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, Redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.

Does this conversation sound familiar? "How are things going?" "Ohhhh, I've got to cut back! I'm into too many things!" "There aren't enough hours in the day!" Have you ever wished for a thirty hour day? Surely the extra time would relieve the tremendous pressure under which we live. Or would it? Wouldn't we soon be just as frustrated as we are now with our twenty-four hour allotment?

Think about this, what would you do if you had a generous benefactor who opened an account at the bank for you with a deposit of $86,400.00 every morning, but every evening would cancel out any amount unused. The next day another deposit of $86,400.00 would be made into your account, but again, any unused amount would be cancelled that evening. Now, you know that if that was the case, you would withdraw every last penny each and every day! That is exactly what we have happening with time. Every morning we have 86,400 seconds reserved for our use. Any time not used is wasted and cannot be recovered or stored up for use at a later time. This is what our text is making reference to. "Redeeming the time".

You see, the problem we have is NOT that we do not have enough time, it is that we do not make the best use of the time that we have.

The word "redeem" means to rescue from loss, to buy up, or to make the most of every opportunity that we have. I want to give you three principles concerning time and our use of it.

I. Yield Our Time to God.

A. He is the Lord of time.

1. With a spoken word He determined the beginning of time.

2. His hand set in motion the rotations of the earth, the tides, and the division between day and night.

3. One day, He will speak again and time will be ended.

4. Our minutes, hours, days, and years are not our own; they belong to God.

B. We tend to segment our time.

1. That which belongs to others.

a. work (40 hrs. plus)

b. family time (wife, children, and our immediate family of parents, brothers & sisters, and in-laws)

2. That which belongs to me.

a. recreation

b. leisure time

c. social life

3. That which belongs to God.

a. devotional time

b. church worship

c. church ministry

4. The truth is, all our time belongs to God; we are just stewards!

a. As stewards, we are responsible to God for what we do with our time.

b. 1 Co. 4:2, "Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful."

c. David prayed, "So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom." Ps. 90:12

C. How do we yield our time to God?

1. By recognizing that it is His.

a. As long as we claim ownership we cannot be yielding it to Him.

b. To yield means that we are to let go of it.

c. Ps. 31:15, "My times are in thy hand..."

2. By realizing that God is never in a hurry, but He is always on time.

3. When we trust His timing to be perfect in every detail of our lives, then we don't have to live our lives at a frantic pace.

4. That doesn't mean that we stop doing everything and just waste our time!

II. Recognize Time in the Light of Eternity.

A. The underlying theme of the Bible.

1. "...For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away." - Jas. 4:14

2. Methuselah lived for 969 years, but Moses said, "For a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past, and as a watch in the night." - Ps 90:4

3. David said, "Behold, thou hast made my days as an handbreadth; and mine age is nothing before thee..." Ps. 39:5

B. We lose sight of this perspective.

1. Our focus is on time.

2. We get caught up in the obligations, activities, and happenings of life here on earth.

3. All of the things that take so much of our time now will be of no importance throughout eternity.

4. We must maintain a loose hold on the things of this world, because they will soon pass away.

5. Peter reminds us to "pass the time of your sojurning here in fear". - 1Pe 1:17

a. In other words, do not view our time down here as permanent.

b. We are just "sojourners" or pilgrims passing through from time to eternity.

c. We will have to give an account of how we make the journey, so let's not lose our perspective!

C. How can we keep the proper perspective?

1. Ask yourself, "If I knew that Christ would return exactly three days from now, what would I do in the next three days to prepare for His coming?"

2. What would you do?

3. Are there...

a. Debts to be paid?

b. Conflicts that need to be resolved?

c. Sins that need to be confessed?

d. Forgiveness to be sought or offered?

e. Friends or loved ones that need to be witnessed to?

4. Make a list of everything you need to do to be ready to face eternity, and begin to live each day as if it were your last.

5. John 9:4, "I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh when no man can work."

III. Invest Our Time for the Glory of God.

Note: If we are going to "redeem" our time and make the most of the opportunities God gives us, we cannot afford to merely drift through life and hope that someday it will all add up to something of eternal value.

A. Be Watchful and prayerful.

(1 Peter 4:7) But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer.

1. Peter had the right view of time.

2. He knew, both from bitter failure and from years of ministry, that the only way to avoid being ashamed when he appeared before Christ, was to maintain a constant spirit of watchfulness and prayer.

B. Seek the Lord.

(Hosea 10:12b) For it is time to seek the LORD, till he come and rain righteousness upon you.

1. We have time for meetings, time for activities, time for work, and time for play.

2. But many have no time for God.

3. We must seek the Lord, because time is short!

4. Mt. 6:33, "Seek ye first..." but do we seek God first? or is He somewhere down low on our priority list?

C. Minister to the Spiritual needs of others.

(Matthew 9:36-38) But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd. Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest.

1. We must determine to spend our time this way.

2. We must ask ourselves this question, "When was the last time you shared the gospel with someone?" WHY?

Tomorrow

God has not given all of us the same amount of talent, or the same amount of wealth, but He has given each of us the same amount of time. How are we using the time He has given us?

Let's determine to yield our time to God, realizing the shortness of time in light of eternity, and consciously invest our time for the glory of God.