Sermon: Ephesians 5: 15-17


Ephesians 5:15-5:17

New International Version

15Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, 16making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. 17Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.

Contemporary English Version

15Act like people with good sense and not like fools. 16These are evil times, so make every minute count. 17Don’t be stupid. Instead, find out what the Lord wants you to do.

Here we are, the Last Sunday of 2009.

I wonder how we’ll do in 2010? Will we be as busy? Will we make any better use of our time than we did in 09?

In 365 days, when the year is over, will we be looking back with joy, or with regret? Will we be looking at the future with anticipation, or with dread?

As we look forward to 2010, I believe this passage will help us.

Ephesians 5:15-17

“Be very careful, then, how you live – not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.”
Psalm 39:4, “Show me, O Lord, my life’s end & the number of my days; let me know how fleeting is my life”.

Psalm 90:10 Seventy years are given to us! Some even live to eighty.    But even the best years are filled with pain and trouble; soon they disappear, and we fly away.

The Psalmist tells us to number our days.

A few years ago People Magazine published an article entitled “Dead Ahead” telling about a new clock that keeps track of how much time you have left to live. It calculates an average life span of 82 years.

The Psalmist told us to do this – to number our days.

According to the clock, how many years do you have?

But wait a minute. I don’t have a guarantee of even one day more to live.

In fact the Bible tells us not to count on tomorrow because tomorrow may not come for you or for me. All we have is right now. So our time on this earth is valuable because it is very limited.

MAKE THE MOST OF EVERY OPPORTUNITY

Secondly, Paul tells us that we must make “the most of every opportunity.” and he gives a reason, “because the days are evil.”

Jesus said that Satan is a robber and a thief, one of the things he tries to rob from us is our time because time is a very precious possession.

Just think of the time that is wasted.

Arguing over things that really don’t matter

in gossiping or spreading rumors.

time wasted worrying

worrying about the sins of the past.

Satan is a thief and a robber!

Sometimes even good things can take the place of the best things in our life.

You know the story. Martha gets upset because Mary is not in the kitchen, too. So she complains to Jesus, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!” Luke 10:40

“Martha, Martha,” Jesus answered, “You are worried & upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, & it will not be taken away from her” Luke 10:41-42.

Martha was so preoccupied with what she was doing that she didn’t realize that God was in her living room.

Sometimes we get so caught up in good things that we miss out on the best things.

Richard Swenson, a medical doctor, wrote a book in which he discusses one of the major maladies of our time – anxiety & stress. He calls it “overload,” and says that people are just plain overloaded.

1. We’re overloaded with commitments. He says we soon begin meeting ourselves coming & going because we have overloaded ourselves in the area of commitments.

2. We’re also overloaded with possessions, he says. Our closets are full, & our garages are overflowing. We’ve gone into debt to pay for all of these things that we “simply must have.” And now we’re so afraid that someone will steal them. We are overloaded in the area of possessions.

3. Thirdly, we have an overload in the area of work. We get up early, fight traffic, & experience intolerable working conditions because we have to if we’re going to pay for all those possessions that we’ve accumulated.

4. There is also an information overload. He said that as a doctor he has to read 220 articles a month just to keep up with all the changes in his profession. And now with the internet there’s an information superhighway. But the problem is that we can’t possibly absorb it all. So we feel an overload in this area, too.

There are so many demands on our time, so many good things that need to be done. But there are only 8,760 hours in a year.

Make the most of every opportunity

UNDERSTAND WHAT THE LORD’S WILL IS

Paul says, “…do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.”

Now what do you think God’s will is for you in this New Year? Do you think He wants your mind so saturated with worries and anxieties that you can’t think spiritual thoughts? Do you think He wants your calendar so crowded that you don’t have time for the important things? What do you think God’s will is for you in 2010?

Let me make a couple of suggestions for you to consider.

First of all, establish your priorities.

Make it a priority to be in church, worshiping God with fellow believers.

Make it a priority to pray, read, and practice His Word.

Devotionals are a great way to study and meditate

Read the Bible through this year

First of all, establish your priorities.

There is a girl who went to college & she just hated it. But she told herself, “If I can ever get out of college and get married and have children, I know I’ll finally be able to enjoy life.”

So she stuck with it. She went to classes every day and finally graduated from college. Then she got married, had children, and discovered that children are a lot of work. So she told herself, “If I can just get these kids raised, then I’ll be able to relax and really enjoy life.”

But about the time the kids were entering high school her husband said, “Guess what? We don’t have enough money to send our kids to college. I guess you’ll have to get a job.”

Well, she didn’t want to, but she knew he was right and they needed the money, so she went to work. And she hated it. But she told herself, “If I can just get these kids out of college, and get all of the bills paid, then I can quit work and really enjoy life.”

Finally, the last child graduated from college, all the bills were paid. So she walked into her employer’s office and said, “I quit.” He said, “Oh, you don’t want to quit now. If you stay with us just another 8 years you’ll have a pension for the rest of your life.”

She thought, “Well, I don’t want to work another 8 years, but there’s all that money there, and I really can’t turn down the opportunity.” So she worked for another 8 years. Finally, she and her husband retired at the same time. They sold their home and bought a little retirement cottage.

Then they sat down on the swing on their front porch and looked at the family picture album and dreamed about the good old days.

Someone said, “Life is what happens to you while you’re making plans to do something else.”

True, isn’t it? Another year has come & gone. A new year stretches before us.

Help us Lord, to redeem the time.

Lord, please help us to use the 8,760 hours of 2010 the wisest way we can for you and for your glory.

Ronnie

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