Stewarding Our Time

Ephesians chapter 5.

Ephesians 5 · chapter mention

I'll just warn you on the front end, this is the longest word count I've ever had in writing a sermon.

! And when I tried to make cuts, I just realized I only say important things.

So, we're going to have to move quickly, and bear with me.

But today I have the privilege, the joy, and the challenge of preaching on the topic of stewarding your time.

Everyone in our world is interested in this topic for varied reasons.

You can imagine the businessman, he wants to manage time better, to be more profitable, to make more money, to have more product.

You can imagine the family man, he wants to get out of work as soon as possible and spend time with his family.

Everything is oriented clockwise towards being with the family.

And for the business owner, in his eyes, his family eats up too much of his time.

Whereas for the family man, in his eyes, his job eats up too much of his time.

Well, what's the difference? These two men have a difference in priorities.

You might assume that the businessman is in the wrong and the family man is in the right in the given hypothetical.

But the reality is both men have the potential to be wrong.

The businessman could potentially rightly value work and profit.

After all, 1 Timothy 5.8 says,

But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household,

he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.

Or perhaps the businessman is familiar with Proverbs 14.23.

There is profit in hard work, but mere talk leads to poverty.

So it's conceivable that the businessman may have started out with honorable motives that made him work really hard

and have long hours at work.

Not a 40-hour work week, but a 70-hour work week.

In fact, he may be chiefly motivated to work for his family.

And maybe he's wealthy and he wants to be a philanthropist for other families in need.

And in that sense, he may be a truer family man, so to speak.

But, as most of us have probably already thought,

it is more likely that this individual is driven by a love of money,

or a desire of security, or something wicked,

because we just all instinctively know that this man is spending too much time at work.

And by consequence, neglecting his family, his church, himself, and most importantly, God.

Well, what about the family man who cannot wait to get home?

He sounds like a good guy.

But as I said, this man, he might sound better, but there's still the potential it's wrong.

So let's just say he's hated by his co-workers.

They say things like,

he never stays to help during our busy seasons.

Or he spends time at work FaceTiming his wife and kids all the time.

When is he going to get anything done?

Or perhaps they even say he's worthless and they hope he gets fired.

So I think we all see the obvious problem with both of these men.

They have an idol, one work, one family.

The businessman turned God's good gift of work and provision into an object of worship for whatever reasons.

Likewise, the family man turned God's good gift of the family into an object of worship for whatever reasons.

So therefore, both are in sin and both consciously or unconsciously, intentionally or unintentionally,

are poorly stewarding their time.

So as I alluded, there are a number of issues with both of these men in the given hypothetical.

But for our purposes today, I want you to notice the problem of time.

If you were to counsel these two brothers, and I'm assuming they are Christians,

and they came to you and they asked,

how should I prioritize my time?

What would you tell them?

And frankly, I doubt you even need this hypothetical.

If you look around the room, I guarantee every single one of us in every single season of our life

has asked this question.

How do I spend my time?

How do I steward my time?

And whenever we feel in life as though we've finally arrived,

as though we finally have control over our time,

as if we're stewarding it perfectly,

something happens to disrupt that.

A marriage, a new kid, a second kid,

a new job, and so on and so forth.

And like me, you feel like life just keeps getting faster and faster,

and that you are losing more and more time.

And so we ask,

how should I spend my time?

How do I find balance in life?

That's a word we love in this discussion.

How do I know I'm not neglecting the responsibilities God has given me at work,

at home,

and at church,

and anywhere else He has placed me?

So, of course, today I cannot tell you in specific detail

how to manage your personal life with all its varied variables.

But in principle, I can tell you what it should look like for every Christian.

But in practice, no, it can look very different, and that's okay.

So the goal today is simple.

I want to show you from Scripture

what should occupy our thoughts

and determine our actions

so as to better steward our time

for the glory of God.

So with that, we'll look at our text,

Ephesians chapter 5,

Ephesians 5 · chapter mention

starting in verse 15.

We'll be looking at verses 15 through 21.

The Apostle Paul writes,

Therefore, look critically how you are to walk,

not as unwise, but as wise,

redeeming the time,

for the days are evil.

For this reason, do not become fools,

but discern what the will of the Lord is.

And do not get drunk with wine,

in this is debauchery,

but be filled by the Spirit,

speaking to one another in psalms,

in hymns,

in spiritual songs,

singing and making melody to the Lord from the heart,

giving thanks always for all things

in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,

to God the Father,

submitting to one another in fear of Christ.

So in this text today,

there are five commandments,

some do's and some don'ts,

and these do's and don'ts serve as contrasts.

But we're going to divide the text in three parts

based on the contrasts.

So our outline for today,

number one,

be critical in your walk.

And number two,

understand the will of the Lord.

And number three,

be filled in the Spirit.

And I'll repeat these as we go along.

So our first section today,

number one,

be critical in your walk.

Looking at verses 15 through 16.

Specifically,

let's start with the first half of verse 15.

Paul says,

look critically at how you are to walk.

So that's the first of our five commandments,

the word look.

In Greek,

it is the imperative blepete,

which literally means look,

or some translate it as consider,

but it has the idea of looking with your eyes.

And Paul modifies this commandment verb

with the adverb critically,

or some translations say carefully.

But I prefer critically,

because the way Paul is using this word

is not in the sense that we should be cautious

or timid in our walk,

as the word carefully may imply.

Rather,

Paul uses this word in a way to convey

that we are to be tedious,

that we are to really examine

every weight and grain of our walk.

There's a high level of scrutiny

in looking at our walk in this way.

And our walk is simply Paul's way

of describing our life with Christ

and the progression of our sanctification over time.

So regarding this walk,

we are to weigh it or to judge it

by looking at it constantly.

Now, for those of us worried about time

and wanting to accomplish more each day,

this is a challenging command.

It is challenging because Paul, I think,

is essentially saying

we should make time to think

and to think specifically about our walk.

And I also assume in this,

just knowing a little bit about Paul

and other things he's written about,

that he has praying in mind,

that we should pray that God

would enlighten us,

that he would give us wisdom

to discern our walk rightly,

to know the true state of our stance before him.

And we don't like hearing that

because we want to get something done

that's tangible.

We would never admit this,

but functionally, sometimes,

often, for some of us maybe,

we treat prayer and quiet time

as a waste of time.

And nonetheless,

this is what the word of the Lord says.

Paul, by implication, says,

make time to think,

to look,

and to pray.

Discern your walk.

So as you've lived this week

and in the upcoming weeks,

are you walking rightly with God?

Are you examining yourself

before God in prayer

and in his word?

Are you practicing repentance

when necessary?

Are you practicing obedience

and growing in your faith?

In the second half of verse 15,

Paul describes how we are to walk.

He says,

not as unwise,

but as wise,

redeeming the time

for the days are evil.

Now, the very imagery of walking

is a moment-to-moment progression.

This world is full of sin and wickedness.

Paul wrote in the beginning

of his letter to the Ephesians,

Ephesians 2:1–3

chapter 2, verses 1 through 3,

all about mankind

apart from Christ.

And this includes you and I

before Christ.

He said of mankind

that we are dead,

that we are sinful,

that we are following

the way of the world,

following Satan,

controlled by the passions

of our flesh.

And Paul says all of that,

and he says that we walked

in that way.

So he's building a contrast

throughout his letters.

Two paths,

two ways of walking,

two directions.

So in chapter 2,

verses 1 through 3,

we see what walking unwisely

looks like.

But now,

Paul tells us

we ought to walk wisely.

Well, what does that actually mean?

So in the ancient world,

wisdom was not merely

something you possessed

intellectually or in your mind.

rather,

wisdom was knowing

the way things truly are

in the universe

and then living in accord

with that truth.

So you think about

Stoicism,

the ancient Stoics,

this meant for them

understanding the true nature

of the universe

through physics

and math and literature

and so on.

And out of these things,

they would create

a philosophy,

in their case,

Stoicism,

and then they would live

in accord with that philosophy.

To live outside of accord

with that philosophy

was to be unwise.

So there was this

obedience idea

wrapped up in wisdom,

not just knowledge.

And this was true

for the Christians too,

except we are aligning

ourselves with the truth

of God,

the creator of the universe,

and learning to live

in light of that truth

so as to change

our thinking,

our acts,

and our living.

So walking in wisdom

for Paul

is walking in accord

with the nature

and the will

of God.

So we are to look

critically at our walk

to evaluate

if we are walking

in accord

with the nature

and will of God.

And this commandment

comes with a good

and necessary

consequence.

So looking at

verse 16,

walking in wisdom

leads to,

quote,

redeeming the time

for the days

are evil.

So for those of us

tempted to think

that stopping,

quietly considering

our walk,

praying,

evaluating ourselves

before God,

those of us

who are tempted

to think that

that is a waste

of time,

Paul says just

the opposite.

Paul says that

by critically

considering our walk

so as to ensure

that we walk

in wisdom

actually redeems

the time.

And what is it

redeemed from?

The evil

we would have

committed

had we not

taken the time

to critically

examine ourselves

in our walk.

Paul says

for the days

are evil.

So we must be

so careful

in this world

and through wisdom

we not only

avoid evil

but we produce

acts

of righteousness

when we live

in accord

with the truth

of God

and his word.

So it is worth

the time

to stop

and look

at our walk

with God.

In this

we actually

make good use

of our time

and not only

the time

that we sit

quietly

but the rest

of the time

as we prepare

our hearts

and our minds

for the day

because we have

prepared ourselves

in thought

and prayer.

But there is

more to walking

in wisdom

more that will

help us

use our time

better

and so Paul

goes on

in verse 17

and this leads

us to the second

part of our

outline.

Part number two

do not become

fools

but understand

the will

of the Lord.

Part number two

do not become

fools

but understand

the will

of the Lord.

Paul writes

in the first

half of verse 17

for this reason

do not become

fools.

So this is our

second commandment

of five

in this text.

Do not become

as the commandment.

Do not become

what?

Don't become

fools.

For the sake

of not wasting

our time

not wasting

away our

very lives

Paul gives

us the second

commandment

in this passage.

We ought not

become fools.

Well who is

the fool?

Proverbs 18

2 says

a fool does

not delight

in understanding

but only

in revealing

his own

mind.

He's a boaster

a talker.

Proverbs 29

11 says

a fool

always loses

his temper

but a wise

man holds

it back.

And we could

go on and

on but

ultimately

we know

the fool

is the one

who rejects

Christ as

the cornerstone.

Christ made

this clear

at the end

of the Sermon

on the Mount

when he described

the one who

builds his

house on the

rock versus

the fool

who builds

his house

on the

sand.

So to be

a fool

is to be

unwise.

To be a fool

is to not

consider your

walk with God

and to be a

fool is to

waste away

the time

God has

given you.

Allowing your

days to be

in service

to evil.

So Paul says

not to be

foolish and he

goes on second

half of verse

17 but discern

what the will

of the Lord

is.

That's

commandment

number three.

Discern what

the will of

the Lord

is.

Well what is

the will

of the Lord?

And Paul

here is not

speaking about

what college

you should go

to, who

you should

marry, how

many kids

you should

have, or

any of those

kind of life

decisions though

those are

important.

Paul is

actually talking

about the

ultimate will

of God for

mankind and

creation, the

big plan.

What is this

plan?

Well again, if

you read all

of Ephesians

you would know

Ephesians chapter

one verse

four, Paul

writes of

God's will

and he

says, even

as God

chose us,

referring to

the church,

so even

as God

chose the

church in

Christ before

the foundation

of the world,

so there it

is, he's

planned this,

that we

should be

holy and

blameless

before him.

Paul

continues,

in love he

predestined

us for

adoption to

himself as

sons through

Jesus Christ

according to

the purpose

of his

will.

And Paul

goes on

after describing

this plan of

salvation, it

says in

Ephesians chapter

one verses

nine through

ten, that

God has

made known

to us,

these are

Paul's words,

known to

us the

mystery of

his will

according to

his purpose,

which he set

forth in

Christ as a

plan for the

fullness of

time to

unite all

things in

Christ, things

in heaven and

things on

earth.

So, through

Christ's

death, sacrifice,

resurrection,

ascension, not

only are we

saved, but God

is uniting all

things, heaven

and earth, creation,

man, in

Christ for his

good plan to

worship him and

glorify him for

eternity.

So, clearly, when

Paul refers to the

will of the Lord in

our text in

chapter five,

verse 17, he is

building on the

will of the Lord

that he opened his

letter explaining.

So, in sum, the

will of the Lord is

to save his people

by placing them in

Christ and uniting

all things in

Christ for his

glories.

This is what we

call the gospel.

And so, you may

wonder then, well,

isn't Paul writing

to the church in

Ephesus?

In other words,

believers, wouldn't

they already know

the gospel?

Why would he

command them to

discern the will

of the Lord if

they already know

it, if they

already know the

gospel?

And again, Paul

is discussing this

discernment in

light of the

walking that we

as believers are

called to or

commanded to

examine.

In other words,

Paul is saying

we ought to

consider and

know the will

of the Lord so

well that we

instinctively apply

it to our everyday

walk with him.

Whatever situation,

whatever encounter,

whatever the day

brings, we are

training ourselves

consciously,

intentionally,

intentionally and

daily to have

gospel criteria

informing our

every desire,

action, and

decision.

And we don't

have time to

examine all of

Ephesians, but

go read it for

yourself this

afternoon.

It's short.

And it will be

clear that Paul

has these things

chiefly in mind

concerning the

will of the

Lord and the

life of the

believer.

Three things in

my mind.

Number one,

submission to

Christ in all

things.

Number two,

loving and

living in

harmony with

the church.

And number

three, doing

everything to

the glory of

God.

And of course,

under this,

you'll see

things about

relationships

between wife,

husband,

slave,

masters,

children,

parents,

and so

forth.

But in

summation,

these are the

three big

areas, the

ideas.

And finally,

we have our

last section

where we will

spend most of

our time.

Section three,

do not get

drunk, but be

filled in the

spirit.

Verses 18

through 21.

Do not get

drunk, but be

filled in the

spirit.

So the first

half of verse

18, Paul says,

do not get

drunk with

wine, in

this is

debauchery.

And so we

have commandment

number four.

He says, do

not get

drunk.

Now this

commandment, it

may seem

random or

unrelated to

Paul's flow of

thought, but

rest assured, it

flows very well

with his line of

thought, and we

will examine that

in just a

moment.

But I

briefly wanted to

comment on

this, just

because I

know throughout

our lives,

maybe not

necessarily in

this church,

but various

relatives or

friends or

whoever,

different

traditions,

this is kind

of a

controversy,

should

Christians

drink or

not.

And of

course, I'm

not going to

dissect all

of that or

don't really

want to spend

a lot of

time on

that at

all.

I just

want to

note that

Paul's

commandment

here is

against

drunkenness,

not drinking.

There are

some Christian

brothers who

refuse to

drink and

they claim

it is a

matter of

wisdom,

and I

respect that

view a

lot.

I grew

up in a

dry family

for which

I'm so

thankful

personally.

In fact,

I've never

had a

drink,

I'm 26

years old,

but even

I will tell

you that

for Paul,

he does

not pit

living wisely

against merely

the act of

drinking

responsibly.

drunkenness.

In his flow

of thought

and discussing

wise walking,

he never

condemns

drinking

responsibly,

he condemns

drunkenness.

And we

see the

same idea

pop up in

1 Corinthians

6,

12.

Paul writes,

all things

are lawful

for me,

but not

all things

are helpful.

All things

are lawful

for me,

but I

will not

be dominated

by anything.

So as

believers,

we have the

freedom to

drink responsibly,

or we have

the freedom

to not

drink at

all,

and neither

brother is

the weaker

brother.

I cannot

tell you how

many times

in college

I had some

cage stage

bro come

up to me

and tell me

I was not

living in

freedom because

I didn't

drink,

that I was

being legalistic

even though I

held that

conviction

privately.

And I just

want to tell

you I think

that mindset

of trying

to convert

people to

drink or

not to

drink is

ungodly.

If you

want to

and they

want to,

that's totally

fine and do

it to the

glory of

God.

But don't

ram a drink

down someone's

throat.

And frankly,

the truly

weaker brother

in this whole

conversation is

the one who

feels the need

to tell others

what to do,

whether to

drink or

not to

drink.

We have

freedom to

enjoy or

not,

and that's

that.

So there

are just so

many other

more important

things to

discuss and

have unity

on,

and this

is just

not one

of them.

So with

that aside,

we can

return to

Paul's

flow of

thoughts.

I think

Paul picked

on drunkenness

in particular

in this

passage

because it

contrasts so

well with

the idea

of critically

considering our

walk,

walking wisely

and as we'll

see in a

moment being

filled by

the spirit.

it.

So the

contrast is

twofold in

my mind.

One,

drunkenness

represents the

opposite of

redeeming the

time.

Of course,

all sin is

sin,

but there's

something unique

about drunkenness

in that it is a

complete and

total waste

of time.

Drunkenness

does not do

anything or

accomplish anything

except lead the

drunk to ruin

apart from

Christ and

faith in

Christ.

Number two,

drunkenness is

the complete

opposite picture

of the man who

considers his

walk and is

thoughtful in

how he plans

to live so

as to pursue

life with

God.

But the

drunkard has

no aim in

life and gives

no thought to

tomorrow,

just the next

drink.

In fact,

Paul is

probably quoting

Proverbs 23

when he warns

of drunkenness.

So let me read

just a portion

of that to

give you an

idea of the

thought world

that he and

his readers

were in as

they considered

this.

Solomon writes

in Proverbs

Proverbs 23:19–21

23 verses

19 through

21, he

says,

Hear,

my son,

and be

wise,

and direct

your heart

in the way.

Be not

among drunkards

or among

gluttonous

eaters of

meat,

for the

drunkard and

the glutton

will come

to poverty

and slumber

will clothe

them with

rags.

And Solomon

goes on in

that very same

chapter in

verses 29

through 35,

which says

this,

Solomon asked,

Who has

woe?

Who has

sorrow?

Who has

strife?

Who has

complained?

Who has

wounds without

cause?

Who has

redness of

eyes?

And he

answers,

Those who

tarry long

over wine.

Do not look

at wine when

it is red or

sparkles in the

cup and goes

down smoothly.

In the end

it bites like

a serpent and

stings like

an adder.

Your eyes

will see

strange things

and your

heart utter

perverse

things.

You will

be like one

who lies

down in

the midst

of the

sea,

like one

who lies

on the

top of

a mast.

They

struck me,

you will

say,

but I was

not hurt.

They beat

me,

but I did

not feel

it.

When

shall I

awake?

I must

have

another

drink.

So clearly

the drunkard

described in

Proverbs 23

is enslaved

to the

bottle and

as a result

his life

amounts only

to what the

bottle allows

as his

master.

And

drunkenness

is a

cruel

master.

But for

those of us

in Christ,

regardless of

what prior

sins we

were enslaved

to,

we have

freedom in

Christ.

In

Ephesians

Ephesians 1:13

chapter 1

verse 13,

Paul says

upon believing

in Christ

in response

to the

gospel,

we were

sealed with

the promised

Holy Spirit

who is the

guarantee of

our inheritance

until we

acquire

possession of

it to the

praise of

his glory.

So Paul's

flow of

thought in

our text,

chapter 5

verses 15

through 21

continues then

and he's

saying no

longer shall

you be

filled with

wine or

in other

words,

do not get

drunk with

wine,

but he goes

on in the

second half

of verse

18,

but be

filled by

the Spirit.

And this

is the

fifth and

final commandment

in our

text,

be filled

by the

Spirit.

So for

us to

understand

what Paul

means by

this,

this phrase

be filled

by the

Spirit,

we have

to look at

the Greek

and the

Greek verb

here is

pleluste.

Now,

this verb

is a

present

passive

imperative

verb.

There's

your geeky

grammar for

the day.

And this

tells us

a few

things.

The

present

tense

means this

is an

ongoing

action that

we,

as believers,

are commanded

to practice

and obey

day to

day,

moment to

moment.

It's to

characterize

us being

filled by

the Spirit.

But Paul

is not

saying that

we gain

and lose

the Spirit

throughout

our lives.

We just

saw that

we are

sealed with

the Spirit

in Ephesians

Ephesians 1 · chapter mention

chapter 1.

So clearly

that's not

what Paul

means.

No,

what he

means is

that we

are to

practice

obeying

the Spirit

as he

directs

us.

Not

obeying

the

drunkenness

of wine,

but obeying

the sobering

joy and

wisdom

of the

Spirit.

And the

passive voice

of the

Greek verb

tells us

that we

are being

filled

by the

Spirit.

In

other words,

we are

not being

more filled

with the

Spirit.

We fully

possess the

Spirit by

God's

grace because

of the

work of

Christ.

What Paul

is saying

here,

rather,

is that the

Spirit is

filling us

with something.

And I

believe Paul

is referring

to the

fullness

of God.

In Ephesians

Ephesians 3:19

chapter 3,

verse 19,

Paul was

praying for

the church,

and he

prays that

the church

would know

the love

of Christ

that surpasses

knowledge,

that we

may be

filled with

all the

fullness

of God.

And Paul

prays this

because this

is not

something you

and I

can do,

only something

God in

his grace

toward us

in Christ

can do.

Daniel

Wallace,

an evangelical

Greek

professor,

tracing the

language of

fill or

filling in

Ephesians,

summarizes the

idea best when

he says,

quote,

believers are

to be filled

by Christ,

by means

of the

Spirit,

with the

content

of the

fullness

of God.

I love

that

Trinitarian

imagery

of God

working on

our behalf.

So Paul

is not

talking about

the indwelling

of the

Spirit.

That work

is done

and sealed

for us

who are

in Christ.

Now he

is saying

we are to

be sanctified

by means

of the

Spirit,

filling us

with the

fullness

of God.

And finally,

the verb

is in the

imperative,

which means

it is a

command for

us to

obey.

So you

might wonder,

how can

this verb

be a

command for

us to

obey,

and at

the same

time imply

that it

is the

Spirit who

is carrying

out the

action?

Well,

stick around

for our

series in

Romans.

But in

short,

it is

clear.

The Spirit

is filling

us with

the fullness

of God

and we

must be

willing and

obedient

participants

in that

work.

Not the

work of

salvation,

which is

entirely a

work of

God,

but a

work of

obedience,

a work of

sanctification,

in which we

cooperate by

grace.

So kill

off your

selfish desires,

your idols,

your values,

and your

thoughts.

Die to

self and

give of

yourself

fully to

God by

cooperating with

the leading

of the

Spirit,

as He

continually

fills you

with the

fullness of

God.

A simplification

of this idea

is found in

John 3.30.

Quote,

He must

increase,

but I

must

decrease.

Now,

here we are

and we

still have

three verses

to go,

but all of

Paul's

commandments

in this

section end

here in

verse 18.

Verses 19

through 21,

which we are

about to look

at,

describe the

results or

the activity

of the

one who

is being

filled by

the Holy

Spirit,

the one

looking

critically.

So we're

about to

see what

life looks

like for

those of

us who

obey and

keep these

five

commandments.

So verse

19,

speaking to

one another

in psalms

and hymns

and spiritual

songs,

singing and

making melody

to the Lord

from the

heart.

So as I

said,

we participate

in true

worship from

the heart

only when

we keep

these five

commandments

we've just

considered.

And note

that when

Paul says

one another,

he's not

talking about

you and

your friends

or you and

your family

primarily,

though those

would certainly

be good

relationships to

worship God

with.

But Paul

primarily has

the church

body in

mind.

He's writing

to the

church of

Ephesus

after all.

And Paul

goes on to

describe the

wise walker,

the one being

filled by the

spirit and

says in

verse 20,

giving thanks

always and

for all

things in

the name of

our Lord

Jesus Christ

to God

the Father.

Again,

notice that

communal

language.

Paul says

our Lord

Jesus

Christ.

The one

who critically

considers his

walk and

is not

drunk with

wine but

filled by

the spirit

with the

fullness of

God is

one who

gives thanks

always and

for all

things.

So again,

I ask,

is your

life marked

by a

practice of

thanksgiving?

Are you

generally

thankful for

everything at

all times in

your life,

the good and

the bad?

Now is an

opportunity to

critically examine

your walk.

And finally,

verse 21,

the last

description for

those of us

who keep

these five

commandments.

Paul writes,

submitting to

one another

in fear of

Christ.

I say yet

again,

Paul is

talking about

the church

primarily at

this point.

The church

ought to

submit to

one another,

and this

may sound

like a

commandment

in English,

and it

certainly is

a commandment

elsewhere in

scripture,

but in our

text,

in Greek,

it is

clearly not

a commandment,

but describing

the result

of keeping

the actual

commandments

in this

passage.

This

submission is

to be done

in fear

of Christ.

The idea

here certainly

is reverence

for Christ,

but it is

certainly also

a genuine

fear of

Christ's

chastisement

for disobedience.

How better

and how much

more satisfying

it is for

us to simply

obey Him.

So in

summary,

Paul tells

us in

this passage

that we

are not

to be

unwise or

foolish or

waste our

time in

drunkenness.

Rather,

we are to

look critically

at our

walk.

We are to

discern the

will of the

Lord with

gospel criteria

for any

given

circumstance,

any given

encounter in

this life.

And we

must be

continually

filled by

the Spirit.

And when

we obey

these

commandments,

our life

will be

characterized

by speaking

and singing

scriptural

truths,

giving thanks

always to

God and

submitting to

one another.

And all

of this is

in the

context of

the local

church.

So there

you have it.

Now you're

all wondering

what did

most of that

have to do

with me

stewarding

my time

better?

What happened

to those

questions asked

at the

beginning?

How should

I spend

my time?

How do

I find

balance in

life?

How do

I know

I'm not

neglecting

the

responsibilities

God has

given me

at work,

at home,

and at

church?

But based

on our

text today,

and others

that we do

not have

time for,

I want to

suggest

strongly that

these are

the wrong

questions.

These are

not questions

we as

Christians

should really

be all that

worried about.

and I

would even

say they're

the wrong

focus.

But Paul

has provided

a different

way,

a better

way to

spend our

lives,

to consider

how we

spend our

lives,

to the

glory of

God.

If you

notice,

Paul's

emphasis

in this

text is

not on

a checklist.

It is

not on a

pie chart

for how

you should

break up

your hours

and minutes

throughout

the day,

nor is

a step-by-step

process for

better managing

your time.

In fact,

the aspect