Redeeming The Time

Good morning. Open up your copy of God's Word to Ephesians chapter 5.

Ephesians 5 · chapter mention

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.

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.

1 Corinthians 3:12

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.

1 Corinthians 3:12

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,

2 Corinthians 4:16

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

Ephesians 5:15

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

Jeremiah 9:23

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.

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,

Colossians 4:5

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,

John 2:4

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.

John 2:4

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,

John 19:30

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.