February 15th, 2015

If you would turn in your Bibles to Ephesians chapter 5, we've been making our way through Ephesians, if you're not aware, as a church.

Ephesians 5 · chapter mention

We've been in it for some time now.

And the end is in sight.

So if you would look to Ephesians chapter 5, we're going to be in three verses this morning, verses 15, 16, and 17.

Ephesians 5 · chapter mention

Let me begin by saying this.

I don't know if you know this.

But there are 168 hours in a week.

All of us have been given 168 hours in a week.

So the question that I have for you this morning, how do you decide to use your 168 hours?

What informs your decisions of how to spend the 168 hours God gives you this week?

This past week, I came across some interesting facts from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

They gathered information from Americans who are employed between the ages of 25 through 54 with children.

So a little cross-section of Americans.

Americans and they processed the information and they came up with the following daily averages of time use.

On average, Americans sleep 7.7 hours a day.

I'd like half of that.

Anybody else?

I'm kidding.

On average, we work 8.7 hours a day.

On average, we spend 2.5 hours a day on leisure.

Or as the Brits say, leisure.

On average, we spend 1.1 hours a day on household tasks.

Again, this is a cross-section of all Americans.

On average, we spend an hour a day eating and drinking.

On average, we spend 1.3 hours a day caring for others.

And on average, we spend 1.7 hours a day on everything else, whatever that may be.

Here's the point.

Each one of us is given 24 hours a day.

168 hours a week.

And how are you making use of the time that God has given you?

Christian, does the way you spend your time look any different than those who are still walking in darkness?

If you would turn now to Ephesians chapter 5, I'm going to read this passage.

Ephesians 5 · chapter mention

Ephesians chapter 5, 15, 16, and 17.

Ephesians 5 · chapter mention

It's a command.

It's an exhortation.

Look carefully, then, how you walk.

Not as unwise, but as wise.

Making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.

Therefore, do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.

God, in this passage, is calling each of us to take stock of how we're using our time.

Why?

Because being a follower of Jesus changes the way we spend our time.

Why is that?

Because God, by His grace, has radically changed us.

And He has brought us into a knowledge of His eternal plan for all.

So we no longer live for ourselves.

We are seeking to do the will, the eternal will, of our Lord.

And believe it or not, it shows up in our weekly schedules.

This morning, God is calling us to a wise use of our 168 hours that He will give us, Lord willing, this week.

He wants us to leverage our time for His eternal will.

We must walk in light of eternity.

When you prioritize your life according to God's will, you will make the best use of your time.

You will walk wisely.

This morning, I want you to see three points that come from this passage that will help prioritize your life.

The first point is this.

Examine your life.

The second point is you've got limited time.

The third point is this.

God's eternal will prioritizes our daily lives.

So, let's look at this first command here to examine our lives in verse 15.

Look carefully then how you walk.

Look carefully then how you walk.

Examine your life.

What God is commanding us to do here is to pay careful attention to our lives.

Remember that word walk?

Examine your life.

It's Paul's favorite word to describe how you live your life.

We're all on a journey.

We're all traveling.

We're all going somewhere.

And God is commanding us to take focus, to focus in on how we are walking, how we are living,

how we are spending our days.

The sense of that word careful can also be rendered accurately.

And so, this isn't just a general paying attention to your life.

This is carefully paying attention to your life.

This is paying attention to the specifics.

The sense of this little word, look carefully to how you walk,

is taking a careful, detailed etch your life.

And not just one careful look,

but the verb is actually, means kind of an ongoing looking to.

So, ongoingly, keep looking carefully at your life.

God is calling us to regularly examine our life.

Who likes that word examine?

Seriously.

It's not a warm, cuddly word, is it?

Think about it.

A medical checkup?

Also known as an examination?

Who likes having their body measured, poked, and prodded?

Seriously.

A job review?

Also known as an examination.

I mean, who can't just wait to walk into your boss's office

for the annual review?

Seeing the good you've done

and the not so good that you have done.

It's a holding to account.

I mean, think about a tax audit.

I mean, it is tax season, isn't it?

It's a tax examination.

You don't want to get audited, do you?

You don't want to be brought through that.

It's a holding to account.

It's kind of like this.

You know when you look at your check register,

your checking account online,

and you're kind of going through all your purchases,

and you're going through carefully,

you're like, yeah, yeah, that was a good purchase.

No, that wasn't a good purchase.

Yeah, that was a good purchase.

No, that wasn't a good purchase.

You're examining your checking account.

You're paying careful attention

to make sure you're spending your money wisely.

So when Paul is telling us here

to look carefully at our life,

he's saying to examine the way

that you are living your life.

Hold yourself to account,

is what he's saying.

This is a call to self-examination.

This is a call to self-reflection.

Which means you may see something

you don't want to see.

Why is God commanding us to do this?

Why does God want us to pay careful attention

to the way we're living?

Does he just want us to become self-absorbed?

Nah, that's not it.

God knows our tendency,

even as Christians.

Our tendency is to lose focus and drift,

isn't it?

To lose focus and stray,

to lose focus and wander.

God loves us.

And he wants us to stay focused on living

for what matters most.

That's wisdom.

And so when we examine our lives,

we examine our lives

through the lens of wisdom.

So what God is saying to us here

is son, daughter,

look carefully how you live in your life.

Be wise.

Now,

taking stock of your life

is not just a Christian thing.

Socrates

said this,

the unexamined life is not worth living.

Even non-Christians know

that if you don't examine your life regularly,

you'll lose focus

on what's most important

and live for things that are less important.

I mean,

there's a whole industry

seeking to help people

maximize their life

according to what they think

is most important.

Now,

the big difference between Christians

and non-Christians

is what

is

most

important.

What matters most?

And that's why Paul

is introducing the word

wise here

at the end of verse 15.

Look carefully

at how you live in your life.

Not as unwise,

but as wise.

God is saying,

examine your life

to make sure

you're living wisely.

You're walking wisely.

So let me give you

a quick crash course

in the biblical concept

of wisdom.

Our Bibles are packed full of it.

Proverbs jumps out.

As the book

that talks about wisdom.

I mean,

Proverbs 1-7 says,

the fear of the Lord

is the beginning of knowledge.

And then 9-10 says,

the fear of the Lord

is the beginning of wisdom.

Wisdom starts with God.

A wise life

is a life lived with God

at the center of all things.

God governing all that we do.

A wise life

is a life lived dependent upon

and unto God.

Foolishness

is

a life that denies

or disregards God

in everyday decisions.

A life of folly

is a life lived unto me.

The me-centered life.

I am at the center of all things.

All things exist for me.

Now,

if we are honest with ourselves,

brothers and sisters,

that's how we used to live.

We used to live

a life of folly.

We used to be living in darkness,

living ignorant of God

and denying His ways.

That's how we used to live.

And then,

in an amazing display

of God's grace,

Christ shined

into our lives.

Awake,

O sleeper!

And we saw.

We were awakened

to a world

far bigger than our own.

We were awakened

to a life with God

at the center of all things,

not ourselves.

When God saved us,

He delivered us

by the gospel

from a me-centered life

of folly

to a God-centered life

of wisdom.

You know,

the God-centered life

is the good life.

It's the life

of wisdom.

So think of wisdom

as a skill

that's acquired

over the course

of one's life.

And it shapes

one's life.

And here's why.

A wise life

is formed

one godly decision

at a time.

It's living

one decision

at a time

as though

God is at the center

of all things

because He is.

And over the course

of a life,

one acquires

the skill

of godly living.

Living unto God

in all areas.

wisdom.

That's wisdom.

Wisdom is the fruit

of a life fully devoted

to God.

Young people in the room,

whether you're in middle school

or whether you're in high school,

whether you're in college,

Ecclesiastes 12

says this,

remember your Creator

in the days of your youth.

Don't buy the lie

that you can just put it on hold

and come back to it later.

Be wise now.

Wisdom starts now.

Wisdom starts today.

Live unto God today.

what the Proverbs

Solomon sways.

Get it.

Get wisdom.

Get it at all costs.

Make it your love.

Pursue her.

Make her your own.

Be wise.

Live for God

in all things.

What God is urging us

to do here

in verse 15

is to look carefully

and look often

at our lives

to make sure

we're aimed at God.

Living lives unto the Lord.

Walking wisely.

God at the center

of all things.

Now here's what

I want you to feel

this morning.

It's very clear.

You are responsible

to look carefully

at your own life.

You must take stock

of your life.

You must examine your life.

I can't do that for you.

Pay attention to your marriage.

Is your marriage

lived unto the Lord?

Your parenting.

Is it lived unto the Lord?

Your finances.

Is it unto God?

Your entertainment choices.

Is it unto the Lord?

Your personal pursuit of God.

Reading His Word.

Are you praying?

Are they unto the Lord?

Examine your life.

Look carefully

at how you're walking.

Which brings us

to the second point.

You've got limited

time.

You've got limited time.

So what Paul would say is

so make the most of it.

wisdom.

In verse 15,

Paul's writing about wisdom

and then in verse 16

he gets,

oh, so practical

because wisdom

shows up

in the use

of your time.

Making the best use

of the time

because the days

are evil.

Can I just share with you

five things that we all

have in common

regarding time?

All of us in this room.

We all have this in common.

You ready?

We're all Americans,

I believe.

First thing we have

in common is this.

Did you know that

the average American

lifespan is now

79 years?

It's a little bit

better news for women,

ladies.

You'll live 81 years

on average.

Brothers,

you've got 76 years

on average.

So typically,

Americans live long lives.

The average lifespan

of someone living

internationally around

the world is 61 years old.

So as Americans,

on average,

we live longer.

But,

we read our Bibles,

what Moses writes

in Psalm 90 is this,

the years of our life

are 70 by reason

of strength,

80.

So it's really

nothing new.

On average,

all of us

have 70 to 80 years

of life to live.

So that's the first thing

we have in common.

The second thing

we have in common

is this.

Though all of us

have 70 to 80 years

on average to live,

none of us

know how many days

we actually have.

None of us

can be sure

of the day

that we will die.

but there is a day

on which you

and I

will die.

In Psalm 139, 16,

David is

crying out to God

and recognizing

that God has set

the number

of His days.

The day of your death

is known by your God.

You know how you have

a birthday?

You have a death day.

And as Americans,

we don't like

to think about

our deaths,

do we?

But unless Jesus

returns in our lifetime,

each of us

will surely die.

The day of our death

is set.

God knows it.

All of us

are going to die.

And yet we don't know

when.

We all have that

in common.

The third thing

that we have

in common.

We tend to think

of our lives

as expanding.

But in reality,

what God says,

from His perspective,

we are one day

closer to our death.

Or unless Jesus returns.

So we're either

one day closer

to our death

or we're one day

closer to Jesus' return.

But

what God says is

the window of your life

on earth

is closing.

How does that sit with you?

Dude, will you stop

bumming me out?

I came to be

with God's people

to get encouraged, brother.

You're bringing me down, man.

You pull up, Salvati?

Come on.

Did you know

that both David,

King David and Moses,

each wrote a psalm

in which they asked

God to make them

know the measure

of their days?

Psalm 39,

4 through 6.

Read it.

But I'd like to direct you

to Psalm 90,

Psalms 90:12

verse 12.

The real question is,

why did they ask God

to remind them

of the measure

of their days?

And 90, 12 says this,

so teach us

to number our days

that we may get

a heart of wisdom.

Knowing that your days

are numbered

and that your death

is drawing closer

should focus you

to live

for what matters most.

God.

His plan.

I don't want to bum you out

this morning.

I want to wake you up

this morning.

There's this guy.

He preached

a very famous sermon.

Sinners in the hands

of an angry God.

Anybody name that guy?

Jay Edwards.

Jonathan Edwards.

And before he was

20 years old,

he wrote these things

called the resolutions.

And so before he was

20 years old,

he wrote 70 resolutions.

And what they were

were things that he would

review every week.

And they were designed

to help him live

a life of godliness.

They're all kind of

springing out

of God's word.

So can I just read you

a few of them?

Resolution number five.

Remember,

this kid's like,

he's like 19 years old.

Resolved,

never to lose

one moment of my time

but to improve it

in the most profitable way

I possibly can.

Resolution number nine.

To think much

on all occasions

of my dying

in the common circumstances

which attend death.

Ladies,

how about Jonathan Edwards

calling you up

to go on a date?

Hey, let's go to Starbucks.

What do you want

to talk about?

Let's talk about dying.

Alright.

Resolution 17.

Resolve,

that I will live so

as I shall wish I had

when I come to die.

Resolution 43.

Resolve,

never hence forward

till I die

to act as if

I were any way

my own

but entirely

in altogether God's.

Man.

Resolution 50.

Resolved.

That I will act

so as I think

I shall judge

would have been best

when I come

into the future world.

You see how

he's living his life?

He's not afraid

of his death.

His death

was compelling him

to live a life

for what matters most.

The things of God.

The fourth thing

that we have in common.

So the first is

on average

we'll live 70,

80 years.

The second is

we're not really sure

about that.

The third is

the window of our lives

is closing.

The fourth is

each of us

has between now

and our death

we all live

within the constraints

of a 24 hour day.

All of us.

All of us.

Each of us

works with the same amount

of allotted time.

Each of us

in this room

and then the 7 billion

other people

on the face

of the earth

all live within

a 24 hour period.

Do you know

what that means?

Everybody's deciding

what to do

with their time.

All of us

live within

24 hour days.

The fifth thing.

The fifth thing

we all have in common.

Each of us

will stand

before Christ

to give an account

for the way

we lived our lives.

how we made

the most

of our time.

Listen to this.

Writing to Christians

in Romans

Romans 14:10

chapter 14

verse 10

Paul writes

for we

Christians

for we will

stand before

the judgment seat

of God.

Verse 12

So then

each of us

will give an account

of himself

to God.

Again

writing to Christians

in 2 Corinthians 5

9 and 10

we read this.

So whether we are

at home or away

we make it our aim

to please him

for

we must

all stand

before the judgment

seat of Christ

so that each one

may receive

what is due

for what he's done

in the body.

Brothers

and sisters

the promise

of this final judgment

should not make us

fear for our salvation.

That's not why

these passages

are here.

Our salvation

has been secured

by Christ

by his death.

In fact

our Savior

will also

be our judge.

But what

should be

sobering us up

is that

we will

have to

give an account.

We will

stand before him

for how we

lived our lives.

And we must

take that to heart.

we must

live in light

of that day.

It's what we all

have in common.

Seventy to eight years

we really don't know

the number of them.

The windows closing

each of us

has to deal

living within

twenty four hours

each of us

will have to stand

before Christ.

So what?

What difference

does this make?

each of us

must decide

how we will

spend the time

God has given

to us.

What God

through Paul

is exhorting us

to hear is

make the best

use of the time

however long

you got.

Make the most

of it.

Now when you

hear the little

phrase make the

best use of the

time don't

immediately think

in terms of

efficiency.

Don't think

Stephen Covey

seven habits

of highly

effective people.

Don't think

David Allen

getting things

done it's a

matter of how

much you can

pack into your

life.

That's very

American.

Think in terms

of the aim

of our life.

The goal

of our time.

Did you notice

the contrast

in verse 16

make the best

use of the time

because the days

are evil.

You know what

we're surrounded

by people

living in

darkness

who are using

time foolishly

for evil

purposes.

We don't want

that.

We want them

to come to

Christ and

live their

lives or

something else

but that's

the way it

is.

We are to

make the best

use of the

time for the

glory of

Christ.

Don't think

how much can I

get done in a

24 hour period.

Think how can I

use this day for

the glory of

Christ.

That's starting to

move in the right

direction of

making the best

use of the

time.

That's wise

living.

It's up to you

to decide how

you're going to

spend your time.

Don't waste

your time.

Live for the

glory of Christ.

Now the question

you may be asking

yourself is,

hey, can you

give me a little

more help than

that?

How do I aim

my life?

Is there something

that can help me

decide what is the

best use of the

time God gives

me?

And the answer

is yes.

Look at verse

17.

God's will

prioritizes our

time.

Verse 17 says

this.

Therefore, do not

be foolish, but

understand what the

will of the Lord

is.

God's eternal

will prioritizes

our daily lives.

Here's the

connection between

16 and 17.

Walking wisely

means making the

best use of the

time.

Verse 16.

Verse 17, Paul

tells us how to

make the best use

of the time.

By understanding

what is the will

of the Lord.

He's saying don't

be a fool and

ignore God's will.

You need to

understand what

the will of the

Lord is in order

to make the best

use of the time.

Now that word

understand is a

very interesting

word.

It means more

than just knowing

the facts.

An intellectual

grasp on things.

The word carries

with it this sense

of bringing

things together.

The idea is

an understanding

that knows how

to practically

live out the

will of the

Lord.

How to put it

into practice.

How to live in

light of the will

of the Lord.

So don't you

want to know

what the will

of the Lord

is?

Well it may

not be what

you think.

God's word

reveals God's

will for God's

people.

John, stop.

God's word

reveals God's

will for God's

people.

But what's

interesting about

Ephesians is

how Paul talks

about God's

will.

He talks about

it.

Not in Ephesians

5.

In Ephesians

1.

In Ephesians

1, Paul

references the

will of God

three times.

In verse 1,

in verse 9,

in verse 11.

And what he's

writing about

is different

aspects of

God's plan

of salvation

for the

fullness

of time.

In other

words,

God's plan

for eternity.

God's

eternal plan

to save

sinners

and to

eventually

make all

wrongs right

and reverse

the curse

all through

Jesus.

So here's

what Paul is

writing in

verse 17.

Don't be a

fool and

think that

this life

is all

that there

is.

live your

70-80

years

in light

of God's

glorious

eternal

plan

to unite

all things

in Jesus

Christ.

That's what

he's saying.

Christ

lit you up

to be

holy.

Now

live

holy

wise

lives

in light

of His

eternal

purposes.

that is

the will

of the

Lord.

In other

words,

God's

plan for

eternity

informs how

we daily

live our

lives.

We

walk

with an

eye

to

eternity.

We live

our lives

in light

of this

greater

reality,

God's

eternal

plan.

This is

an eternal

perspective.

life.

We don't

get that

much.

God's

word

gives

it in

abundance.

God's

plan for

eternity

informs our

decisions.

So I

want to

take a

shot and

try to

help you

out in

how this

makes a

difference in

our lives.

Maybe

some of you

in the room

are asking

the question,

should I

get married?

Well,

here's how

an eye to

God's

eternal

plan makes

a difference

with that

question.

First,

you've got to

realize,

marriage isn't

the end

all.

There's

something

greater than

marriage.

The glory

of Christ.

Second,

you need to

marry someone

who understands

the will of

the Lord.

Brother,

sister in

Christ,

if you're

thinking about

being married,

do you

share the

same aim

in life?

Living

for

Jesus.

For those

who are

married,

how does

an eternal

perspective

change your

marriage?

Are you

at an

impasse

in your

marriage?

Are your

heels dug

in?

Are there

too many

wounds that

are too

deep?

Consider

your

marriage

in light

of

eternity.

Wrongs

done look

a lot

smaller and

less

significant in

light of

God's plan

for the

fullness of

time.

So when

you look at

your marriage

in light of

God's

eternal

will,

step back,

get

perspective,

forgive,

forgive,

forgive wrongs

done.

don't hold

a grudge,

don't become

bitter.

Live for

Christ.

Moms and

dads,

what is the

ultimate goal

for each of

your children?

children.

I want my

child to get

straight A's.

I want my

child to be a

D1 athlete.

I want my

child to be

first chair

cello.

Or maybe,

hey, I really

just want my

child to

potty, be

potty trained.

Really, that's

it.

That's it.

Seriously,

my ultimate

goal right now

is that my

child actually

sleeps five

consecutive hours

so that I

actually can

sleep.

Or maybe

you're thinking,

I just want my

kid to be able

to move out

and live on

their own.

Let God's

plan for

eternity

inform your

parenting.

Parent with

eternity in

mind.

You know what

is going to

happen?

You know

what it's

going to

do?

He will

help you

pick your

battles.

It will

help you

persevere

through trials

because your

child's greatest

need is

Christ.

Eternity

informs how

we see

other people.

I'm sure

you all have

neighbors,

you all have

workmates,

family,

many of whom

are not

Christians.

How do

you think

about them?

Do you

think about

them in

light of

eternity?

Do you

think about

them of

where they

will be

spending

eternity?

It's

compelling.

As we

become more

aware of

eternity and

where people

will spend

eternity,

it's going

to have an

effect.

It's going

to incline

us to

raise a

certain kind

of conversation

that can

be uncomfortable.

A conversation

about spiritually

significant things

because we're

concerned about

where people

will live

for eternity.

let eternity

inform what

you buy.

Eternity puts

things in

perspective real

quick.

Puts things in

the proper

place with the

right perspective.

It'll keep your

stuff from owning

you.

It's going to

rust.

It's going to

break.

It's going to

run its course

of usefulness.

It helps us

to be in

this world

but not of

this world.

So how do

we make the

best use of

the time?

We live in

light of

eternity.

It's real.

We live

understanding

what the

will of the

Lord is to

unite all

things in

Christ.

It's all

about Christ.

We live

for what

matters most.

God's will

has always

been for us

to be holy

and blameless

before Him.

So living

for eternity

and making

the best use

of our time,

do you know

what that is?

That's holiness.

That's living

a life set

apart from

everybody else.

It's making

the best use

of our time

for the glory

of Christ.

Each of us

has been given

168 hours

this week.

Lord willing

as far as we

know.

And what

will set us

apart is that

we leverage

each day

for eternity

is making

the best use

of the time.

I want to

close with

one of my

favorite poems.

It's written

by a guy

named C.T.

Studd.

He was a

stud.

As you will

soon find out,

the name of

this poem is

Only One

Life.

Eight stanzas

will be about

two minutes.

Two little

lines I heard

one day

traveling along

life's busy

way,

bringing conviction

to my heart

and from my

mind would not

depart.

Here they are.

Only one life

which will soon

be passed.

Only what's

done for Christ

will last.

Only one life,

yes, only one,

soon will its

fleeting hours

be done.

Then in that

day my Lord

to meet and

stand before

his judgment

seat,

only one life

which will soon

be passed.

Only what's

done for Christ

will last.

Only one life,

the still small

voice gently

pleads for a

better choice,

bidding me

selfish aims

to leave

and to God's

holy will

to cleave.

Only one life

which will soon

be passed.

Only what's

done for Christ

will last.

Only one life,

a few brief

years, each

with its

burdens,

hopes,

and fears,

each with

its clays

I must fulfill,

living for self

or in his will.

Only one life,

which will soon

be passed.

Only what's

done for Christ

will last.

When this

bright world

would tempt

me sore,

when Satan

would a victory

score,

when self

would seek

to have its

ways,

then help me

Lord with

joy to say,

only one life

which will soon

be passed.

Only what's

done for Christ

will last.

Give me

Father a

purpose deep

in joy or

sorrow,

thy word to

keep faithful

and true

whate'er the

strife

pleasing thee

in my daily

life.

Only one life

will soon be

passed,

only what's

done for

Christ will

last.

Oh, let

my love

with fervor

burn,

and from the

world now

let me turn,

living for thee

and thee alone,

bringing thee

pleasure on thy

throne.

Only one life

will soon be

passed,

only what's

done for

Christ will

last.

Only one life,

yes, only

one.

Now let me

say, thy

will be

done.

And when at

last I'll

hear the

call, I

know I'll

say,

twas worth

it all.

Only one

life,

twas soon

be passed,

only what's

done for

Christ will

last.

Let's pray

together.