Sermon Tone Analysis

TIME

*Selected Scriptures*

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Dr. Martyn Lloyd Jones wrote: */How often do we hear about the discipline of the Christian life these days?

How often do we talk about it?

How often is it really to be found at the heart of our evangelical living?

There was a time in the Christian church when this was at the very center, and it is, I profoundly believe, because of our neglect of this discipline that the church is in her present position.

Indeed, I see no hope whatsoever of any true revival and reawakening until we return to it.”

/*

 

One of the areas of our lives that we must be disciplined in the use of is our time.

Most (not all) but most of the stress that we experience in our lives we experience because of time demands and or financial demands.

Why is that?

Simple, because time and money are such large parts of our lives; and because they are such large parts of our lives how we use them directly impacts our growth in Christ likeness.

One of the ways that we are to be like Christ is in the disciplined use of our time.

Jesus was such a good steward of His time that when He came to the end of His earthly life He was able to say *“I glorified You on the earth, (HOW?) having accomplished the work you have given me to do.” (John 17:4NASB95)*

 

Go back and circle and underline two words in that verse, underline the words *“having accomplished”.

*Having accomplished means to “reach an intended goal, to bring to a full end, to finish a work or duty.”

Jesus could honestly say to the Father – “I’ve done everything that you had planned for me to do, I’ve reached the goal.

I wonder how many of us will be able to come close to saying what Jesus was able to say.

One thing we know for sure, Jesus recognized the value of time and treated it as a resource and not something to be squandered.

The Scriptures speak directly to the subject of time and the wise use of your time.

This morning I’d like for us to look at ten Biblical reasons why you should use your time wisely.

Most of my messages I try and take a “how to” approach, this morning it’s purely a “why to” message.

These ten biblical reasons are taken from a sermon preached by Jonathan Edwards titled “The Preciousness of Time and the Importance of Redeeming it.”

*1.

The Bible teaches us that we must use time wisely “Because the days are evil.”

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*“Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil.”

(Ephesians 5:15-16, NASB95)*

 

Paul wrote these words to the believers at Ephesus who were about to face persecution because they were Christians.

That is the evil days he was referring to.

Paul says in light of the persecution that is to come be sure and make the most of your opportunities to serve the Lord, to grow spiritually, to evangelize the lost.

There is a sense of urgency in his words to not allow any moment to pass by without putting it to good use.

While we may not have to worry right now about losing valuable opportunities due to persecution and affliction that doesn’t mean that the days we live in are any less evil.

The world’s system, (that is the way the world operates), our own fallen sinful flesh and the Devil all scheme in various ways to rob us of our God given opportunities.

The natural tendency of our minds and our bodies is to lead us away from God’s goal for our lives of becoming like Christ and lead us towards the evil of our day.

It’s very easy for our minds to become lazy and undisciplined.

If you doubt that, then why do the Scriptures speak to paying close attention to our minds?

For instance Colossians 3:2 teaches us….

*“Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth.”

\\ (Colossians 3:2, NASB95)*

 

Our tendency is to set our minds not on things above, in other words on the things of God, by the way setting your mind is an act of the will, our natural tendency is to let our minds wander to daydream, to avoid rigorous intellectual activity, to turn on the T.V. and let someone else who doesn’t hold biblical values do your thinking for you!  Don’t do that!

Learn to be discerning and discriminating about what you watch and what you allow your children to watch.

Do more reading and less watching!

What applies to your mind, applies to your body.

Your body would rather sleep than work eat than exercise.

Your sleep~/work habits and your eating habits can like your mind lead you away from Christ likeness.

I’m a firm believer that everyone should live by a schedule.

If you don’t schedule it probably won’t get done!

Schedule your prayer time, your devotional time, your reading and studying time.

Successful people and successful business all run by a schedule; successful Christians schedule time to develop their relationship with the Lord and to serve the Lord by serving others.

*2.

The Bible teaches us that wise use of your time is the preparation for eternity.*

This truth, this reality has implications for both the saved person and the unsaved person.

Firs of all for the saved person and apprehension of this truth leads to the understanding that the only time to prepare for eternity is in time.

In other words the only time all of us have to prepare for what comes after death is now in this life.

In fact the Scriptures urge each of us to prepare now for eternity.

Why the urgency?

Simply because we don’t know when our lives will end; Johnny Carson, Johnnie Cochran, Pope John Paul II, Eddie Albert, James Doohan, Peter Jennings, Bob Denver, Don Adams, Rosa Park, Richard Prior and Pat Moritia, what do all of them have in common?

Each one of them died last year.

None of us are guaranteed of the next breath, the next hour or the next month.

Jonathan Edwards had 72 resolutions that he tried to live his life by.

Resolution nineteen was “Resolved, never to do anything, which I should be afraid to do, if I expected it would not be above an hour, before I should hear the last trump.”

If you are going to make the most or your time, that’s not a bad strategy!

How different would your life be if you lived each hour as if at the end of that hour you were going to find yourself in eternity?

The reality is that will be true for each one of us some day.

We will live our last hour on this life and go out into eternity.

Once your life is over, all opportunities for further service, growth in Christlikeness will be lost forever.

If this hour were your last hour would you be satisfied?

Second the unsaved person needs to be made aware that it is only during this life that preparations for eternity can be made.

The Bible teaches that after death there are no second chances.

The Bible teaches…

* *

*“And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment,” (Hebrews 9:27, NASB95)*

 

That means that there is no reincarnation, no mulligans, and no do-overs.

The decisions people make in this life have eternal implications.

Some bad decisions in life you can outlive.

But rejecting Christ is one decision that you can’t outlive, if fact you have to live with it for eternity.

Since no once can predict with certainty the time of their death, the unsaved person needs to be made aware that every moment they keep rejecting Christ they are in imminent and eternal peril.

Just take a few moments to reflect on the events of the past week.

I doubt that any of the 12 miners who went to work on Monday morning never thought they would never see the sun again.

Yet what happened?

A build up of gas, a flash, an explosion and 12 men who went in never came out.

To use your time wisely now means that you properly prepare for eternity.

*3.

The Bible teaches that time is short*

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Do you know why gold and diamonds are so valuable and pea gravel isn’t?

One word – scarcity!

You can gravel lying around all over.

But not gold or diamonds, they are hard to come by, they are scarce.

Guess what?

You do not have an unlimited supply of time.

Just as gold and diamonds are scarce so too is your time.

If we knew we would never die then time wouldn’t be so valuable and we could waste all the time we want.

But we are going to die; we don’t possess an unlimited amount of time.

Time is in short supply.

James points the reality of our situation.

*“Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow.

You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away.”

(James 4:14, NASB95)*

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*“Man, who is born of woman, Is short-lived and full of turmoil.”

\\ (Job 14:1, NASB95)*

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*“Remember what my span of life is; For what vanity You have created all the sons of men!” (Psalm 89:47, NASB95)*

 

One of the realities that each of those verses teach is that you have a very limited time to serve God, to obey God and to glorify God in this life.

*4.

The Bible teaches that time is passing*

 

*“The world is passing away... “(1 John 2:17a, NASB95)*

 

Statement of fact: THE WORLD IS PASSING AWAY!