Grow Series #17

Kenneth Rabon

Grow • Sermon • Submitted 5 years ago

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Grow Your Time

(Stewardship from God’s perspective)

Time

Talent

Treasures

This week we will be looking at the stewardship of time.

Time is important to God even though He stands outside the boundaries of time.

Among the Ten Commandments God placed a standard for time management.

Exodus 20:8–11 NKJV

8 “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. 11 For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.

We’ve been talking about Growth since the first week of January. So with Growth in mind, what must you do with a seed before it can grow?

Exodus 20:8-

Exodus 20:8 NKJV

8 “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.

(Stewardship from God’s perspective)

Time

Bury it

Talent

Treasures

through burying (planting) the seed it comes in contact with the minerals that cause it to grow healthy. Now i’m aware that you can sprout seed before planting it but if it doesn’t get buried soon enough it will die.

This week we will be looking at the stewardship of time.

I find it interesting that God said we should give up a day each week to rest. I mean after all doesn’t God know how busy life is and how we need our Sunday’s?

Of Course God knows how hectic life is. But He also knows that we need to manage our time so we can enjoy the life He has given us also.

So how fair is it that God has commanded us to take a day off work and to rest? Lets look at how much time we have in order to bring that into perspective.

We Have Time

How much time?

There are 60 minutes an hour, 1,440 minutes a day, 10,080 minutes a week, 43,200 minutes a month.

So how do we spend our time anyway?

The average person spends:

70 days reading the Bible

6 months sitting at stoplights ?

8 months opening junk mail ?

1 year looking for misplaced objects?

2 years on the internet

4 years doing housework ?

5 years waiting in lines

5.5 years driving a car

7.5 years listening to the radio

10 years in front of television

Many people think of stewardship as only meaning money but the Bible speaks of stewardship of our lives!

The Bible teaches that we are stewards

A steward was a servant or slave who had earned the trust of the master.

As Stewards We Are Slaves and He trusts us.

The most important truth that we can learn when we discuss stewardship is that we certainly are not our own.

Perhaps the problem is that many of us are unwilling to relinquish total control to Jesus in everything. But He wants all of us

1. Our time is not ours, it is HIS

1 Corinthians 6:19–20 NKJV

19 Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? 20 For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.

19 Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 20 you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.

You are not your own, you belong to Christ and He wants you to redeem your time

Ephesians 5:15–16 NKJV

15 See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, 16 redeeming the time, because the days are evil.

:15-16

15 Be very careful, then, how you live not as unwise but as wise, 16 redeeming every opportunity, because the days are evil.

The Greek word translated “redeem” is a form of the word that means “buy” or “purchase.” It was used with reference to buying back a slave, and in the NT usually refers Christ’s purchasing our salvation.

“Redeeming the time” is not referring primarily to the hours and minutes of the Christian’s day, but rather to the opportunities we have to serve God.

He has given us so many hours/days on this earth to use as opportunities to serve him.

How much of your day is used to serve Him?

How much of your day is spent telling others about him?

How much of your day is spent teaching your children God’s ways?

The time we are given is not ours, it is His, which He has entrusted to us.

Can you give Him back a little of it? He bought it with His blood. Can you start somewhere today?

1. Our time is not ours, it is His

2. Time is a vapor, just a moment

James 4:13–14 NKJV

13 Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit”; 14 whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.

Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit”; whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.

I read the heartbreaking story of a little boy whose dad was always busy working. One day the boy asked, “Dad, how much money do you earn in an hour?” The impatient dad said, “I don’t know, I guess I make about $50 an hour when I’m working, now don’t bother me.” After a couple of weeks of doing odd jobs around his neighborhood, the little boy approached his dad one evening and said, “Dad, here’s $25. Can I buy 30 minutes of your time so we can play together?”

Our lives are but a vapor on this earth

Time is short, in the scope of eternal life, our time on this earth is miniscule

He is asking you to use the time He has given you wisely.

Many of the things of this world that we waste our time doing, do not make a hill of beans of a difference in anyone but ourselves

Your time with serving the Lord and your time spent with your family should be the most important time you have.

So, you have $86,400 in your account and someone stole $10 from you. Would you be upset and throw all of the $86,390 away in hopes of getting back at the person that took your $10? Or move on and live? Right, move on and live. See, we have 86,400 seconds in every day so don’t let someone’s negative 10 seconds ruin the rest of the 86,390. Don’t sweat the small stuff, life is bigger than that.

Illustration:

So, you have $86,400 in your account and someone stole $10 from you. Would you be upset and throw all of the $86,390 away in hopes of getting back at the person that took your $10? Or move on and live? Right, move on and live. See, we have 86,400 seconds in every day so don’t let someone’s negative 10 seconds ruin the rest of the 86,390. Don’t sweat the small stuff, life is bigger than that.

-Unknown

1. Our time is not ours, it is His

2. Time is a vapor, just a moment

3. Your time can change the world

Has your life made a difference?

Have you used the time God has given you to grow up Godly children?

Have you used the time God has given you Grow Kingdom Relationships by sharing the Gospel in Love to your family, friends and coworkers?

Have you used the time God has given you to play with your kids?

Have you used the time God has given you to serve God’s people?

I know its not a popular idea but we are actually supposed to live seeking how we can serve the other person not upset because they don’t serve us.

Time is NOT your enemy…unless you make it so. To "redeem" your time is to discern and do the will of God. If you do this, time will be your friend, not your adversary. And God will establish the work of your hands.

Have you taken the time God has given you and used it to change the world?

Solomon in the hospital concerned about serving us.

But Pastor I have to work

But Pastor I have to pay the bills

But Pastor I have go on those trips

But Pastor….

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Of course you do. God isn’t asking you to quit your job or not pay your bills

One of the main points of the 4th commandment is to learn to manage our time to make room for what matters.

is asking you to use the time He has given you wisely.

Illustration with Rope:

He wants His time with you

He is waiting patiently for you to turn to him and tell Him how much you have missed Him.

He loves you and He awaits His precious time with you.