PURPOSE
My purpose is to cause us to think about how we are using our time, and to consider giving more time to God.
INTRODUCTION
How Will I Spend My 75 Years?
Statisticians tell us that the average life span is now around 75 years. A few years ago, someone went to the trouble to research what people do with their time. If we live to be 75, most of us will have spent:
§ 3 years, 24 hours a day, acquiring an education —grade school, high school, college.
§ 7 years eating, 24 hours a day — some more, some less, obviously.
§ 14 years, day and night, working.
§ 5 years riding in automobiles or airplanes.
§ 5 years talking with each other — again some more and some less.
§ 1 year sick or recovering from sickness.
§ 24 years of our life sleeping!
§ 3 years reading books, magazines, and newspapers.
§ 12 years amusing ourselves — watching TV, going to the movies, fishing, etc.
That totals to 75 years. As I looked at these statistics I began thinking. Let us suppose that you spent every Sunday of your life, for 75 years — through infancy, childhood, adulthood, old age — worshipping during two church services each Lord's day. Now if you did, how much time would you have spent worshipping God? Figure it out — the answer is less than 11 months. Let's double it because you have always attended two Bible classes a week. If you have never missed a Bible class in all your life, that still just totals 11 months. Think about that — 5 years in an automobile and just 22 months in church! Twelve years amusing ourselves in front of a TV, and just 22 months in church. That tells us a little bit about the brevity of time and priorities in life.
- by Melvin Newland (edited)
DISCUSSION
I 3 REASONS WE SOULD WE GIVE MORE TIME TO GOD
A. First, we should give more time to God because
we belong to Him.
1. We are told by the apostle Paul that we are not our
own. 1 Cor 6:19-20 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.
a. We need to recognize that we were bought with the
precious blood of Jesus!
b. For this reason, we are to glorify God in our
body and spirit
c. Paul reminds us our body and spirit belong to God
2. When we have put on Christ in baptism, God considers
us His own special people. In Titus 2:14
we are told, ...Jesus Christ gave Himself for us,
that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and
purify for Himself His own special people, zealous
for good works.
a. Christ gave Himself for us(we were bought at a
price)
b. And because we are God own special people, we
should be zealous for good works.
c. This idea alone should cause us to want to serve
God with zeal! We are redeemed!
Redeem lit. to buy back
1. make something acceptable: to make something
acceptable or pleasant in spite of its negative qualities or
aspects.
2. atone for human sin: to pay for the sins of humanity
with death on the Cross
d. 1 Peter 2:9 But you are a chosen generation, a
royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special
people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him
who called you out of darkness into His
marvelous light;
B. Secondly, we should give more time to God because, there
will come a time when we will NOT be able to accomplish
His will on earth.
1. Jesus understood this concept and never lost sight
of it while He was here. In John 9:4-5
Jesus said... I must work the works of Him who sent
Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one
can work. 5 As long as I am in the world, I am the
light of the world."
a. We need to have a sense of urgency about our
work for God. When we die is our “end of time”.
When someone we are working with dies that is
their “end of time”
b. Are we lights in this dark world? Are we
allowing the light of Jesus to shine? Matt 5:16
Let your light so shine before men, that they
may see your good works and glorify your Father
in heaven.
2. Paul and Silas understood this concept and never
lost sight of it even after being beaten and jailed.
Acts 16:25 But at midnight Paul and Silas were
praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners
were listening to them.
a. The Lords work can be done at any time. Paul
and Silas were singing and praying at midnight.
Acts 16:30-33 The Philippian Jailer asked "Sirs,
what must I do to be saved?" 31 So they said,
"Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will
be saved, you and your household." 32 Then they
spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who
were in his house. 33 And he took them the same
hour of the night and washed their stripes. And
immediately he and all his family were baptized.
b. Paul and Silas taught the gospel and baptized
the jailer and his household in that same hour
of the night. (midnight)
3. In John 4:35 Jesus told us we need to open our eyes
35 Do you not say, 'There are still four months and
then comes the harvest'? Behold, I say to you, lift
up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are
already white for harvest!
Then He said to His disciples, "The harvest truly is
plentiful, but the laborers are few. Matt 9:37
a. Do we have the attitude that there is plenty of
time. I’ll get to it when I can fit it into my
schedule. 'There are still four months and
then comes the harvest'
b. Jesus says, lift up your eyes and look! The
fields are ready for harvest!
c. We were built to be His workers. Look at Eph 2:10
10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ
Jesus for good works, which God prepared
beforehand that we should walk in them.
C. Finally, we should give more time to God because,
He wants us to redeem the time.
1. In Eph 5:16 the apostle Paul tells us to be wise,
16 Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
a. when we spend time doing His will our time has
value. It’s not useless.
b. when we do His will, we have no time to do evil.
c. It’s hard to sin when...
1) we are in His word
2) we are praying
3) we are worshipping in spirit and in truth
4) we are singing psalms, hymns and spiritual
songs
5) we are serving our brothers and sisters
6) we are teaching the gospel
d. If we go back to our def. of Redeem it means to
make something acceptable. When we redeem the
time, we are making the use of our time accept-
able to God. We are better able to do that when
we do the things just mentioned.
2. In
toward those who are outside, redeeming the time .
New Living Translation says it this way… “Live wisely
among those who are not Christians, and make the
most of every opportunity.
a. Are we redeeming the time?
b. Are we making the most of every opportunity?
3. As I prepared this lesson, I could hear 3 clocks
ticking and each one was reminding me to make the
most of my time…
Paul said in Rom 13:11-14 knowing the
time,
that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for
now our salvation is nearer than when we first
believed. 12 The night is far spent, the day is at
hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of
darkness, and let us put on the armor of light.
13 Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in
revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust,
not in strife and envy. 14 But put on the Lord Jesus
Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to
fulfill its lusts. Paul is saying...
a. Wake up and live for God!
b. We need to live according to the spirit and not
according to the flesh.
CONCLUSION
Let’s decide to give more of our time to God! We should give Him more time because, we belong to Him, there will come a time when we will not be able to accomplish His will on earth. And remember He wants us to redeem the time!
Eccl 3:1-11
1 To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven:
2 A time to be born, And a time to die; A time to plant, And a time to pluck what is planted;
3 A time to kill, And a time to heal; A time to break down, And a time to build up;
4 A time to weep, And a time to laugh; A time to mourn, And a time to dance;
5 A time to cast away stones, And a time to gather stones; A time to embrace, And a time to refrain from embracing;
6 A time to gain, And a time to lose; A time to keep, And a time to throw away;
7 A time to tear, And a time to sew; A time to keep silence, And a time to speak;
8 A time to love, And a time to hate; A time of war, And a time of peace.
9 What profit has the worker from that in which he labors?
10 I have seen the God-given task with which the sons of men are to be occupied.
11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, He has put eternity in their hearts,
When we give more time to God; We grow stronger in the faith. We help the lost to understand the gospel. We help them to obey the gospel. In doing these things we obey the commands of the Lord and follow in His footsteps looking to seek and save the lost. We teach those who have obeyed the gospel to observe all that Jesus has commanded. We help one another to be faithful unto death and to receive a crown of life.
OR
We spend 7 years of our life eating, 14 years working, 5 years traveling, 12 years watching TV, 24 years sleeping.
May God be glorified by the way we choose to spend OUR time.
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