Redeeming the Time 1

Sermons from the Living Word by Ken Trivette

2004-01
REDEEMING THE TIME
Ephesians 5:16

1. THE MEANING OF TIME

A) A Divine Gift
B) A Daily Grant
2. THE MANAGEMENT OF TIME
A) The Priorities That Must Be Settled
B) The Opportunities That Must Be Seized
3. THE MISUSE OF TIME
A) The Folly of a Sinful Life
B) The Fruitlessness of a Selfish Life
 
At the beginning of a New Year, I want you to think about the importance of time. How important is time?
Someone has written:

To realize the value of ONE YEAR, ask a student who failed a grade.
To realize the value of ONE MONTH, ask a mother who gave birth to a premature baby.
To realize the value of ONE WEEK, ask the editor of a weekly newspaper, or ask someone who is facing a
life threatening surgery next week.
To realize the value of ONE HOUR, ask the lovers who are waiting to meet.
To realize the value of ONE MINUTE, ask a person who missed the plane.
To realize the value of ONE SECOND, ask a person who just avoided an accident.  
To realize the value of ONE MILLISECOND, ask the person who won the silver medal in the Olympics.

Time is so important the Bible commands us to “redeem the time.” Twice we are told to redeem the time:
“Redeeming the time, because the days are evil” (Eph. 5:16) “Walk in wisdom toward them that are without,
redeeming the time” (Col. 4:5).
The following poem was found in the Bible of Dr. J. Stuart Holden:

With every rising of the sun

Think of your life as just begun;
The past has shriveled, and buried deep
All yesterdays—there let them sleep,
Nor seek to summon back one ghost
Of that innumerable host.
Concern yourself with but today
Woo it, and teach it to obey
Your will and wish. Since time began
Today has been the friend of man:
But in his blindness and his sorrow
He looks to yesterday and tomorrow.
You and today! A soul sublime
And the great pregnant hour to time,
With God Himself to bind the twain!
Go forth, I say, attain! Attain!

Going forth to attain is another way of saying, “Redeeming the time.” In the year that is before us, there are
twelve months, fifty-two weeks, and three-hundred and sixty-fives days. Each month, week, and day is to be
redeemed. Our text gives us more than a suggestion or recommendation. It is a command! Therefore, our obedience
is expected. What does it mean to redeem the time?
Let me began by first saying a word about:
 
1. THE MEANING OF TIME 
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Sermons from the Living Word by Ken Trivette

 
What is time? Time is often placed into categories and defined as:

• Absolute time: time irrespective of local standards or epochs.

• Astronomical time: solar time reckoned by the counting the hours continuously
up to twenty-four from one noon to the next.
• Civil time: time as reckoned for the purposes of common life in distinct periods,
as years, months, days, hours, etc.
• Standard time: the civil time that has been established by law or by general usage
over a region or country.

When Augustine was asked, “What is time?” he replied, “If no one asks me, I know; if I want to explain it to
someone who does ask me, I do not know.” Henry Wadsworth Longfellow once wrote: “What is time? The shadow
on the dial, the striking of a clock, the running of the sand, day and night, summer, winter, months, years, centuries
—these are the arbitrary and outward signs, the measure of time, not time itself. Time is the life of the soul. If not
this, then tell me what time is.”
If you want to get technical, the American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition defines
time as, “A nonspatial continuum in which events occur in apparently irreversible succession from the past through
the present to the future.”
The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines time as, “The measured or measurable period during which an action,
process, or condition exists or continues.” One has said that time is a measuring rod for the sequence of events.
Another has said with tongue-in-cheek, “Time is that which keeps everything from happening at once.”
What is time? Let me define time in two ways. First, I think of time as:
 
A) A Divine Gift
 
Someone has said, “Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. Today is a gift. That’s why it is called the
present!” Time is among many things a gift. Each day that we live is a gift. Since we began and close each day with
no promise of another, each day we are given is a gift. Every day of life is a gift. Understanding that God is the giver
of life, and that the length of our days is in His hands, we realize that time is a gift from God.
We read in Deuteronomy 4:40, “Thou shalt keep therefore his statutes, and his commandments, which I
command thee this day, that it may go well with thee, and with thy children after thee, and that thou mayest
prolong thy days upon the earth, which the Lord thy God giveth thee, for ever.” Moses reminded the children
of Israel that our days upon the earth are given to us by God.
No one can create time. It is something that is given to us by God. We work hard to expand and extend our
time, but ultimately the number of our days is determined by God. Therefore, each day and every day is a gift from
God.
We read in Lamentations 3:22-23, “It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because his
compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.” One of the Lord’s mercies that are
new every morning is the very day we are given.
Let me also define time as not only a divine gift, but also:
 
B) A Daily Grant
 
With the gift of time comes responsibility. Each day has been given to us by God as a grant or trust. Time is
something we are entrusted with. As the receivers of time, we are the caretakers of God’s gift. Time has been given
to us by God that we might use it for our edification and His glorification. Time is to be redeemed for our good and
God’s glory. Each day of our lives is a gift that God has placed into our possession to use or misuse.
I think of the parable of the Nobleman that went into a far country. He gave each of his servant ten pounds and
said to them, “Occupy till I come” (Luke 19:13). The word, “occupy” means “to do business.” The Nobleman
entrusted each of his servants with a monetary gift. It was not a gift to carry around in their pocket, but a gift to be
used. In much the same way, God has entrusted each of us with the gift of time. The time God gives us is to be used.
Since time is given to us daily, it is to be utilized and used daily.
So, however one may define and describe time, it is more than years, months, weeks, days, hours and minutes.
It is a divine gift and a daily grant. Understanding time in this light, we then realize the importance of:
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Sermons from the Living Word by Ken Trivette

 
2. THE MANAGEMENT OF TIME
 
Go to the bookstore—secular or Christian—and you will find numerous books that deal with time management.
Gurus of time management are popular speakers and authors, and seminars on better managing our time are held
regularly and often well attended. When the Bible tells us to redeem the time it is calling for a proper management
of our time. The word “redeem” means “to buy up.” We would say, “To make the most of our time.” You could
translate Ephesians 5:16, “Taking advantage of every opportunity, for the days are evil.” The idea is of making wise
and sacred used of our time. To redeem the time that is divinely and daily given to us is to manage time so that it is
personally and eternally profitable.
Paul prefaces his command to redeem the time by saying, “See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools,
but as wise” (Eph. 5:15). We are to walk circumspectly, that is we are to walk carefully and diligently. We are not
to be as fools, but wise. The word “wise” speaks of forming the best plans and using the best means for their
execution. To walk carefully and diligently is to redeem the time. To be wise is to redeem the time.
Imagine that your bank credited to your account each day 86,400 pennies ($864.00). However, there is one
stipulation. It has to be spent each day. No balance can be carried over to the next day. Every evening cancels out
whatever sum you fail to use during the day. I know what you would do. I know what I would do. We would spend
it. Here’s news for you. You do have such a bank. It’s called the Bank of Time. Every morning the Bank of Time
credits you with 86,400 seconds. No balances are carried at the end of the day. Every night wipes off any part you
failed to use.
Benjamin Franklin said, “Dost thou love life? Then do not squander time, for that is the stuff life is made of.”
Rather than squandering time, we are to manage or redeem our time. In order to redeem the time, let me suggest two
steps to take.
First, there are:
 
A) The Priorities That Must Be Settled
 
All time management speakers and authors emphasize the importance of priorities. I think of the story I read of
an expert in time management speaking to a group of business students. To drive home a point, he used an
illustration those students never forgot. As he stood in front of the group of high-powered over-achievers, he said,
"Okay, time for a quiz." He then pulled out a one-gallon wide-mouth mason jar and set it on the table in front of
him. Then he produced about a dozen fist-sized rocks and carefully placed them, one by one, into the jar. When the
jar was filled to the top and no more rocks would fit inside, he asked, "Is this jar full?" Everyone in the class said,
"Yes." Then he said, "Really?" He reached under the table and pulled out a bucket of gravel. Then he dumped some
gravel in and shook the jar, causing pieces of gravel to work themselves down into the space between the big rocks.
Then he asked the group once more. "Is this jar full?" By this time the class was on to him. "Probably not." one of
them answered. "Good!" he replied. He reached under the table and brought out a bucket of sand. He started
dumping the sand in the jar and it went into all the spaces left between the rocks and the gravel. Once more he asked
the question. "Is this jar full?" "No!" the class shouted. Once again, he said, "Good!" Then he grabbed a pitcher of
water and began to pour it in until the jar was filled to the brim. Then the expert in time management looked at the
class and asked, "What is the point of this illustration?" One eager beaver raised his hand and said, "The point is, no
matter how full your schedule is; if you try really hard you can always fit some more things in it." "No", the speaker
replied, "That’s not the point. The truth this illustration teaches us is this: If you don't put the big rocks in first, you'll
never get them in at all. What are the big rocks in your life; Your children, your spouse, your loved ones, your
friendships, your education, your dreams, a worthy cause, teaching or mentoring others, doing things that you love,
time for yourself, or your health? Remember to put these BIG ROCKS in first, or you'll never get them in at all.”
When the Bible calls for us to redeem the time, it is calling for us to put the big rocks in first. Of course the big
rocks are the spiritual priorities we ought to have in our life. For example, there is a daily priority. Each day we must
spend time with God in His Word and in prayer.
A few years ago, George Barna found that more than four out of five adults (82%) pray during a typical week.
However, he found that the average prayer lasts just under five minutes. Other studies have found that less than 10%
of Americans read their Bible on a daily basis. It is essential for the Christian to have a time in their daily schedule
when they get alone with God in His Word and prayer. We need God to talk to us through His Word and we need to
talk to God in prayer. Just as the children of Israel gathered manna on a daily basis, we must gather spiritual manna
daily. A daily time of private devotions is a big rock!
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Furthermore, there is a weekly priority. When Sunday comes around, settle it in your heart and life that you are
going to be in Church. Weekly Church attendance is another big rock. In 1996, Time magazines June 24th cover
story told of how studies had found that Heart-surgery patients who draw comfort from their religious faith have a
significantly higher survival rate than those who do not. The blood pressure of people who attend church is 5 mm
lower than that of those who do not. People with religious faith who attend church regularly experience less
depression than nonreligious people, while suicide is four times higher among non-churchgoers.
While Church attendance may be good for us physically, it is essential for us spiritually. Daily devotions and
weekly Church attendance should be priorities in our life. If these things are not settled in your life, make them
priorities today.
Furthermore, to redeem the time there are not only priorities that are settled in our life, but there are also:
 
B) The Opportunities That Must Be Seized
 
As I stated earlier, redeeming the time means that we buy up and seize the opportunities that are presented us. A
farm boy accidentally overturned his wagonload of corn in the road. The farmer who lived nearby came to
investigate. “Hey, Willis,” he called out, “Forget your troubles for a spell and come on in and have dinner with us.
Then I’ll help you get the wagon up.” “That’s mighty nice of you,” Willis answered, “But I don’t think Pa would
like me to.” “Aw, come on, son!” the farmer insisted. “Well, okay,” the boy finally agreed. “But Pa won’t like it.”
After a hearty dinner, Willis thanked his host. “I feel a lot better now, but I just know Pa is going to be real upset.”
“Don’t be foolish!” exclaimed the neighbor. “By the way, where is your Pa?” “He’s under the wagon.”
There are some things best not put off until a later time. Take the matter of salvation. If you have never been
saved, you need to seize the opportunity you have to be saved. In Matthew 25 the parable is given of the ten virgins.
Five are spoken of as being wise and the other five as being foolish. The five that are called foolish are so called
because they had no oil in their lamps, thus when the bridegroom came, they were not ready for his arrival. In
Matthew 25:10 we read the words, “And the door was shut.” They missed their opportunity.
The Bible says in 2 Corinthians 6:2, “…behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of
salvation.” Being saved is not something that you want to put off or should put off. God’s time is now! Today! If I
have heard it once, I have heard it dozens of times, “I know I need to be saved, but not now. I’ll get saved later.” An
unknown author has given us these words:

“Tomorrow,” he promised his conscience;

“Tomorrow I mean to believe;
Tomorrow I’ll think as I ought to;
Tomorrow my Saviour receive;
Tomorrow I’ll conquer the habits
That hold me from heaven away.”
But ever his conscience repeated
One word, and one only, “Today.”
“Tomorrow, tomorrow, tomorrow—
Thus day after day it went on;
“Tomorrow, tomorrow, tomorrow—
Till youth like a vision was gone;
Till age and his passion had written
The message of fate on his brow,
And forth from the shadows came Death
With the pitiless syllable, “Now!”

There is no guarantee that any of us will have a tomorrow. That is why God says, “Today is the day of
salvation.”
There is also the matter of service. If you are saved you should live for God and serve Him. It has been well
said, “Only one life to live, twill soon be past; only what’s done for Christ will last.”
Many Christians are like Louis Boone, a poet and novelist who once said, "I definitely am going to take a
course on time management... just as soon as I can work it into my schedule." When it comes to Christian service, I
have often heard people say, “I wish I had more time; then I would get involved.” My answer is very simple. If you
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are too busy to serve God, then you are too busy.” When it comes to serving God you need to take time and make
time in your schedule.
Elizabeth Elliot said, “There is always enough time to do the will of God. For that we can never say, ‘I don’t
have time.’”
There will come a day when you will wish you had served God. Every day you fail to serve God is one less day
you have. If you are going to serve God, now is the time to get started. Jesus said to His disciples in John 4:35, “Say
not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? Behold, I say unto you, lift up your eyes, and look on
the fields; for they are white already unto harvest.” In short, Jesus said, “Don’t put service off until a later time. The
time is now to serve God.”
Someone has written:

There’s a loving letter, I mean to send

There’s a visit, I mean to pay,
There’s a careless habit, I hope to mend,
When I get time, someday.
There’s a dusty Bible, I mean to read,
There’s an hour, I’ll keep to pray,
And I’ll turn each dream to a golden deed,
When I get time, someday.
I’ll carry flowers to the sick and sad,
I’ll seek for those, who stray,
You may trace my steps by hearts made glad,
When I get time, someday.
So we’ve thought, and so we’ve said,
Yet, how sad to relate,
That busy with less important things,
We’ve waited until, too late.

The Bible commands us to redeem the time. To redeem the time priorities must be settled and opportunities
must be seized.
Lastly, let me say a word about:
 
3. THE MISUSE OF TIME
 
An anonymous writer has said, “One thing you can’t recycle is wasted time.” U.S. News and World Report did
a survey of 6,000 people in 1988 and found that the average American will spend during their lifetime:

 Six months sitting at stoplights

 Eight months opening junk mail
 One year looking for misplaced objects
 Two years unsuccessfully returning phone calls
 Four years doing housework
 Five years waiting in line
 Six years eating

When I read that, I thought to myself, so much of our time is wasted. So much time is misused. Let me in
closing suggest two ways in which time is misused.
First, there is:
 
A) The Folly of a Sinful Life
 
To live in sin and live for sin is to live a wasted life. The devil and the world will convince you that they have
all you need to have a good time and be happy. However, they never tell you the end result of a sinful life. The Bible
is tells us that “the pleasure of sin” are but “for a season” (Heb. 11:25), and that the “wages of sin is death”
(Rom. 6:23).
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Ask the prodigal son in Luke 15 if he felt his time in sin was worthwhile. He would tell you in a heartbeat that
sin never produces what it promises. He would be one of the first to tell you that a sinful life is a tragic waste and
misuse of time. The only real happy life—let me repeat with greater emphasis—the only real happy life is one lived
for God. You can find many who wish they could be free from the grip of sin, but you will never find anyone who
wishes to be free from grace of God. Sin always results in burdens. Salvation always results in blessings. Sin always
brings shame and guilt. Salvation always brings satisfaction and glory.
The folly of sinful life is not only a misuse of time, but also:
 
B) The Fruitlessness of a Selfish Life
 
To live only for yourself is a misuse of time. Someone has taken the word “Joy” and used it as an acrostic: J is
for Jesus, O is for others, and Y is for you. When Christ and others are before self, there will be joy. But, to live in
your own little world and only for your selfish pursuits, is to live an empty and fruitless life. As we began a New
Year, what will be important in your life? Will Christ be first? Will you make His commands priorities in your life?
Will you enter this New Year without Christ or will He be Lord of your life? Will you use the time God has given
you or misuse it? What kind of year you will have depends much on whether or not you redeem the time.