Bibles with me as we will read from the book of Psalms, Psalm 127. Then we'll turn to our text, which is Ephesians chapter 5, verses 15 through 17. So first then, Psalm 127. Let us hear God's holy and inspired word. Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who built it. Unless the Lord guards the city, the watchman stays awake in vain. It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows, for so he gives his beloved sleep. Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord. The fruit of the womb is a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, so are the children of one's youth. Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them. They shall not be ashamed, but shall speak with their enemies in the gate." So far, this portion of God's Word, and then we come to our text, Ephesians chapter 5, the verses 15 through 17. See, then, that you walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Therefore, do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is. So far, then, the reading of God's word and also the reading of our text. congregation of the Lord, raising children can be a tremendous investment, a tremendous investment. Some 20 years ago, a government study was made how much it would cost parents to raise a child from day one to age 18. At that time, the conclusion of this study was that it would cost an average set of parents around $160,000 to raise an average child from their date of birth to their 18th birthday. And this study did not take in consideration even any Christian school tuitions. This was 20 years ago, and I'm sure that the investment has sharply increased since then. But now, for us, as Christian parents, the investment of money isn't even the point, is it? Because we love our children, don't we? Without ever counting the cost, as most parents do, we don't count the cost as such. But the investment is still something that we are called to do. And how is that? Well, it's the investment of time, you see. That is what counts for you and for me, the investment of time. The Bible calls this investment of time, redeeming the time. And we want to concentrate particularly on those terms. At this baptism service, I want to consider with you how you and I then are called to redeem the time as parents of a baptized child or children. And so, I have as theme this hour, God's charge to us to redeem the time. In the first place, the wisdom of doing this. Secondly, the reason for doing this. And then thirdly, the manner in doing this. Now, congregation, God charges us here in our text to redeem the time. And we have something similar also in Colossians 4 and verse 5, walk in wisdom towards those who are outside, redeeming the time. Well, what does it mean then to redeem the time? Well, time here is not so much the meaning of a period of hours or days or weeks, but rather opportunity. Redeeming the time could therefore be interpreted then as buying up the opportunity, or as one translator has stated it in this way, make the most of opportunities. Now, this is what is called spiritual and biblical wisdom for you and for me. Or let me say it this way. Parents are to conduct themselves wisely. How? By being shoppers at a very peculiar marketplace. In fact, it is a marketplace where time is purchased, or to be more precise, where opportunity is bought, so to speak. And so, parents are to go to that kind of marketplace. And where can that be found? It is to be found by the wisdom of God. In other words, wise parents are Christians who shop for opportunities, who look for opportunities, and who make the most, then, of opportunities. Opportunities for what, you might ask? Well, in a general way, opportunities to serve the Lord as God and as master, to speak well of Him, and to win others for Christ. but in a more specific way, especially as Christian parents, opportunities to lead our children to the Lord Jesus Christ. After all, wise parents redeem that kind of time. They buy up such opportunities. And so, dear parents, are you wise? And I speak to not just this beautiful family here, but I speak to all those who know themselves to be parents, dear parents. Are you wise in redeeming the time? Are you wise? Are you wise in conducting yourself towards each other and towards your children by looking for opportunities and making the most of those opportunities by speaking to each other and speaking to your children, letting your children hear it about the Lord Jesus Christ. That is really what we are called to do here by way of our text. Proverbs 11, verse 30 tells us that he who wins souls is wise. Now, this is what the Apostle Paul is trying to tell us in our text passage as well. Wise Christians redeem the time by winning souls for Christ. And whose souls could be more precious than the souls of your children? Again, are we wise Christians, and are we wise parents? And I would want to include grandparents as well. I ask this on purpose, dear people, because Paul tells us here in our text that we are not, and he stresses this, that we are not to conduct ourselves as fools. And this points up to each one of us that there is that possibility that we as Christians can sometimes conduct ourselves foolishly, unwise. He warns against that. This is why we become involved in the Word of God every Lord's Day, as it is proclaimed to us, but why we read the Word of God every day for ourselves as well. because we live in a very, very foolish world. This is when we, you and I, become involved in making a living for ourselves and setting up our business, entertaining ourselves, doing what is good for me, doing for what we like to do rather than what God wants us to do. And we need to avoid all of those dangers, you see, because we, as Christians, we sometimes conduct ourselves foolishly. And I say that as much about myself as I dare say it of all Christians. We sometimes conduct ourselves foolishly, dear people. Instead of redeeming the time, we waste our time. And as Christians, we often waste our time, and that in so many different ways as well. Instead of teaching our children the ways of the Lord, we tantalize ourselves with the ways that the world has set before us. Instead of being clear examples of Christ-likeness, we try to follow the world dictates in terms of outward appearance, in terms of political correctness and speech, in ways and habits that cater to the woke ideology. Instead of listening to the Word of God and doing what this Word tells us, we are often caught up in ourselves. And I speak as Christians, the disciples They had the greatest word in person with them, the living word standing amongst them, Jesus Christ himself. And what did those disciples do at times? They bickered with each other as to who would be the greatest amongst them. All of this is utter foolishness and it is a waste of time. And so, dear people, you and I, we need to stop wasting our time. We've got to stop being foolish. We have to stop being unwise. We need to become very serious about redeeming the time, buying up the opportunity, and learning then to make the most of the opportunities that the Lord God sets before us. We must learn, therefore, to become wise Christians. And notice what it says too, see then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise. Now, notice this as well. Our text does not call us to be smart, or highly intelligent, or clever, but it calls us to be wise. There are a lot of smart people around, some of them highly intelligent, some of them very clever. but they may not necessarily be wise. You see, you don't have to be a rocket scientist to be a wise Christian parent. And for that matter, your children don't have to be rocket scientists to be wise Christians. There are Christian adults, but also Christian children, whose intelligence quotient is not very high. They cannot accumulate much knowledge. They struggle through school. Their capacity for memory is very small. And yet they can be very wise, very wise. I must go one step further yet. This is why mentally challenged children can still be wise Christians, and why those with significant intelligence blockage can be Christians, and why those identified in school as very slow learners can still be Christians. God does not require of you great accumulation of worldly knowledge. He does not require that of you, but He does require of you Bible knowledge, knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. And as we grow up, God wants us to know that we are sinners by nature, and that Jesus Christ is the great and altogether lovely Savior of sinners, and that he did this through the sacrifice on his cross, and that we believe that our salvation from sin is what he has been able to get for you and for me. And all of this your child can grasp. It is enough, if that is all they understand, Jesus saves from sin. It is possible, then, for your child to be saved. But you, as a wise parent, must look for opportunities to show that to your child. Redeeming the time. I pray, therefore, dear people, that you see the wisdom of this. But now, secondly, let us consider the reason for doing this. Redeeming the time, so our text says, because the days are evil. Now, as you're no doubt well aware of this, we live in evil days. The world, by and large, is done away with God and with his word. The Ten Commandments and the Lord's Prayers, they have long been banished from the schools, secular schools already, and from political circles. The world has set aside the sacredness of marriage as well, and it has broken apart the institution of the family and turned the nurture and the discipline of children upside down, in fact. Has this world really become a better place for you and for me? It hasn't, has it? How tragic that a child in the womb can be labeled a fetus and can therefore be aborted at will. How tragic that children can be abused in unmentionable ways and can be lured into taking drugs and left to commit suicide. Evil, dear people, evil is breaking loose in our world of today and that in the most blatant forms. And you and I were told by those higher up that we then are to be tolerant of it all, and that we, you and I, are never to be guilty of any kind of discrimination at all. Well, the Bible tells us redeeming the time because the days are evil. And dear parents, we are called to raise our children in an environment of evil. We can shelter them for a while, especially when they're still very young, but they soon reach the age that they themselves will be confronted with all this evil. A chapter later, Ephesians 6, verse 12, the Apostle Paul forewarns us and tells us that we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. These principalities and these powers and these rulers of darkness and these spiritual hosts of wickedness, they are targeting our children, our young people. They want to brainwash our children before they are at an age when they begin to think for themselves. And this is what makes our days so evil, dear people. A brand of what I call new Marxism has taken over. whereby parents are told that certain government agencies, they will raise their children through daycare centers and schools and curriculums that specialize in sex education and gender education. Such government agencies, they have all but obliterated parental authority. At any time, certainly this time, we are in the midst of an evil age. Let me give you just one example. A 12-year-old in Ontario will not be able to drive a car or buy cigarettes or vote for some years. but they can get an abortion all on their own without having to tell their parents. As Christian parents, we must be well-informed, we must be wise because the reason is obvious. See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time because the days are evil. Well now, as my third point, in respect to redeeming the time, let me briefly say something yet about the manner of doing this. Our text sheds light on this when it says, therefore, be not unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is. Now, dear people, I think that everyone here knows very well what the will of the Lord is. All you need to do is read the Bible. That's all you need to do. There's the will of God, right there. And let me just be theological for a moment. Let me explain that this text does not speak of the secret will of God. but the revealed will of God. As we're told, for instance, in Deuteronomy 29 and verse 29, the secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever. The revealed will of God for us as parents and for our children is clear. God's will is not that evil should spread in the hearts and lives of our children. We must therefore protect our children from such spreading of evil. Now, this may mean some practical application as well, not permitting some TV shows to be watched. This may mean purchasing and setting up an internet nanny in some cases. This may mean withholding the purchase of a smartphone until our son or daughter is of a responsible age. God's will is not that our children should indulge in wickedness and in perversion. This means early teaching sessions with your little ones about what is bad and what is good. and why badness can be so attractive to the flesh, and what is good seems to be so alien to us, but we need to tell them about these things. This means that we will have some household rules as well, and guidelines in place, and that corrective discipline should be exercised at times very lovingly. God's will is not that any infant should ever be aborted. This means, therefore, that we as parents should never be shy to speak to our maturing young people about abstaining from sexual immorality. God's will is not that our children walk around in a daze because of a drug overdose. This means that we as parents become knowledgeable about this growing crisis in our land, and that we become very vigilant about our children's behavior from day to day and week to week. God's will is not that our children should die in their wickedness. God himself makes this very clear in Ezekiel 33 and verse 11, say to them, as I live, says the Lord, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live Turn, turn from your evil ways, for why should you die? Here is the Lord God Himself speaking to your people." This means that we, you and I as parents and grandparents, we are to take every opportunity to teach our children and grandchildren the Word of God, both by word and by example, because By it, the way of salvation is taught, namely, that Jesus Christ suffered and died on the cross, and that Jesus Christ rose again on the third day and lives in order, in order to seek and to save the lost. This means that we, as parents, not only speak to our children about God's godly living, but also that we set the example of what it means to live a godly life. And most positively now, it is God's will that we and our children walk respectfully, as our text says. This means that we and our children learn to give very careful consideration of all the circumstances around us and that we cultivate a desire to avoid mistakes and bad consequences. In other words, according to our text, we must learn to live wisely. And one of the prayers that I found to be becoming more and more important for myself, Lord, teach me and make me teachable. Teach me and make me teachable. Well, how may we learn all of this then? Well, by praying for wisdom. by asking the Holy Spirit to teach us that wisdom, and by getting back to the very Word of God, where we may catch that wisdom and absorb it, as it were, soak it in, and practice it then on our children and on our grandchildren. And if you need any help, if you need any sort of direction, then turn, especially young people, turn to the Book of Proverbs for this, because the Book of Proverbs is an excellent manual on how we are to grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Book of Proverbs. Dear parents, we have great encouragement through baptism. It shows God's will and promise for you and your little one, your children. Barely a month old, God has placed a sign of his grace-filled covenant promise on her as well to show that he, God, wants the best for her. and for your parents, your children. Therefore, all parents, please take note. All you who are baptized, take note. We have God's charge to us to redeem the time. Let us be wise. Let us not be foolish. Let us not waste one moment of that time. However, Perhaps you have to admit that you're not a Christian yet. And then I ask you, has the world really been able to fulfill its promise to you? Has the world really satisfied you? Has the world and its practices and its recommendations made you a better man, better woman, a better young person? Let me guess. I believe that you will have to admit that the world has let you down time and time again. Well, I may tell you this hour that the God of the Bible will never let you down if you put your trust in Him and place all your hopes on Him. Our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, as you've heard already, He has sacrificed His very life so that He can give you that new life as well, and that you will be satisfied to no end, to no end. Turn to Him, therefore, and ask Him to set you free from the bondage and the slavery of the world, from the bondage and slavery of sin, and from its predilection to evil. Ask Him that you may be a follower of what is good and wise, and to teach you that. You'll experience a new way of raising your children and a wiser way of being parenting. You will learn to redeem the time, and it will be good for you. It'll be good for your children as well, even good for your grandchildren. Therefore, redeem the time. Make the most of the opportunity to become a Christian because, as you've heard, the days are evil. You'll be a wiser man, a wiser person, a wiser woman, for it all, because Jesus Christ, he is the one who will lead you in the right way. You have heard his word. Amen. That was a closing thanksgiving prayer. Lord God, we thank you for your Word that has been recorded for us in the Bible, and we thank you that we can say that this is your Word, that you have addressed us through the Word and the Spirit, and that you have given us good direction as to what it means to be good parents. Help us to understand this, help us to call on you to show us the way that we must go. Bless the parents, bless the parents here who just had their little child baptized, and we pray that you would make all things well with her and the other children with her, and make it well with the congregation. Bless this congregation and its various needs, especially the need of having a new pastor. Bless the brothers, elders, and deacons. Enable them to give good direction to this congregation. and may all things work out well to the glory of your holy and most precious name. May the Lord Jesus Christ be also shown to us in every way as we redeem the opportunities that are given to us. In his name we pray and thank, amen.