I invite you to open your Bible this morning to the book of Ephesians, chapter 4, to begin with. We'll look at chapter 4. Of course, for many weeks now, we have been in this exhortative or imperative section of the epistle, which began in chapter 4, verse 1. We found often repeated the word walk. In the four preceding paragraphs to the one we're coming to today, Paul has used the language of walking. Walking. To depict the contrast between the lifestyle of one who is in Christ and those that are outside of Christ. Walk is first mentioned in chapter 4, verse 1, which is the topic sentence of the last three chapters. I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk. worthy of the calling with which you were called. The therefore there, of course, is rooted in the result of understanding the first three chapters. As a result of understanding the indicatives that indicate what you are in Christ in chapters 1, 2, and 3, therefore walk worthy of that calling that you now understand. In verse 17, he urges his readers to walk in holiness, not to fall back on the old patterns of the Gentile way of life. In chapter 5, verse 2, the admonition is, walk in love. And then he explains what walking in love involves. And then in verse 8 he says, those who were once darkness have now become light in the Lord and are therefore to walk as children of light. That is live, walk, live the values. that are opposed to those of the surrounding world, opposed to the darkness, walk as children of light. Now as we come to this new section of the Epistle, which encompasses verses 15 through chapter 6, verse 9, we're going to see this same verb appear one last time in the Epistle. And the Apostle Paul urges his readers in verse 15 of chapter 5, be careful how you walk. This is a general admonition. It's going to be expanded in verses 18 to 21 of chapter 5, and then it's going to be specifically expanded in describing three basic relationships, wives and husbands, in chapter 5 verses 22 through 23, children and parents in chapter 6, verses 1 to 4, and slaves and masters in chapter 6, verses 5 through 9. Now, we're going to work this all out over approximately eight or nine sermons. We're not going to rush this instructive material, but you need to know that thematically, structurally, from verse 15 to chapter 6, verse 9, forms one well-knit unit. Walk, and then how you walk, both first generally, and then specifically. Let us look at our text, Ephesians chapter 5. We'll be doing verses 15 through 17 today. Ephesians chapter 5, verse 15. 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. The admonition Walk carefully. See to it that you walk carefully. We all take care in matters of life that are important to us. Our families, our jobs, our ministries, even our appearance. We take care. Well, here is an exhortation to take particular care over your Christian life. And he's going to cover two specific areas that he's calling us to take care. First, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. And second, understanding what the will of the Lord is. And these are the two that we'll consider today. We'll first consider at length the commodity of time. God has given every human being the same amount of seconds in a minute, minutes in an hour, hours in a day, days in a year. We all have the same amount of time. We cannot create more time. Once it's past, the wisest of men cannot retrieve time. Yet it seems like we waste so much time wishing that we could. while we can't retrieve lost time or create more time, we can make the best use of the time that is given us. So we're going to consider today some practical use of our time. We're going to consider some time wasters and we're going to consider how to be good stewards with this limited non-renewable commodity. And this is going to take the bulk of our time today, considering time, and at the end we're going to look at what it means to walk carefully or walk wisely as we focus our time in understanding what the will of the Lord is. That'll be at the end. Most of our time will be discussing time. But as we come to the end of the sermon, we'll pick up on verse 17, understanding what the will of the Lord is. In particular, we're going to see understanding his will in the plan of salvation, that is the ultimate reconciliation of all things under Christ. So again, first practical considerations concerning how we use our time, and then we're going to revisit at the end that often repeated theme of the wisdom of God in the revelation of his plan of redemption through the cross of Jesus Christ. Littering the area of northern Africa between Egypt and Libya are an estimated 17 million landmines. These landmines were placed in that terrain some 70 years ago during World War II, but nevertheless are still active to this day and they still detonate and still explode. An estimated 8,000 deaths and casualties, most of which who are children, are attributed to the explosion of landmines in Egypt alone in the last 20 years. In these areas, When they're about to build a prospective community, or housing complexes, or if they're about to till the land to be farmed, first what happens is professional trained mine clearers go into this land wearing protective gear and carrying very sensitive metal detectors, and they carefully and completely walk through these fields inch by inch. You can even see this when they do it, how they do it. It's literally they take these inch-long steps for fear of stepping on a landmine and any slight little tweak on the metal detector gets their ear. And a lot of times these landmines are marked and removed so as not to explode or to randomly kill. Sometimes they can't even remove them and they have to detonate them. They have to cause them to explode there so that they don't go off and kill an innocent civilian. As I thought about our text and meditated on our text this morning, it brought to mind the careful manner in which mine clearers must walk in their mission to make an area safe for landmines. So the title of our sermon today is Walk Carefully. And that is the admonition that Paul gives us. Walk carefully. And the text conveys a wartime urgency. Look at Ephesians 5.15 again. See. See that first word? See then that you walk circumspectly. See. Watch. That's battlefield language. Watch. Remember, we've just had the urgent wake-up call of verse 14. Awake sleeper, arise from the dead. Well, verse 15 now are the marching orders for the one who is risen. It's an urgent message to the awakened sinner. These are your first battle orders. This is your call to arm. After being raised from the dead, you're immediately enlisted into warfare in the spiritual realm, and that requires that you be careful in the manner in which you walk. You're awakened in Christ, not to the bliss of an uneventful existence, but you are awakened into a battle, not unlike a child who is born. Benjamin and Jesse are aware, I know, of the child that came into this world. There's been so much on our hearts these past two weeks. This child was birthed into a battle for her very life. As any child is in the womb, it's all comfortable, but then you go out into a battle of life. Likewise, you who are born again do not be deceived. You are born into a minefield filled with objects that would explode and destroy your walk. See to it then that you walk carefully. Paul uses the Hebrew idiom here, walk, to describe the Christian life. The word walk in the Old Testament refers to lifestyle more than it refers to literally walking. For example, Psalm 1, blessed is the man who does not walk in the follower, who does not follow in his lifestyle in the counsel of the ungodly. Paul uses walk in this way to detail what behaviors are appropriate and what are not appropriate for a Christian. We've been going through this. We saw in chapter 4 verse 18 through chapter 5 verse 7 that you're no longer to walk in lewdness, and uncleanness and greed and lying and stealing, but rather be renewed in the spirit of your mind. We're to speak truthfully to one another. Be careful that no rotten word comes out of your mouth, that there's no filthy language, coarse joking, all that. And then in chapter 5, verse 8, he says, walk as children of light. And he tells you then how. What does a child of light look like? He walks in goodness and righteousness and truth. Well, now here in this final exhortation to walk, in chapter 5, verse 15, we are instructed, be careful how you walk. Not as unwise men, but as wise. The New King James translates it as, walk circumspectly. It literally means, just like that mind clear, carefully looking around every inch, systematically. with precise care. Watch that you be careful for the most important thing that you have been given your Christian life. Be painfully careful for each step that you take. Watch for every piece of metal You should have your ears pierced like those men who are going to clear the mines. They can hear the slightest sound of a metal detector. Have your eyes pierced for protrusions in the ground that just might be a mine that's about ready to explode. Walk the field with intense care and diligence and precision. The Greek word is akribos, where we get the word acrobat, and it calls to mind the careful walk of a tightrope walker. Not very different from the mind-clearer, is it? We can imagine at times the mind-clearer might step and hear something, and then almost like an acrobat, need to balance like a tightrope walker. And that's the careful walk that's characteristic of those in verse 15 who are described as wise men and not fools. We're not to live as fools. We're not to live as someone who has not been informed of truth or undiscerning people, but to live as wise people. I think of Christian in Pilgrim's Progress. He had a moment of unguarded time and he decides to go off the path to bypass Meadow. And in those moments of unguarded time, we become susceptible, susceptible to giving into comforts which would take us off the path. If you read the book, you remember Christian was tired of walking the same stony, narrow path day in and day out, and he craved the feeling of soft grass under his feet, so he temporarily left the path to go on by Pass Meadow. Following after that comfort, that easier walk, But it led him down a path of danger that would ultimately only bring him back to the very place that he strayed. And at that moment of decision, choose wisely. Choose wisely. I remember Indiana Jones, I think it was the third one where the cup and the antagonist comes in and says, he picks a cup and it's a beautiful cup. This is the cup of Christ, he says, and he drinks it. And he ends up disintegrating. And the man there, the sage man says, he did not choose wisely. Choose wisely. Wisdom is more than knowing factual information. Sinclair Ferguson defines wisdom as the ability to process knowledge into practical ability. There's your walk. Process knowledge into practical ability to apply it to life situations and circumstances. You see, we could preach truth up here. Truth can go into your mind, but then it is up to you to walk that truth. Wisdom is manifested mostly in the manner in which we use our time. Whether you're wise or a fool is demonstrated in the care with which you use time. Look at the text again, verse 15. Chapter 5, see then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time. Verse 16 says, redeeming the time. God works out His eternal purpose of grace in time. The creation, Genesis, all expressed in time. Evening and morning and days. Life exists in time. Past, present, future. God lives outside of time, but we are born, we live, and we die in time. We live our daily earthbound existence in time, and are never outside of time. Ecclesiastes 3, for everything there is a season and a time, for every purpose under heaven. Jesus came and said, the time is fulfilled, the kingdom of God is at hand. And if anyone's life typified one who redeemed the time, it is Jesus Christ. And so we are called to follow after Him by redeeming the time that is given us. Four crucial aspects of time that we need to understand. If we're going to value time, we need to understand these four aspects of time. Number one, time is limited. We only have a certain number of days. God has given us only a certain number of days to live for His glory. The psalmist had it right when he said, teach us to number our days that we may apply our hearts to wisdom. Time is limited. Time is invaluable. Not all the riches of the world can buy you one more second of time. When God says your time is up, it's up. You can't buy more of it. And you're spending it every day. What are you spending this most valuable treasure on? Thirdly, time is irreplaceable. One could lose all of his earthly possessions, just like Job did, and get them back. You could lose your IRAs, your investments, your gold, your silver, your property, and you can earn all that back. The one thing you will never recover is a second of time. Somebody once ran an ad in their local paper. Yesterday, somewhere between sunrise and sunset, two golden hours each set with 60 diamond minutes, no reward offered for they are gone forever. What have you been spending this limited, invaluable, irreplaceable commodity on? Number four, time is God's sovereign gift. The psalmist writes, my times are in your hand. That's the proper perspective on life. It is God's gift. God rules over every moment of your life. We spend this limited, invaluable, irreplaceable gift on what? If we are in Christ, we are to spend it on Christ. And this word, redeem the time here, literally means buying up time. We're to purchase, buy up time. We pray that Pastor Bill and Denise would never need to experience this, but should a hurricane develop in the Gulf? What does everyone do to prepare? Where does everyone go? People run down to the Walmart or the Home Depot as quickly as they can, and they buy up everything that they think they're going to need, thinking the worst calamity. There's a sense of urgency to this buying up. And if you're not there quickly enough, you find all the shelves empty. Well, that's the kind of urgency that Paul is writing here. Buy up the time. Take advantage of every sacred opportunity, every moment that you have for doing good unto God. Show yourself wise by making the best use of your time that God has given you. The text is clear. If you're not wise in the use of your time, you're a fool. Now, look at the reason Paul gives for our need to redeem time, verse 16. Redeeming the time. Why? Because the days are evil. Because of the evil around us. The things that compete for our time. We're either surrendering time and wasting time or buying time back. And Paul is the perfect example of this. Look at Paul. He's in prison at this time. And what is he doing with his time? He's writing the Word of God from prison. John Calvin writes, the more occasion there are to provoke us to wickedness and pull us away from God, the more let each one of us strive and strain to do good. Brothers and sisters, time needs to be bought back from this present evil age. This age would seek for you to waste your time. This is the problem with the entertainment industry. This is why all the preachers of the past would preach against the playhouses and the cinemas. They were great time wasters. Well, you know what? We have time wasters in our own homes now. It used to be that you had to plunk down eight bucks and you'd waste two hours, maybe once a month, at a theater. Now, with Netflix, you can waste two hours every night for the same price. You see the schemes of the devil in this, to waste your time? We live in an age that spurns the idea of redeeming time, and they set up landmines to rob you of the time. You can Google time wasters. You can find out how you can waste your time. cell phones, email, internet, Facebook, music, movies, commercials, ball games, TV, computer gaming, iPods. These are all landmines. Am I saying that you should never partake in these things? No. Am I saying get rid of your television, never go to the movies? I'm not saying that, brothers and sisters. I'm saying you're either being bought by these things or you're buying back time. You're either going to redeem time or waste it. And I'm saying this so that you might understand the schemes of this evil age. Realize that the days are evil and be aware of the age in which you live and what is offered to you to attempt to waste your time. Landmines that you must walk carefully, circumspectly. Society will teach you that leisure is the antidote to work. Entertainment is the antidote for boredom. Have you bought into this formula, brother or sister, living from one sensation to the next, one event to the next? It's pitiful. It's a pitiful existence. Don't be a fool. Don't be unwise. It literally means don't be senseless, is what that means. It means don't have your senses lulled by the anesthetic of entertainment. Ask yourself the question, what do your instincts lead you to do with your free time? This is one of the best tests to know whether you're redeeming time or not. What do your instincts lead you to do? You have free time, what do your instincts lead you to do in that time? Be on guard for time wasters, particularly in the area of entertainment. Here's a few practical things to keep in mind when it comes to redeeming time. Number one, realize that unplanned time Usually means certain sin. Unplanned time means certain sin. I think of David and Bathsheba as the perfect example of that. Here's David, supposed to be in battle one day, and decides to take a stroll on the top of the roof and breathe in the nice air, and his eyes stray to Bathsheba and he ends up in sin of adultery and murder. Unplanned time. Number two, be on guard against the time-wasting thief of sloth. and excess sleep. Proverbs 6, verses 10 and 11. A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep, so shall your poverty come on you like a prowler. Number three, another thief that would steal your time. Sinful company. Sinful vain company. Being around unbelievers without the reason to share the Gospel with them. The Scripture would tell us bad company corrupts good standards. Be on guard against worldly cares and business. Remember the rich fool who accumulated wealth so that he could just tear down one barn and build for himself another barn. At last, his soul was required of him. What does it profit a man if he should gain the whole world and lose his soul? Fifth, this is a big time-waster, brothers and sisters, big. Vain, ungoverned, and sinful thoughts. how much time we waste in our thought life. And oh, that we could take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ. Oh, that we could focus our mind on what Philippians said is whatever is good and noble and pure and edifying. Oh, that we could do that even right now and keep our mind from straying. How much more time would we have to pray, to meditate on scripture, if we could take control of our thoughts? Number six, don't waste time reading worthless books. I don't know if anyone here does this. Romance novels, magazines, Self, Glamour, all these things that all they do, all they're there is to stir up worldliness in you. And related to that, be aware of taking on unprofitable studies. See, you could say, well, I'm not reading romance novels, but I'm reading this to better my curious mind. Be careful of those things. There are many good things that we could study. There are many things that we should apply ourselves to read. There are many books, there are many good books, But it is certainly more than possible, and it is even likely for us, in the name of education, whether that be for vainglory on one hand, or even for good goals, to read and read and read and read and read and neglect the Scripture. And I would warn my fellow ministers of this danger. Are you reading what's permitted to the neglect of what is commanded? Reading good things to the neglect of the Word of God? Number seven. Be aware of how much time you spend using modern technology. You know, a new technology comes in and it's the savior of our time. Computers, you know, wow, how much time we save. Well, how much time we waste. Consider those things. Anytime there's a new technology, internet, email, texting, iPods, iPhones, Take an inventory in one day how much time you spend interacting with a computer screen and compare that to how much time you interact with people. How do you know whether what you're doing is wasting time or redeeming time? You know, sometimes it's obvious. Obviously, if it's a sinful activity, it's a waste of time. You're not redeeming time by sinning. But what about permissible activities? What about those areas that are permitted but not commanded? Let me give you four practical questions that you can ask that will help you to determine whether an activity is redeeming time or wasting it. And you say to me, Pastor, why do you have to be so nitpicky here? Do we really have to analyze every moment of our time? I remind you of the text. Walk carefully. You're walking in a minefield. Think of that minefield. Consider, with great pain, yes, you must. With great pain and care, you're exhorted to take this walk. These are your marching orders, soldier. This is a warfare that you are in, so you better take care. Four practical questions. Number one, Is the planned activity going to make you sinfully too busy? What do I mean by sinfully too busy? What is sinfully too busy? I mean, filling up your life with activities which in and of themselves may not be overtly sinful, but become so as they lead you to the exclusion of commanded activities. Let me repeat that again. By sinfully too busy, I mean filling your life with activities which in and of themselves may not be overtly sinful, but become so as they lead to the exclusion of commanded activities. This is a serious problem in these evil days. We may do what's permitted, but we must do what's commanded. And we cannot fill our lives with what we may do if it replaces what we must do. And it is impossible to redeem time if we neglect the non-negotiables of our faith, even if we're involved in good, non-sinful activities. So ask yourself, is the planned activity going to make you sinfully too busy? Then secondly, and related to this, is ask, does what you are planning to do conflict with any foundational or non-negotiable activity? Well, what are the non-negotiable activities of the Christian? Well, in one word, toward God, worship. And I would include prayer and the Word of God in that. Worship. Our time is to be worship-focused. and others oriented. That's the great commandment, is it? Thou shalt love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength and love your neighbor as yourself. Your life and your time and everything about you is to be given to God. So you must think about how you're using your time when it comes to your worship. personal worship, family worship, corporate worship. Brothers, sisters, wrestle with your time and the use of your time. Don't give up until you have had adequate time every day to worship God. Everything that you do with your time may be permitted, but if you're letting the permitted crowd out the commanded, then you have reason to repent. Oh, but Pastor Joe, I just don't have time to read the Bible. Did you know, did you realize this? I just heard this this weekend. The entire Bible can be read in under 70 hours. That means in just one hour a day, one hour a day, just the length of one of those crime shows you can't miss, you can read through the Bible in under two and a half months. In just half an hour a day, the length of one of those ridiculous sitcoms, You could read the Bible in under five months, easily completing the Bible twice in a year, just a half hour a day. You say, I can't find time to pray. I don't have time during the week to pray. Well, at the very least, the Lord has given you one day in seven. He's given you a Lord's Day to rest. Are you giving Him all on that day? What are you doing today? What are you doing this Lord's Day? We're going to pray together here afterward? No, no, but that's Sunday. That's my day. I get things done. Well, when did Sunday change from the Lord's day to your day? No, no, no. That's my family day, Pastor. Well, when did Sunday change from the Lord's day to your family day? Am I saying it's wrong to visit with your family on Sunday? Not at all. But when you visit with your family to the neglect of the non-negotiables, then yes, you're in the realm of wasting time as opposed to redeeming time. In the non-negotiables of worship, Bible reading, prayer, or the service of others. And listen, I'm not trying to lay some cold, hard law on you as to what is right and what is wrong to do with your time. And I understand there are fruitful, time-redeeming activities that would keep you from corporate prayer or Bible study, evangelism. But I'm asking you to consider carefully. That's the command here of this, that's the exhortation. Walk carefully. Consider how you choose to use your time. Of course, don't be pharisaical about it. Your wife says, I'm really tired tonight. I don't feel well. Can we stay home? Of course you consider her. Or you're reading your Bible and your mother calls and says, I'm having a heart attack. You don't say, Ma, I'm reading my Bible now. Call me back later. There are going to be times in life, seasons in life. On your way to the prayer meeting, you run into an old friend and the Lord opens up an opportunity and you share Christ with them. These are God-honoring, worship-focused, others-oriented ways to redeem time. What I am saying, though, is this. We all make decisions on how to use time. Before you decide, I'm going to do this or I'm going to do that, I have this decision before me. This is very practical. I have this decision. Every day you make decisions. Very practical here. How am I going to use up my resource of time? On this or that? That you think carefully. Think carefully, how am I going to use this time? And that your first choice will always be the non-negotiable activity of worship or service of others, not your comfort or your desire. If you seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, all other things will be added unto you. And brethren, listen, your eternity is based on this. What you do with Christ and His people, Matthew chapter 25 talks about the return of the Son of Man in glory. and that the nations are going to be gathered, and He's going to separate one from another. He's going to divide the sheep and the goats, and on His right hand to the sheep He's going to say, come you blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry, and He gives the reason why they're sheep. For I was hungry, and you gave me food. I was thirsty, and you gave me drink. I was a stranger, and you took me in. I was naked, and you clothed me. I was sick, and you visited me. I was in prison, and you came to me." And then later on he explains, and as much as you've done it to the least of these, my brethren, you did it to me. And then by contrast, he turns to the goats, and he says, depart from me, you cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry, and you gave me no food. I was thirsty, and you gave me no drink. I was a stranger, and you didn't take me in. Naked, you didn't clothe me. Sick, and in prison, and you didn't visit me. And He explains, "...and as much as you did not do it to the least of these, you did not do it to Me." And He says, "...these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous to eternal life." Do you see what's at stake here? What you do for Christ and others are the non-negotiables of the Christian faith. And I need to tell you, is this a denial of justification by faith? Of course not. But I need to tell you what Christ said. I need to tell you this, particularly you who profess Christ, who say, yes, I love Christ, but you do not love God's people. I'm warning you with the very words of Jesus Christ, and as much as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me, and these will go away into everlasting punishment. Brothers and sisters, faith that unites you to Christ, unites you to one another. So if you're not loving one another, and that is in the context of the church, then don't begin to tell me about your faith. If you cannot use your time for the sake of one another, you are sinfully busy. Despite what culture says about you and your life and your time, and you've got to live for yourself and satisfy yourself, and young people, you're particularly vulnerable to this because you hear it constantly in all different venues. You came into the world believing that there's nothing more important than you. But if you are in Christ, you've been bought with a price. You're not your own. There are always ways that we can find to love one another, to give our time, effort, and help. So ask yourself again first, is the planned activity going to make me sinfully too busy? And secondly, does what you're planning conflict with foundational or non-negotiable things, namely worshipping God, loving others? And also realize there's a cost to this, too. I'm not by any means saying that this is easy. That's what redeem means, by the way. Redeem implies that you're giving something up to buy that time. So in redeeming time, it means that you might need to forsake that extra money that those extra work hours require. or that you might need to forsake your comfort, or your desire at a particular moment, or your ambitions, or your wants for the sake of the Kingdom of God. But again, God promises those who do, seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all of these things will be added unto you. But do you believe that? Thirdly, third question, will what I'm planning conforming to the image of Christ? Every decision we make, if we just say, will what I'm planning conform me to the image of Christ? That's God's eternal plan for you. That's His purpose for you who are in Christ. If you'll include this question in your decision making, it will bring radical change into how you're living. You'll be kept from sin. If you would only make your decisions in life based upon this thought, will this conform me to the image of Christ? Which road will be the one? Two roads before me. Which will more conform me to the image of Christ? That's what a Christian thinks about. For some, that may be the mission field. For others, the mission field will be the comfortable place. And you need to be bearing with others at home. And I'll tell you, if you consider this, there will be no divorce. If men and women would look at their spouse as one who was sent by God to sharpen, to change, an instrument in the Redeemer's hand to bring about change, to conform me to a Christ-like husband, to a respecting wife, that would put an end once and for all to divorce in the church. But the fact is, Christians live for themselves, just like the world. Christians prefer soft beds to hard roads. We seek the easy way out. But if you're concerned with being conformed to the image of Christ, you'll more easily choose that difficult path because you realize that it's the hard road, it's the difficult path that's going to most conform you to His image. Number four. Well, what I'm thinking about doing, waste my time or worse, someone else's time by talking too much. Phone calls. Realize phone calls not only spend your time, but they spend the time of the other person on the other side. So think and ask, is this a good time for that person? Ask them, can you talk? Is this a good time to talk? Cut down on idle chatter, and you'll have many more minutes, dare I say hours, in a day to redeem. You say, Pastor, all this, you know, if I do all this, I won't have time for Facebook. Well, then forget about Facebook. What about my hobbies? My online gaming? I've got to release my tension. What about my friends? I have to text my friends. Do you? What if your friend texted you and you wrote back, you know, I didn't have enough time to read the Scripture today, so I have to go read. How shocked they might be. Younger people understand this. Wisdom and understanding come through the Scripture. There's no shortcut to it. No shortcut to wisdom and understanding comes through the scripture. There's no replacement of time. Jesus grew in wisdom and understanding. In Luke chapter 2, it records how Jesus went when he was 12 years old, was seated in the temple among the teachers, learning and asking questions. And this doesn't only apply to young, it applies to all. It says that Jesus grew in wisdom and stature and favor with God. How was it? Because He was among the teachers. He was listening. He was asking questions. That's how we grow in wisdom. There's no other way. And young people, Jesus was 12 years old, right around the age of some of the young ladies here. 12 years old! Jesus grew in wisdom and stature and favor with God. Is that what you want? then take every opportunity. Every opportunity that you have. Personal reading of the Bible. Family devotions. Ask your father questions in family devotions. In your church's Bible studies. Ask the pastor questions about the sermon. On Wednesday nights, I love the opportunity that we have afterwards to discuss, to talk about, to ask questions after hearing the Word. And fathers, talk to your children Talk to your children about the sermon. You have a whole drive home. For some of you, it's a half hour. For some of you, more. Talk to your children about what you just heard. Paul told Timothy in 2 Timothy 3.15 that from childhood, you have known the Holy Scriptures that were able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. We want our children saved. Well, how are they wise for salvation? They made known. the Holy Scriptures, which was able to make them wise. And I'm telling you this so you don't waste your life, especially young people, you have so much life ahead of you. Don't waste it. Don't waste your time. Be careful to redeem time. Before leaving this matter of time, there's one thing I need to say about the master thief that robs men of their time. And the master thief that Rob's people of time is an unsanctified, ungodly heart. Whatever you might do, if you're doing it apart from Christ, there is never the intention that what you do is to the glory of God. You could be the greatest philanthropist, you could be Paul Newman, or give all your money to have your own pasta sauce, whatever it is, Your life is wasted if it is apart from Christ. There is no way for you to redeem time without being redeemed yourself. And if you would say, yes, Pastor, I have wasted time, I've wasted my life, the manner in which I've been using time demonstrates that I'm not a Christian, would you know that there is a Savior who redeemed time? Would you know that there is a Savior who has come to redeem His people and to redeem the time? That even though you be a great sinner with your time, even if you've wasted your whole life in frivolous activity in Christ, you will find all of your time, past, even what you wasted, past, present, future, redeemed. Look to Christ and live. Life is a vapor and death comes to all. So don't harden your hearts. Today is the day of salvation. Awake, sleeper. Arise from the dead. You have an appointment with eternity. Don't miss it. And if you miss Christ, you've wasted all your years. Come to Christ. Come to Christ and fulfill the chief end for which man was created. To love Him and to worship Him forever. Finally, Ephesians 5, verse 17. Therefore, do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is. How do we redeem time ultimately? We redeem time by understanding the will of God. Now, when Christians hear this, the will of God Usually, especially in some of the charismatic realms, the first place their mind goes, the will of God, usually means connecting the dots. You know, I'm praying about whether or not I should move, and I cracked open the Bible one day, and there staring me in the face with Jesus' words to the church at Philadelphia, so surely God must want me to move to Philadelphia. That is nonsense. We're all susceptible to this kind of thinking. It's carnal. But stop using the Bible that way. That is sinful. That is sinful. It's nothing more than mysticism. You might as well use tea leaves. Many of you, I know, were trained to use the Scripture this way in the church that you came from. But I am telling you, it is outright sinful. Stop taking what is holy and using it as tea leaves. God does not reveal His will in such ways, and you're never going to be stable in your Christian walk if you're constantly looking at the Bible that way, constantly looking for signs and dreams and visions to decide on God's will for your life. In fact, you can be led astray by them. As I was. I don't like to talk about myself, but here was a perfect case when I was praying about Many years ago, fairly newly saved, praying about whether or not I should get into this relationship with an unsaved person. Praying. Right in the presence of that person. Lord, send me a sign whether she's right. And it's like April, and snow starts to fall. And she goes, see? Look, you just prayed. Literally, I'm telling you. I'm standing there outside, and snow starts to come down in April. See? God just answered your prayer. We're supposed to be together. But I was neglecting the Word of God. Do not be unequally yoked. I could have been turned over to that. There is also, then, in understanding the will of God, the application of Scripture. And this is the right way to look at it, applying the wisdom of Scripture, reading Scripture, applying Scriptural principles, applying counsel, and you're making a decision about God's will. And that's completely acceptable and right. However, I don't think that this is what this particular Scripture is getting at when it says, understanding what the will of the Lord is. And I say this because the will of the Lord in Ephesians has one specific meaning. Remember, we must read the Bible in the context of the whole letter. And every time Paul brings up this matter of the will of God, the will of the Lord, it's the revelation of God's plan. It's the revelation of His plan of redemption. The will of the Lord is that you understand His plan of salvation. And I believe this text, that's what this text is calling us to. It's saying, devote your time to understanding God's revealed will in the plan of redemption and how you fit into that. That you set your mind and you set your heart on His great salvation. that you understand what He wrote in Ephesians 1, that in Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins according to the riches of His grace, which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence, having made known to us the mystery of His will according to His good pleasure, that in the dispensation of the fullness of time, He might gather in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth in Him." You know, it will take you a lifetime to get your mind wrapped around that. Do you understand? Do you understand God's great wisdom? I would encourage everyone, if you have not yet heard Wednesday night's message, Pastor Bill's last message in Romans 11. Do you understand God's great wisdom in the salvation of sinners? The cross of Jesus Christ that justifies sinners. How justice is satisfied and mercy is poured out at the cross. That's what we're to apply our understanding to. That's what we're to apply our time to understanding. This is the will of God as explained in Ephesians. God's purpose in history to redeem a people for Himself. And our involvement in it as His people. Predestined. according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will, that we who first trusted in Christ would be to the praise of His glory. This is what you need to understand. Paul prayed that you would understand in chapter 1, verses 15-23, that the Father would give you wisdom and revelation, that the eyes of your understanding would be enlightened, that you may know what is the hope of your calling. Do you know this, brethren? Do you know the hope of your calling? Do you know what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints? What is the exceeding greatness of His power toward you who believe? Do you know this? Do you understand this? That He put all things unto Christ's feet and gave Him to be head over all things to the church. which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all. That's the manifold wisdom of God. That's what we're called to know. That's what we're called to gaze upon. That's what we're called to apply our time to. That's what we're called to glory in. That's what Paul did. As Paul was considering all of this, he understood his role and his place. Christ became his life. And he understood his place as least of all the saints, but yet the one who is called to preach the unsearchable riches of Christ. To make all see what is the fellowship of the mystery which was hidden from the beginning, but is now revealed in Christ to the intent that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church. Do you see yourself? Do you understand what that means? Every time you get up on Sunday morning to gather together with the saints, we are a display of the manifold wisdom of God. This is major. The principalities and powers are bearing witness in the heavenly places of what He accomplished in Christ. To be wise, understand what the will of the Lord is. Give your life. You're tying your effort to this chief end to glorify God, to enjoy Him now and forever. That's the will of God for you, brothers and sisters. This is how the leaven of the kingdom leavens our whole lump. With all the practical teaching on time, and take it for what it is, but understand this, Jesus is not a commodity that you just fit into your schedule. There's practical things we could talk about time, but the bottom line is Jesus doesn't fit around how you plan your days. Oh yeah, I've got to fit in some quality time with God as you start writing your schedule. You begin, you proceed, and you finish with Jesus. Jesus doesn't squeeze. You don't stick Him on the end of a list of things to do. You do not fit the King of the universe in your preconceived plans. You wake up in the morning and you're His. You're His goods, and then you live out your day in that light. Jesus Christ. That's biblical thinking. Jesus Christ is the hub of the wheel for all the other activities. So whether you go to the supermarket, whether you're laboring on the job, Whether you're laboring at home, schooling your children, everything you do is unto His glory. And all that we would devote our time and our lives to be worship-focused, prayer-saturated, word-directed, others-oriented, to live that kind of life, that's redeeming the time, church. Let's live for the glory of Christ. Let it consume us. Let it be our chief motivation in all that we do. so that you might not live as a fool. And in the name of Christ, may He make us a people who see to it that we walk carefully, not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time, understanding His will. Amen.