Ephesians 5:15-21

Introduction

• There are 3 Greek words used in the New Testament for "time, seasons, etc.,"
  

1. Chronos-Denotes a space of time, whether short, or long, or a succession of times...quantity of time...seconds, minutes, hours, etc.
2. Karios-When used in the New Testament it signifies a fixed or definite period or season. It can be short or long in its duration...quality of time.
3. Hora-Refers to times fixed by nature and is usually a short period of time.

• The 2 words most often used in the New Testament are Chronos and Karios.
• Today, I want us to look at Chronos time.
• God created time and will one day bring time as we know it to an end.
• God is above time, but intervenes as He wills in our "time space" world.
• His redemptive purposes were first in eternity and then manifested in time.
  Galatians 4:4
  But when the fullness of the time (Chronos) came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law,

• Each of us has been given the same amount of time: 24 hours a day, 1,400 minutes a day, or 86,400 seconds a day.
• When Paul uses the phrase "redeeming the time" he literally means: to make wise and sacred use of every opportunity for doing good.
• Reminder Heb. 13:16-the sacrifice of time.
• "Time is a Treasure that can be Invested and Managed in such a way as to create Eternal value."

I. TIME A IS TREASURE
Matthew 6:21
for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

A. Time represents the existence of our life-there is a time to live and a time to die (Ecc. 2:2) and in between we have Chronos time to live out our days.
B. Even though we can't see time, it has value because it is the arena in which we live our lives.
C. Time has a tangible worth-it is often worth energy, emotion or resources (money).
D. What you spend your time doing will determine where your heart is.
E. Paul esteemed time highly and admonished us to redeem the time-make the best use of time because it is one of your greatest treasures.

II. TIME IS INVESTABLE
Psalm 90:12
So teach us to number (make the best use of) our days,
That we may present to You a heart of wisdom.

Colossians 4:5
Conduct yourselves with wisdom toward outsiders, making the most of the opportunity.

A. Time is like a commodity, it can be invested or traded-I will invest or trade so many hours of my 24 hours for some type of compensation, i.e., a job.

B. Jesus invested in 12 men because he wanted to leave some of himself behind in each of His disciples.

C. We invest time in our jobs expecting that at the end of the pay period we receive an agreed upon compensation.

D. We invest time in our families expecting that the investment will bear good fruit.
E. Where you invest your time is as important as how you invest your time.
F. Often our investment of time in our spiritual life is way down the list.
G. Often our time with and for the Lord is what is "left over."
H. If we gave a tithe of just our hours awake, we would be giving 11 to 12 hours a week or 1.7 hours a day.

I. We need to set aside time in each day to "lay up treasure in heaven" because that is the only treasure that will be lasting.

J. This is why Paul encouraged us to do everything in "the name of the Lord Jesus."
Colossians 3:17
Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.

III. TIME IS MANAGEABLE
"I don't know where the time went." "Time just got away from me."

A. Even though someone else may control a certain amount of our daily time (job), we can still be good stewards (managers) of that time.
B. Begin the day by asking God to help you be a good steward of your time and see it as a treasure that you are going to invest.

C. Make a list of things that you need to get done.
D. Prioritize the things that you have to do on your "to do" list.
E. Do the most difficult things first and get them out of the way first.
F. Don't squander your time, because it can never be recaptured once it is gone.
G. Each day we have a new opportunity to invest our time wisely.

IV. TIME IS ETERNAL
A. Jesus said we could "lay up treasure" in heaven.
B. Sitting in front of the TV for 4 or 5 hours a day isn't a good investment in time and surely doesn't send anything into your heavenly account.

C. Even though we live in a "time-space world," what we do here has an eternal aspect to it.
D. When we "walk in the Spirit" we are living beyond the limitations of Chronos.
Conclusion
As we mature in the Lord, we learn to spend our time wisely and in a balanced manner.

* Anytime we find an extreme in our lives, we need to seek to adjust it---too much time doing any one thing.
* If your job consumes you, you need to pray for a "better" job.
* We will "make time" for the things in life that we think are important-we just need to make sure that what we think is important has some eternal value to it.

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