Stewardship Sermon 2

Jonathan Broadworth

A Series on Stewardship • Sermon • Submitted 2 years ago • Presented 2 years ago

Ephesians 5:1–21

Stewardship

0 ratings

· 5 views

Notes

Transcript

Introduction

REMEMBER LAST WEEK:

Everything that we have has been given to us; it has been entrusted to our stewardship

What is our definition of faithful stewardship?

Faithful management of Divine property

Tonight we’re going to talk about TIME.

Our problem is not too little time but making better use of the time we have (94)…each of us has as much time as anyone else.

The character and career of a young person depends on how he or she spends spare time (93)

The way we employ the surplus hours, after provision has been made for work, meals, and sleep, will determine if we develop into mediocre or powerful people.

Time is not something that we own, but it has been entrusted to us.

“Time” represents life,

Time is a quantified measurement of life lived.

In other words, tonight we are talking about how we steward the life we’ve been given

TIME Touches everything in our lives

Work days/school days

“Game time”

Birthdays/anniversaries

Wake-up/bed-time

Time is the one thing that we all spend and can never get back.

It’s an even playing field, we’re all given 24 hours a day

Whether you want to or not, you’re spending time

You have a choice in spending money or not, but not the same with time

Some of your time is spoken for:

Sleep (8 hrs) x 7 (56)

School (8 hrs) x 5 (40)

Meals/Driving (3.5 hrs) x 7 (24.5)

47.5 hours unspoken for (120.5 spoken for) = 168 in a week

Your time is ticking and you don’t know when it’s done

It’s like spending money with a card and not knowing how much is left in the account

OR eating food off of a plate behind a wall and you don’t know how much food is left

More than that, who feels like there is never enough time?

We feel super busy

We always have more to do

IF TIME IS BEING SPENT, AND IF IT’S SO VALUABLE, WE SHOULD BE CAREFUL HOW WE USE IT...

Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.

Ephesians 5:1–21 ESV

1 Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. 2 And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. 3 But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints. 4 Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving. 5 For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. 6 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. 7 Therefore do not become partners with them; 8 for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light 9 (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), 10 and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. 11 Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. 12 For it is shameful even to speak of the things that they do in secret. 13 But when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible, 14 for anything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says, “Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.” 15 Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, 16 making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. 17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. 18 And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, 19 addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, 20 giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, 21 submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.

THIS IS A BIG PASSAGE, THERE IS A LOT IN THERE, so where do we even start?

This passage starts with the word “THEREFORE”

we have to ask, what is the “therefore” there for?

BECAUSE God through Christ has forgiven you, you have been given a new life. With that life, be imitators of God.

Because you have new life, you have new purposes for your time.

Think about a rich prisoner, someone stuck in jail with a lot of money. When you are in prison, you can’t really buy anything. It’s no good. HOWEVER, $100 has to be spent every hour.

Once you’re freed, you can spend that money on a nice house, a hot tub, good food, new clothes, a sports car, whatever!

With your time, it’s very similar.

When you’re an unbeliever, you have to spend your time.

It is being spent doing something, but it has no value, you’re limited in what you can “buy.”

If you’re an unbeliever, you can only spend your time on sin, you can only spend your time on things that do not matter.

THINK ABOUT IT!

If you are not walking with God, what’s the value gained in spending your time?

You don’t believe in God, then when you die, you’re not bringing anything with you

You do believe in God, then when you die, you’re not bringing anything with you AND you’re in trouble

People will not remember you in 100 years.

You will die, having spent all of your time on NOTHING.

BUT! This is the good news, when you experience new life, you now have the ability to spend your time in ways that have value, you have the ability to spend your time in ways that have meaning and purpose.

1. Fill your time with activities that would help you imitate God.

ASK YOURSELF THIS QUESTION: Can I please God in doing this activity?

Ephesians 5:1 ESV

1 Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children.

Ephesians 5:8–10 ESV

8 for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light 9 (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), 10 and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord.

In life, there are things that are black and white, they are clear cut. As a follower of Christ, there are things that you should be doing, there are things that you should not be doing.

PAUL fills this chapter with ways that we can imitate God or ways that we can imitate the world.

Imitating God is a valuable, best use of time

Imitating the world is a worthless, worst use of time

Imitating God:

Walk in love

Thanksgiving

Walk in the light as children of light

Bear fruit that aligns with what is good, right, and true

Expose the unfruitful works of darkness

Walk in wisdom

Be filled with the Spirit

Be filled with the Word of God

Submitting in humility to one another

Reverently serving Christ

Imitating the World:

sexual immorality

impurity (uncleanness, rubbish)

covetousness (idolatry)

filthiness (obscenity, indecent behavior, shameful actions, filthy talk)

foolish talk

crude joking

deception with empty words

disobedience

walking in darkness

unfruitful works of darkness

shameful acts in secret

Lack of wisdom (foolishness)

wasting time

filled—saturated—with things other than God (they will influence you negatively)

It can be easy to zone out with lists

It can be easy to rationalize our actions when we don’t see one in the list

THAT’S NOT THE POINT.

Paul covers a lot in this list

Paul shows some examples of imitating God and the world

Here’s the point:

Christ forgave you, He gave you new life, use that new life to imitate Him.

YOUR TIME IS LIMITED. With that time you have, use it for imitating Christ.

CROSS-REFERENCE:

Romans 13:8–14 ESV

8 Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. 9 For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 10 Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law. 11 Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. 12 The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. 13 Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy. 14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.

Now is the only opportunity for sharing the gospel, that’s not something we’ll do in heaven

Now is the time to draw close to God in trials and value Him above all else, there won’t be trials in heaven

Now is the time to worship Him instead of other things.

THE THINGS in Paul’s list about IMITATING THE WORLD, this is what he says about them:

they must not even be named among you

they are out of place

these provide no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ

they are what bring about God’s wrath

they are unfruitful

they are shameful

If you feel like there’s a lot of grey areas, or things that are questionable, ask yourself the question:

CAN I PLEASE GOD IN DOING THIS ACTIVITY?

If you’re still unsure, why are you unsure?

Is it questionable? Avoid it, shouldn’t even be NAMED among you, it’s out of place

Is it just generally “amoral” or neither good nor evil? Then figure out if and how you can please God with it

So, it’s clear that we should spend our time in obedience and in imitating Christ, but then Paul addresses our attitudes:

Let there be thanksgiving (v 4)

Giving thanks always and for everything to God (v 20)

2. Frame your time with an overall attitude of thankfulness to God.

ASK YOURSELF THIS QUESTION: Am I pleased in God during this activity?

Parents saying “obey with a happy heart”

Part of redeeming the time, or making the best use of the time, is the way that you view it and respond to it...

POSITIVE: EXAMPLE OF SALT AND STRAW GOSPEL OPPORTUNITY WITH PARKER

NEGATIVE: INSTAGRAM HACKED, BAD ATTITUDE, WASTED TIME WITH ANDREW

Paul acknowledges, the days are evil.

It is very easy to have a terrible attitude

It is very easy to view this as a waste of time

Why do we have to waste our time on this evil earth in these evil days when we could be with Christ already?