Redeeming the Time
Reconversion • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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· 2 viewsThere are many stories in the Bible of people that made poor decisions for year, only later to be converted and live for God. This sermon is about "redeeming the time" that was lost and making good spiritual choices.
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Story of Melvin
Reminded me of
Story of Solomon.
Spent early years
following God.
making some bad decisions.
Mid years
turn away from God.
lived in world.
Last years
turned back to God.
Solomon
Started so Right
Went so wrong
Why?
How?
God saw it all
and warned about it.
It was on November 28, 1965, that fighter pilot Howard Rutledge’s plane was shot down right into the hands of the North Vietnam Army. Quickly he was shuttled to the “Heartbreak Hotel,” one of the notorious prisons in Hanoi. These are his own words describing the experience:
When the door slammed and the key turned in that rusty, iron lock, a feeling of utter loneliness swept over me. I lay down on that cold cement slab in my 6×6 prison. The smell of human excrement burned my nostrils. A rat, large as a small cat, scampered across the slab beside me. The walls and floors and ceiling were caked with filth. Bars covered a tiny window high above the door. I was cold and hungry; my body ached from the swollen joints and sprained muscles…
It’s hard to decide what solitary confinement can do to uneven and defeat a man. You quickly tire of standing up or sitting down, sleeping or being awake. There are no books, no paper or pencils, no magazines or newspapers. The only colors you see are drab gray and dirty brown. Months or years may go by when you don’t see the sunrise or the moon, green grass or flowers. You are locked in, alone and silent in your filthy little cell breathing stale, rotten air and trying to keep your sanity.
Come into the Land
Come into the Land
Deuteronomy 17:14 (NKJV)
“When you come to the land which the Lord your God is giving you, and possess it and dwell in it, and say, ‘I will set a king over me like all the nations that are around me,’
The land they came to
land of pagans
land of temptation.
God told them
remove negative influences
for this reason.
Yet, they did not push out
all people
some negative influence.
Soon enough,
great desire:
“Be like everyone else”
There is a Saying:
In the World but Not of the World
In the World but Not of the World
World is wicked
we are stuck here.
But
we don’t have
to fit in here.
That was their temptation:
Like Other Nations
Like Other Nations
Deuteronomy 17:14 (ESV)
“When you come to the land that the Lord your God is giving you, and you possess it and dwell in it and then say, ‘I will set a king over me, like all the nations that are around me,’
Greatest Temptation
humans today
Fit in.
Belong
Generally, not wrong
God created us
relational
Problem,
who we fit in with...
world
pagans
Christians
those on the path
Fight the temptation
to be like everyone else.
Fight against
Fitting In
here...
There is a fable of an eagle which could out fly another, and the other didn't like it. The latter saw a sportsman one day, and said to him:
"I wish you would bring down that eagle." The sportsman replied that he would if he only had some feathers to put into the arrow. So the eagle pulled one out of his wing. The arrow was shot, but didn't quite reach the rival eagle; it was flying too high. The envious eagle pulled out more feathers, and kept pulling them out until he lost so many that he couldn't fly, and then the sportsman turned around and killed him. My friend, if you are jealous, the only man you can hurt is yourself.
In John 15:19:
If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.
Sorry to say
True believer
True Christian
doesn’t fit in here.
We are
pilgrims
strangers
passing through
not our home.
People ask me
what music I like...
what movies I like...
what meat I like...
what hobbies I like...
End of convo...
Peter says:
Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul.
We all want to
fit in.
I want you to
fit in.
I just don’t want
you to fit-in,
in this world!
I want you to
Fit in -
in heaven!
The word eccentric comes from a combination of the Greek terms ex (out of) and kentron (center). When combined, ekkentros means “out of center.” The term gained currency in the late Middle Ages, when astronomers like Copernicus dared to suggest that the earth was not at the center of the solar system. By claiming the earth in fact orbited the sun, Copernicus became the original eccentric. Enter Richard Beck, a professor from Abilene Christian University, who pushes the definition of eccentricity a bit further.
This is why
God say not to
choose a foreign king:
Not a Foreigner
Not a Foreigner
Deuteronomy 17:15 (ESV)
you may indeed set a king over you whom the Lord your God will choose. One from among your brothers you shall set as king over you. You may not put a foreigner over you, who is not your brother.
President of US
must be natural born.
Simply saying,
don’t allow foreigner
to be leader
person of influence
Actually applies to all
relationships
Can two walk together, unless they are agreed?
Walking same direction
2 Corinthians 6:14–15 (ESV)
Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever?
Unequally yoked...
usually marriage
But
all relationships.
Work with young people.
Jail
Drugs
Problems with law.
In jail,
converted...
Problem,
get out
no danger
go back to friends
back to same life.
If you want to be
successful Christian.
need close friends
walking same way.
Also must
be okay
not fitting in!
God repeatedly
calls his people
to be holy
Be Holy
literally means
be separate
2 Corinthians 6:16–17 (ESV)
What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said,
--
“I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
--
Therefore go out from their midst, and be separate from them, says the Lord, and touch no unclean thing; then I will welcome you,
Young People
Old People
In-between...
Don’t be
Unequally yoked...
Friends
More-than-friends
Don’t let
foreigners Lead you.
Multiply Horses
Multiply Horses
Ground Rules
They could have king
can’t be foreigner...
Other rules:
Deuteronomy 17:16 (ESV)
Only he must not acquire many horses for himself...
What did Solomon Do?
Solomon also had 40,000 stalls of horses for his chariots, and 12,000 horsemen.
God said,
don’t amass
weapons of warfare.
Why?
trust God
to protect you.
Chariot and Horses...
“Weapons of mass destruction”
nuclear weapons
Devices of Destruction
phones
Next rule:
Multiply Wives
Multiply Wives
Deuteronomy 17:17 (NKJV)
Neither shall he multiply wives for himself, lest his heart turn away...
What did Solomon do?
He had 700 wives, who were princesses, and 300 concubines. And his wives turned away his heart. For when Solomon was old his wives turned away his heart after other gods, and his heart was not wholly true to the Lord his God, as was the heart of David his father.
Relationships
friends
more-than-friends
Most dangerous
Most destructive
Most problematic
for spiritual life
worldly associates.
Opposite is true.
Most necessary
Most important
Most crucial
for spiritual life
Godly friends.
Look around room
We need each other.
Next Rule:
Multiply Gold and Silver
Multiply Gold and Silver
Deuteronomy 17:17 (NKJV)
... nor shall he greatly multiply silver and gold for himself.
What did he do?
1 Kings 10:14–25 (ESV)
Now the weight of gold that came to Solomon in one year was 666 talents of gold, besides that which came from the explorers and from the business of the merchants, and from all the kings of the west and from the governors of the land.
--
King Solomon made 200 large shields of beaten gold; 600 shekels of gold went into each shield. And he made 300 shields of beaten gold; three minas of gold went into each shield. And the king put them in the House of the Forest of Lebanon.
--
The king also made a great ivory throne and overlaid it with the finest gold. The throne had six steps, and the throne had a round top, and on each side of the seat were armrests and two lions standing beside the armrests, while twelve lions stood there, one on each end of a step on the six steps.
--
The like of it was never made in any kingdom. All King Solomon’s drinking vessels were of gold, and all the vessels of the House of the Forest of Lebanon were of pure gold.
--
None were of silver; silver was not considered as anything in the days of Solomon. For the king had a fleet of ships of Tarshish at sea with the fleet of Hiram.
--
Once every three years the fleet of ships of Tarshish used to come bringing gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks.
--
Thus King Solomon excelled all the kings of the earth in riches and in wisdom. And the whole earth sought the presence of Solomon to hear his wisdom, which God had put into his mind.
--
Every one of them brought his present, articles of silver and gold, garments, myrrh, spices, horses, and mules, so much year by year.
I know what
you are thinking...
Doesn’t apply to me.
I’m not that rich.
We are rich.
we do
amass wealth
spend foolishly
Dear EarthTalk: I read that a single child born in the U.S. has a greater effect on the environment than a dozen children born in a developing country? Can you explain why?—Josh C., via e-mail
It is well known that Americans consume far more natural resources and live much less sustainably than people from any other large country of the world.
“A child born in the United States will create thirteen times as much ecological damage over the course of his or her lifetime than a child born in Brazil,” reports the Sierra Club’s Dave Tilford, adding that the average American will drain as many resources as 35 natives of India and consume 53 times more goods and services than someone from China.
Tilford cites a litany of sobering statistics showing just how profligate Americans have been in using and abusing natural resources. For example, between 1900 and 1989 U.S. population tripled while its use of raw materials grew by a factor of 17. “With less than 5 percent of world population, the U.S. uses one-third of the world’s paper, a quarter of the world’s oil, 23 percent of the coal, 27 percent of the aluminum, and 19 percent of the copper,” he reports. “Our per capita use of energy, metals, minerals, forest products, fish, grains, meat, and even fresh water dwarfs that of people living in the developing world.”
He adds that the U.S. ranks highest in most consumer categories by a considerable margin, even among industrial nations. To wit, American fossil fuel consumption is double that of the average resident of Great Britain and two and a half times that of the average Japanese. Meanwhile, Americans account for only five percent of the world’s population but create half of the globe’s solid waste.
Not just amassing wealth
amassing everything.
materialistic.
Solomon had it all
but what was the result?
In Words of Jesus:
For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?
Satan will
give you world
Greatest trick.
Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.”
Be clear...
Satan want you
to “succeed” in this life.
The Signs of the Times February 19, 1902: What It Means to Be a Christian
From the sad history of many who have failed we learn the danger of prosperity. It is not those who have lost their property who are in greatest danger, but those who have obtained a fortune. Adversity may depress, but prosperity frequently elevates to presumption. Prayer is often requested for men and women in affliction; and this is right. But those in prosperity are more in need of the prayers of God’s servants; for they are in greater danger of losing salvation. In the valley of humiliation men walk securely while they reverence God and make Him their trust. On the lofty pinnacle, where praise is heard, they need the help of special power from above.
Be fearful
of too much
success
money
house
cars
etc...
Words of Jesus:
And Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly, I say to you, only with difficulty will a rich person enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.”
You must be
extraordinarily strong spiritually
to be extra wealthy
and saved.
Next Rule:
Do not Return to Egypt
Do not Return to Egypt
Why not have
horses?
chariots?
wives?
money?
Only he must not acquire many horses for himself or cause the people to return to Egypt in order to acquire many horses, since the Lord has said to you, ‘You shall never return that way again.’
Why no pursue
these things?
Because
to get them you must
go to Egypt.
God says,
Egypt is wicked...
I brought you out.
Don’t go back!!!
We must ask
ourselves questions...
Am I returning to Egypt
in my pursuits?
God gave clear warning...
What did Solomon Do?
1 Kings 10:28–29 (ESV)
And Solomon’s import of horses was from Egypt and Kue, and the king’s traders received them from Kue at a price.
--
A chariot could be imported from Egypt for 600 shekels of silver and a horse for 150, and so through the king’s traders they were exported to all the kings of the Hittites and the kings of Syria.
Baptism
Dying to World
Living in Christ
Baptism in Red Sea
No turning back
Those who have
Those who want to be.
Make a choice
Live for Christ!!!
Not the world!!!
I (Josh) know a young man named Mark who was on the brink of self-destruction. He partied away his first semester of junior college and was later kicked out of school. He was devastated by his loss and ashamed of his behavior. Soon afterward he came home one day, went upstairs to his room, closed the door, and laid face down on the floor, sobbing, praying, and lamenting what he had done. When he finally got up from the floor, he reached for a Bible and turned to Ephesians 2. He will tell you that as he read the first ten verses of Ephesian 2, something supernatural happened to him. He fell into a deep sleep that night and awoke the next morning to a sense of peace that he’d never known before. Over the next few hours, Mark set out on a trajectory of redemption. He broke up with his girlfriend because he knew in his heart that their relationship was impure. He gave away his expensive designer clothes because he felt too attached to his wardrobe. He went to work that day and shared what was happening to him with his boss, a man named Collin, who was a bi-vocational pastor and a committed disciple maker. God forged an unbreakable bond between these two men, and over the next three years, Collin spent a lot of time with Mark, encouraging him, listening to him, correcting him, reassuring him, calling out good in him. He helped Mark discover his spiritual gifts, and in a three-year period Mark went from an unbeliever to a disciple maker himself, investing in the lives of others. This is the handiwork of Jesus!
Last Rule
Copy of the Book
Copy of the Book
“Also it shall be, when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, that he shall write for himself a copy of this law in a book, from the one before the priests, the Levites.
Own a copy
we all do
Expensive a back then
now available
Not useful to simply
know about it
own it
We must :
Read It
Read It
Deuteronomy 17:19 (NKJV)
And it shall be with him, and he shall read it all the days of his life...
Not just
know about
own
know people who read
read it once
Read it all the days of his life!
How are your devotions?
Are you reading your Bible?
All days?
Joseph and Mary
missed on day
took 3 to find him.
You can
Know about Bible
Own a Bible
Read Bible
Next 2 Steps:
Fear the Lord
Fear the Lord
Deuteronomy 17:19 (NKJV)
And it shall be with him, and he shall read it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the Lord his God...
Not enough to
simply read
Reading teaches to
Fear the Lord
Not intellectual knowledge.
fear God.
Careful to Observe
Careful to Observe
Deuteronomy 17:19 (NKJV)
And it shall be with him, and he shall read it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the Lord his God and be careful to observe all the words of this law and these statutes,
You can
know about
own
have knowledgeable friends
read
Fear
But Must
Observe!
Not Lifted Up
Not Lifted Up
that his heart may not be lifted above his brethren, that he may not turn aside from the commandment to the right hand or to the left, and that he may prolong his days in his kingdom, he and his children in the midst of Israel.
Why not
get money
horses
chariots
wives
stuff?
Whether we perceive it...
heart is lifted up.
We begin to think
because we have money
we are something.
Dangerous!!!
James 4:6 (ESV)
... “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”
I believe
we must actively
choose to
humble ourselves
be humbled.
Major part,
choose less wealth.
Best way,
give it away!
Prolonged Days
Prolonged Days
Deuteronomy 17:20 (NKJV)
... and that he may prolong his days in his kingdom, he and his children in the midst of Israel.
Life more abundant
Here and Now
There and Later
Peace with God
Joy and Contentment
Maybe you are thinking,
it too late for me
already made mistakes.
God’s word is clear
never too late.
redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
We can,
by God’s grace
redeem the time.
Make good choices today.
During those long periods of enforced reflection, it became so much easier to separate the important from the trivial, the worth-while from the waste…
My hunger for spiritual food soon outdid my hunger for steak…I wanted to know about the part of me that will never die…I wanted to talk about God and Christ and the church…It took prison to show me how empty life is without God…
On August 31. After twenty-eight days of torture, I could remember I had children but not how many. I said Phyllis’ name over and over again so I would not forget. I prayed for strength. It was on that twenty-eighth night I made God a promise. If I survived this ordeal, the first Sunday back in freedom I would take Phyllis and my family to their church and…confess my faith and join the church. This wasn’t a deal with God to get me through that last miserable night, it was a promise made after months of thought. It took prison and hours of painful reflection to realize how much I needed God and the community of believers. After I made God that promise, again I prayed for strength to make it through the night.
When the morning dawned through the crack in the bottom of that solid prison door, I thanked God for His mercy.
APPEAL
APPEAL
Some us Distracted
We want to be
like other nations
Foreign Relationships
Horses
Wives
Gold
Appeal:
Reject this World
Focus on Christ
Appeal 1
Relationships
Take away
replace
Appeal 2
Devices/Materialism
Delete It
Intentional Choices
Appeal 3
Devotions
Commit time
read
understand
fear
obey
reap blessings
Appeal 4
Baptism
Re-baptism
Surrender It
Redeem the Time