Redeeming Our Time

Ephesians 5:1–17

1. Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children;

2. And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour.

3. But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints;

4. Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks.

5. For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.

6. Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience.

7. Be not ye therefore partakers with them.

8. For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light:

9. (For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;)

10. Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord.

11. And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.

12. For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret.

13. But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light: for whatsoever doth make manifest is light.

14. Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.

15. See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise,

16. Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.

17. Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.

Verse one of our text: Ephesians 5:1 “Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children;”

Adrian Rogers wrote a devotional the other day that reminded me of this verse.

No matter who you are or where you are, God is not saying, “Eeny, meeny, miny, moe, this must stay and this can go,” concerning Heaven. No. God wants everybody saved. I believe that. Jesus loves the little children of the world; they are precious in His sight.

While salvation is very broad in its availability, it is very narrow in its source. The source is the Lord Jesus Christ.

There’s no other way. Do you believe that? If Jesus Christ is not the only way, then He’s none of the ways. If Jesus Christ is not the only way, then He is a liar, a fake, a fraud, an imposter. But He’s not one of those things because a liar is no one’s Savior. And Jesus has cornered the market on salvation.

Any people, anywhere, anytime can be saved, but if they are saved, they’re going to be saved through Jesus Christ. There’s no other way to be saved. That’s the way Peter begins his testimony to Cornelius. He said, in effect, “Look, Jesus alone can satisfy your hunger, Cornelius. Jesus alone is God’s answer to your sin. Jesus alone can give you the meaning of life and death.

Jesus alone can take the sting out of sin. Jesus alone can take the pain out of parting. Jesus alone can take the dread out of dying. Jesus alone can give a hope that is steadfast and sure.”

Verse sixteen of our text tell us to “ Redeem the time, because the days are evil.”

The Greek word “evil” means Poneros, this word is taken from the word “pornographic.” We live in a pornographic society. Pornography is becoming increasingly difficult to avoid, especially during our spare time. In the check out lines at the grocery store magazines are placed for you to glance at, they always have an enticing title.

Television is the worst pornography of all. Once impure thoughts plant themselves like evil seeds in the receptive soil of our souls, they are difficult to eradicate. They grow like poisonous, prolific weeds. There deadly fruit is temptation and sin.

1 Peter 5:8 “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:”

Luke 6:45 “A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.”

The way to keep our thoughts pure, of course, is not to allow this world to plant vileness in our minds in the first place. Some contamination cannot be avoided, but much could be avoided if we simply decided to redeem the time.

To “redeem the time” means to “buy up the time.” We could avoid many traps if we were to buy up our spare time when the temptations of pornography are strongest.

We must covert our spare time into another kind of time: time when we study the Bible; time when we turn our thoughts toward the throne of God in prayer; time when we pick up a good book, go for a walk, do some gardening, or visit someone in the hospital; time when we do what we have sinfully neglected because we were “too busy.”

So what’s the alternative for walking in the idleness of this world?

Walk in God’s Love

Ephesians 5:2 “And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour.”

Paul used the word walk to describe a person’s outward life. This word shows progress in the Christian life because the Christian life never stands still.

As Christians, we are either moving forward or sliding backward. We are to become more like Christ or we are slipping back into our old ways. Jesus is the supreme example of love. John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

At Calvary Jesus expressed His love for us and His love for God.

Jesus said, “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13).

Paul added, “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).

This is the love that took the Son of God from the heights of Heaven and the throne of His Father to the cross of shame and woe, on a skull-shaped hill called Calvary, to die on our behalf is more than any tongue can tell.

Part C of our text in verse 2 says, “and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour.”

In the Old Testament the burnt offering was the highest expression of love for God. Its unique feature was that it was all for God. The burnt offering was one of the three sweet-savor offerings, and there were different grades of burnt offerings ranging from a turtledove to a full-grown bullock.

Hebrews 9:7–14 “But into the second went the high priest alone once every year, not without blood, which he offered for himself, and for the errors of the people:

8 The Holy Ghost this signifying, that the way into the holiest of all was not yet made manifest, while as the first tabernacle was yet standing:

9 Which was a figure for the time then present, in which were offered both gifts and sacrifices, that could not make him that did the service perfect, as pertaining to the conscience;

10 Which stood only in meats and drinks, and divers washings, and carnal ordinances, imposed on them until the time of reformation.

11 But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building;

12 Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.

13 For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprin.

How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?”

2. Walking in God’s Light.

Ephesians 5:8–13

“8. For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light:

9. (For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;)

10. Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord.

11. And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.

12. For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret.

13. But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light: for whatsoever doth make manifest is light.”