Essentials Of The Faith / Sunday Morning Sermon Series / Special Services

New Years 2012

Title: 'Carpe Diem’

Text: Ephesians 5: 15-17

Introduction: Can you believe it? Just last Sunday we celebrated Christmas and now it’s New Yeas day. 2011 is gone and 2012 has just entered the building.

• What kind of year was 2011 for you? One to cherish or one to forget?

Whichever it was, this day is filled with hope.

• For some, a hope that 2012 will be better than 2011.

• For some, a hope that 2012 will bring much needed change to their lives.

• For some, a hope that 2012 will see broken relationships restored.

• For some, a hope that 2012 will be a new beginning.

The Apostle Paul, in our text this morning, wants us to know that much of what we hope for in 2012 is within our reach, within our ability…when we choose to live the time God has given to us in 2012, for Christ.

Time…someone put together a list of how a person spends their 70 yrs (ave life)

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• Sleep: 23yrs or 32.9%

• Work:16yrs or 22.8%

• TV: 8yrs or 11:4%

• Eating: 6yrs or 8.6%

• Travel: 6yrs or 8.6%

• Leisure: 4.5yrs or 6.5%

• Illness: 4yrs or 5.7%

• Dressing: 2yrs or 2.8%

• Religion: .5yrs or .7%

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But is that what life is all about? It is just spending time doing the things we do or is it supposed to be something more?

Since it is God who gave us life, shouldn’t it be God who gets to tell us how to live that life?

Transition: So, as we face a new year, what does God say about how to live the life He has given to us? Open your Bibles to Ephesians 5:15

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• pg. 892 in the brown Bibles; pg.

• 1988 in the Red Bibles;

• pg. 1244 in the Blue Bibles)

For it’s there we are told

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‘Carpe Diem!’

I. Verse 15 Understand that our time is limited

Read: Ephesians 5:15

First, we must be careful how we live because our days are numbered. The Psalmist wrote:

• O Lord, make me know my end and what is the measure of my days; let me know how fleeting I am! (Psalm 39:4, ESV)

The Psalmist wasn’t asking God to tell him what day he was going to die, but to help him live with the understanding that his days are limited. When we live that way, Paul says we are living wisely. And the Apostle James would add this as a word of warning:

Read: James 4:13-14 Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. (ESV)

While the average lifespan is somewhere around 70yrs or so…we are not promised that. So we must value the time we have.

Think about it this way. Who decides how you will spend your time?

• Is it your children and their overload of things they need you to do for them?

• It is your friends who want to make sure you join them in all their leisure activities?

• Is it you TV that makes you watch ‘American Idol’ ‘Glee’ ‘Survivor’ ‘Big Brother’ ‘CSI’ and who knows what others shows you can become addicted too?

Truth is, you decide how to spend your time...Paul says choose wisely because you may not have as much time as you think.

Read: Proverbs 2:6 For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding; (ESV)

Where does wisdom come from? God. The everyday choices we make about how to spend our time should be governed by our dependence upon the Lord…or not.

Read: Proverbs 1:29-31 Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the Lord, would have none of my counsel and despised all my reproof, therefore they shall eat the fruit of their way, and have their fill of their own devices. (ESV)

It is possible to reject God’s wisdom for living and when we do, we suffer the consequences. What are some of the consequences?

• Stress, anxiety, feeling overwhelmed, depression, anger, being constantly on edge, not keeping your commitments, ulcers, colitis, high blood pressure…just to name a few.

Transition: Paul pleads with us, be very careful how you live your life. Then he tell us 2 ways to do that.

II. Verse 16 Make the most of every opportunity

Read: Ephesians 5:16

‘Carpe Diem!’ Anyone know what that Latin phrase means? Seize the day! It was made popular in the movie ‘Dead Poet’s Society’ English teacher John Keating told his students ‘Carpe Diem!’ seize the day. He said every single one of us is just worm food.

You may be destined for great things, but you need to take the opportunity now…make your life extraordinary!’ As Christians we do that by living in obedience to God’s will. More on that in a few.

ILL: When I was in seminary I was asked by one of my professors to share with my classmates how I organize my time to be certain that everything I needed to do, got done. It seems not everyone was on time with their papers.

I didn’t have more time than anyone else, I didn’t have less on my plate than anyone else, I just was able to get more done in the same amount of time.

God did not give us all the same amount of talent, nor the same amount of wealth, but He did give us the same amount of time. But not everyone uses that time wisely.

I learned early to make the most of the opportunities God placed before me each day. Paul called it ‘redeeming the time.’

• The word ‘redeem’ means to buy back.

• The word time actually doesn’t mean clock time in the Greek but moments in time or opportunities in time.

So, because of this passage, I have come to understand that we are not to be better ‘time’ managers, but better ‘opportunity’ managers.

ILL: In football, the best running backs are not those who are the strongest, the fastest or have the best grasp of their playbook. The best running backs are the ones able to keep their eyes open to what happening on the field, find and take advantage of the openings/opportunities in front of them.

For the Christian it’s living purposefully, intentionally looking for the opportunities God places before us.

Why is that so important? Paul says ‘The days are evil.’ Generally speaking he meant the world around us in not God’s will friendly. In fact, it works to stop people from doing God’s will. And it often does that by offering so many nice things to put on our plate that we become overloaded.

What nice things:

Commitments:

• We allow, even encourage our children to sign up for more activities than they truly need to be well rounded. And who takes our children to all their commitments?

We do. Their commitments become our burden and add to our being overloaded.

• We make numerous social commitments with civic, religious organizations and with family and friends. Those commitments often become a burden that add to our being overloaded.

Possessions:

• Our closets are full, our garages are overflowing and we have to work more overtime or a second job to pay for all the things we just must have. Our possessions become a burden and add to our being overloaded.

Information:

• The internet, newspapers, magazines, TV news, books, kindles, tablets, smart phones, all contribute to information overload…

There are so many demands on our life, many of them good things, but they often hinder our ability to make the most of the opportunities God places before us.

Transition: Here’s something to chew on…Did you know that the opportunities God places before you…are an expression of God’s will for you?

III. Verse 17 Understand what the Lord’s will is

Read: Ephesians 5:17

What is God’s will for you in 2012?

• Do you think it’s having your mind so frazzled with worries and stress that you can’t focus on spiritual things?

• Do you think it’s having a calendar so full that you don’t have time for spiritual things?

What do you think God’s will is for you in 2012?

• To redeem your time, to make the most of the opportunities God places before you.

Yes, there might be some more specific, or hidden things, but we spend so much time looking for the specific that we fail to do the obvious.

The Bible is very clear at times, on what God’s will is. How about we work on those things in 2012? Beginning with redeeming our time, buying it back from the world and living it for God by making the most of the opportunities He places before us.

Conclusion ‘Wake Up!’ Romans 13:11

What will it take for us to do that effectively in 2012?

Read: Romans 13:11 And do this, understanding the present time: The hour has already come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed.” (NIV)

God has given us a ‘wakeup call’ here in Romans 13 as we face 2012.

‘Do this…understand the present time’ In other words…

• it’s time to get with the program

• do it now, don’t put it off till later because you might not have a later

ILL: Someone once said ‘Do you know what happens when you give a procrastinator a good idea? Nothing!’

Our greatest area of procrastination, I think, is with our spiritual life…there is always tomorrow:

• to go to church

• to be baptized

• to serve God

• to read the bible

• to attend a small group

You need to understand that it’s the devil who puts it in our mind that we have time: he says, there is always tomorrow, next week, next year to get right with God, to take the next step on your journey of faith.

Paul tells us to ‘wake up’ the time is now, not tomorrow. Today! Jan. 1, 2012.

In other words ‘Carpe Diem Deo’ Seize the day for God!