CORNERSTONE BIBLE CHURCH June 17, 2012

DON’T WASTE YOUR SUMMER Ephesians 5:15–21

Introduction: Jonathan Edwards’ 70 Resolutions • It was the summer of 1722 and a young 18-year-old by the name of John was in a major transition of his life. Two years before he had graduated first in his class at Yale University; now he was about to finish his master’s degree from that same institution. All he had left to do was to complete his master’s thesis, but he decided to take about 10 months to go to NYC to pastor a small struggling church. It was the perfect oasis for him to think about his life. • It was during that summer that this young man began to write out 70 little statements that he would use to govern his life. These were his commitments to bring his life under the total submission to the Lordship of Christ. These 70 resolutions, as they have come to be known, from an 18-year-old stand as a witness of someone who wanted Christ to be his life. • This man, who is better known as Jonathan Edwards, will become one of the greatest pastors or theologians that our country has ever known. But also, make no mistake about this: that while he was a very gifted individual, these resolutions shaped him. He worked hard to get the most out of who he was in Christ. And as he stood looking at the rest of his life, he simply wanted to give it all to Christ. And so he began by writing these words:

Being sensible that I am unable to do anything without God’s help, I do humbly entreat him by his grace to enable me to keep these resolutions, so far as they are agreeable to his will, for Christ’s sake.

1. Resolved, that I will do whatsoever I think to be most to God’s glory and to my own good, profit, and pleasure, in the whole of my duration, without any consideration of the time, whether now or never so many myriads of ages hence. Resolved to do whatever I think to be my duty, and most for the good and advantage of mankind in general. Resolved to do this, whatever difficulties I meet with, how ever so many and how ever so great.

Yes, he was brilliant, but his brilliance was cultivated because of his discipline. He worked hard and redeemed his time. His discipline and the redemption of his time is seen all throughout these resolutions.

5. Resolved, never to lose one moment of time; but improve it the most profitable way I possibly can.

7. Resolved, never to do anything, which I should be afraid to do, if it were the last hour of my life. 1 41. Resolved, to ask myself at the end of every day, week, month, and year, wherein I could possibly in any respect have done better.

52. I frequently hear persons in old age say how they would live, if they were to live their lives over again: Resolved, that I will live just so as I can think I shall wish I had done, supposing I live to old age.

This is an 18-year old saying this. And the list goes on and on. He was used greatly for the Kingdom of God because he cared deeply about making the most of his time.

Now fast forward to our lives today. How do most of us handle the time that we have been given? How many days do we find our kids wasting away on playing video games? And I say that fully acknowledging that there is nothing wrong with playing video games. But how many nights do we find ourselves drifting into oblivion watching TV? I say that fully understanding there is nothing inherently wrong sitting on the couch watching TV.

But I also know how easy it can be to become very unproductive in life. Don’t you? And so, I wanted to come this morning and share some thoughts with you about redeeming our time. Specifically, I am concerned for myself and I fear for you as well. I fear for our church that the end of August will roll around and we will say, “I can’t believe school is starting again,” and we will wonder what did we really accomplish? I just hope in a few months we don’t look back and think, “I really wasted my summer.”

What do I mean by wasting the summer. Well, there was a episode one time called “The Summer of George” where gets a 3- month paid leave from his job and he says that he is going to do something serious with that time. He says that this summer is going to be about George. My main point this morning can be summarized like this: IF THIS SUMMER IS PRIMARILY ABOUT YOU, IT HAS BEEN WASTED! I guess what I am going to be calling you to in this sermon, just so that we are clear at the beginning, is that any life focused only on self is a wasted life. It will be a wasted summer.

Now, I think we have a very helpful word in Ephesians 5 that will teach us to think through these thoughts of redeeming our time this summer so that it is not just about us. I trust this will be helpful to everyone this morning.

Vs. 15–16  The overall context of this passage is very important. If you noticed in your particular translation, there is either a “therefore” or a “then” which means that Paul is picking up on something he has already said. Because of his previous instructions, he wants us to do something specific. Well, what was the previous instruction?

2 I think we find it all the way back in vs. 1 where Paul says that we are to be imitators of God and walk in love as Christ loved us. Then throughout the rest of the chapter, he is going to make the argument that our imitating God should be the result that positionally, in standing before God, we are different than we were before Christ. We are not children of the darkness any longer, but are children of the light (vs. 9). And then in vs. 14, he says that we should act like we have risen from the dead and Christ shines on us.

His point is that the Christian responds to life and situations in life differently than the Non-Christian. Why? Because they have been changed. And because you have been changed, Christian, you should be careful how you walk in your life. Consider every step that you take, making sure that your steps reflect the change that has taken place inside of you. If you have been saved, then the walk of your life should be towards wisdom, not foolishness. And this is something that is so serious for the Christian; Paul says that we should be very cautious—that we should look carefully.

Illustration: Framing & Roofing • I have had the privilege in my life to work a few different trade jobs. At one point, I worked for a roofer. At another point, I worked for a custom framer. Both jobs required extreme caution and care as I would be walking on rafters or roofs. Carelessness would bring tragic results.

In the same way, the Christian is called to carefully watch their steps to make sure that it results in a wise life, not unwise carelessness that brings tragic results. And for Paul, apparently, one of the ways that the wise walk is seen in the life of the Christian is in making the most of the time that God has given them on this earth. I want you to really consider this thought: Could it be that one of the most foolish things a Christian can do is to waste time and opportunities that God has given?

I do not want to get too technical at this point, but there is something to be learned by the use of the word that Paul uses for “time.” He doesn’t use the normal word that would refer to hour, minute, or seconds. He uses a word that refers to a fixed period of time. What Paul is saying is that we should be using all of our time, until it comes to an end, in the most profitable way.

And listen, God knows our beginning and our end. And some of us are closer to the end than others. Some of us have lots of time left. Some have much less time. But here’s , none of us knows which side of that equation we might fall in. Some of us think we have lots of time, in fact, most people think they have lots of time left to live. Nobody thinks they could die this week.

And so, since we know that it is a reality that this could be our last summer ever, how do we want to spend it? How do we want to use it? This will be the only summer of 2012 that you will ever have. There are no options of jumping into the Delorean and going back in time. This is it. Will you make the most

3 of every opportunity you have this summer? Think about what you would wish at the end of this summer that you had accomplished for Christ, and make plans of doing it.

That phrase, “making the best use” has the idea of not sitting back waiting for things to fall into your lap. It means to go out and make it happen. We will talk more specifically of some applications in a few minutes, but let me give you one by way of illustration. If you want to build a friendship with someone, to make the best use of your time, would mean that you go out there and initiate opportunities for relationships to happen, and you don’t sit in your little house hoping someone calls you to build a friendship with you. Does that make sense? Go make it happen!

Another way to say it, and some translations emphasize this, but it could be thought of as “redeeming your time.” Now, here’s the cool part. To redeem is to buy back, right? So, each of us can look back to things in our life that we have done that we wish we could have a “redo.” Right? There are things in our life that we wish we could buy back. But what Paul is saying is to think ahead on those potential things, and buy them back before they happen. Look ahead at time and buy it back.

Why should we do it? Well, Paul says that the days are evil. What he is saying is that left to itself, our time will not be useful for the kingdom. It is not natural for us to use our time profitably for Jesus. The natural thing for many people is to sleep in and be lazy. Even if you happen to be one of those over- achievers who is anti-lazy, I would bet your natural inclination is not to be productive for Jesus. It is to be productive for yourself or your family or your work or your sports. This is what I am saying: without purpose, your summer will be wasted.

To be even more specific, I find that many people are even more prone to an unwise walk during the summer months than any other time. I find these months are the most dangerous for the soul. Why? Well, let me be blunt. The casualness of schedules can lend itself to even more laziness than normal. Idleness does indeed equal sinfulness. Christian, the enemy loves to use your idleness to bring about sin in your life.

And more casualness of schedules can lend itself to even more selfishness. Our natural tendency is to not use our time for wise gospel uses, but for ourselves. But the Christian can redeem his time, and he should! We need to step up today and like Edwards, commit to making the most of this summer. I pray it is the best summer you have ever had with your family, your church, and certainly with Jesus!

To help with this, I want to give you some very practical steps you can take in order to make the most of your summer. We will find them primarily in the next several verses. Let me give you 5 PRACTICAL STEPS TO NOT WASTE

4 YOUR SUMMER . . . These five steps only touch the surface of ways you can redeem your time this summer, but I hope they will help & then you will use wisdom in other things.

1. READ YOUR BIBLE THIS SUMMER (VS. 17)

Specifically, Paul is telling them that he wants them to know what the will of God is for their life. Do you understand what the will of God is for your life? Now, even with that question, let me be frank with you. Sometimes when people say this to me, what they mean is that they are looking for some mystical experience or some feeling. I am not going to totally disregard that God can lead you through His Spirit; we will talk about that in a minute. However, the main place where we find out God’s will for our life is through His Word. This is His communication to us to understand His will!

Sometimes we make the will of God too complicated. We search and wonder how God would want us to act in any situation. What I would say to you is that if you are actively following His revealed will, then do whatever you want to do in regards to situations in your life. For instance:

In 1 Thessalonians 4:3, Paul says that God’s will for the Christian’s life is sanctification, specifically, that they abstain from sexual immorality. So, just by way of illustration, you might be the person who is looking for insight into what God’s will is in regard to whether you should take a new job or move to a new place—all awhile you are struggling with a morality issue in your life. I will tell you what God’s will is for your life: repent of your immorality and pursue holiness. Let’s stop worrying about the mystical portion of God’s will and start obeying what we know He has called us to do.

Whenever I talk to people about this sort of thing, one thing that seems to always come up is their personal experience. I feel I need to say a few words about this as a shepherd, if you will let me, because sometimes I think that many Christians think their experiences trump the Word of God, not vice versa. I mean, which do you think should impact you more? Well, all I can say is that the Apostle Peter thought it was the Word of God, not his experience that was more important. Go home and read 2 Peter 1:16–21 at some point and what you will realize is that Peter believed and taught that the Bible is more valuable to his life than the experiences that he had; and he had way better experiences than you have.

Peter and the other apostles were accused of making up stories about Jesus and what He had done in their life. His response was to reiterate the experience that he had. “Well, I saw Him transfigured upon that mountain. I heard from Heaven speaking.” He reiterated that his experience was unlike anything anyone had ever had. But then, he says these words in 2 Peter 1:19, “we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention.” 5 What he is saying is that there is another source that is even more reliable than his experience. He was saying, “although the experience on that mountain that one day was a wonderful and marvelous account—and I was there, I was not making it up—there is something that is even more powerful and wonderful.” The Scripture is a more trustworthy verification of his faith. Though he had seen the Lord in His glory, Peter was certain that the Word of God recorded by holy men moved by the Holy Spirit was a more solid foundation for what he believed.

Do not be foolish this summer, but come to understand the will of God in your life. You do that by reading the Scriptures. So, let me simply ask you, what is your plan of Bible reading this summer? I would highly encourage you to make a plan. I have seen it all too often; those people who are very disciplined in their Bible reading get into summer months with no schedule and weeks go by where they do not read the Scriptures at all. The Bible becomes an afterthought to them.

What is your plan for your kids in reading the Bible with them? What night or morning of the week is that going to happen? How often? How are you going to help them engage the Scriptures this summer?

What about putting a summer memorization plan together for you and your family? In a couple weeks, we will be looking at Psalm 1 which says that the blessed man delights in the Law of the Lord and meditates on it day and night. I want you to take some time this week and sit down, think ahead a few months as to what your future self would have desired you did with the Word of God this summer. Then put a plan in place to do it.

I would add one more thing into this mix and that is church attendance. Specifically, sitting under the preaching of God’s Word. As you know, I love preaching and I love for people to listen. I even wrote a book on it. Literally. Go on vacation, have some fun. But unless you are out of town, make every effort to be here at church and track with us as we look at God’s Word this summer. It is not too crazy to make a plan of how many times you want to miss church, or maybe I should say, times you don’t want to miss church.

Practical step #1: Read Your Bible This Summer.

2. OBEY THE SPIRIT THIS SUMMER (VS. 18)

There is so much going on in vs. 18 that we are not going to be talking about. We could spend a week or more in this verse alone. We can talk about this some other time as I do not have time to unpack this, but filling here is not about getting more of the Holy Spirit in your life. We are told other places that when we are saved, we are indwelt with the Spirit of God. He comes into us, whatever that looks like, to dwell with us. So, it is not that we get some of the Spirit and then later in life we get more of Him.

6 The point of this verse has been blown way out of control. I mean, just read it in its basic sense. Paul says to not get drunk with wine for that is debauchery. What he is saying is that to get drunk is to be filled with wine. It is to be controlled by the wine. When a person drinks past a certain point, they begin to lose control of their senses.

While we are not to be controlled by wine, we should be controlled by the Spirit of God. It is not about us getting more of the Spirit, it is about the Spirit getting more of us. It is about being sensitive to the leadings of the Spirit, which produce the fruit of the Spirit into our lives. That’s the cool thing, we know what it looks like to be obeying the Spirit in our life, for we will begin to see more and more the fruit of the Spirit—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control—in our life.

But it also seems to be something that we do. It is not that we just sit back and let it happen, remember the context is in terms of redeeming the time. Making the most of our opportunities. It is about giving more and more of our life over to the Lordship of Jesus and submitting to the Holy Spirit. It means as 1 Thessalonians 5:19 says, to not quench the Spirit. We are not to extinguish or put out the Holy Spirit in our lives, but instead, obey Him.

Once again, this will sound like a broken record, but the main way in which we become filled with the Spirit is to fill ourselves with the Word that He wrote. It is to fill ourselves with the Bible daily. To obey the Spirit means that when the Scriptures say things, we listen and do them. He is there to help us become obedient to the ways of the Father, through the example of Jesus.

And then even beyond that, it means that we follow the promptings of the Spirit. At times in your life, as you are walking with the Lord, the Spirit of God is going to impress upon your spirit things . . . spiritual, godly things . . . that you should listen to and obey.

 If you find yourself about to say something to someone in a quick reaction to something they did, and you think, “I wonder if what I am going to say will build them up or tear them down,” that thought is from the Spirit of God. Listen and obey!  If you are meeting with someone and you have the feeling that you should pray for them; that is the Spirit. Obey!  If you are standing in line at Cedar Point waiting for the new roller coaster and you begin talking to the person in front of you and the thought comes into your mind, “I wonder if they know Jesus;” listen, that is not the enemy impressing upon your mind to share Jesus with them. Get that? It is the Spirit. Obey and share the gospel with them!  When you hear something from someone that really hurts your feelings, and the thought comes into your mind that you know you should forgive them for their statement; that thought of forgiveness is the Holy Spirit; listen to Him.

7  When you sit down to do your bills next month and the thought comes to your mind that you shouldn’t take your giving money to use for your vacation, that is probably the Holy Spirit.

I pray that you will walk with Jesus this summer and be sensitive to the Holy Spirit in your life. By the way, the Spirit testifies of Jesus, meaning that your “promptings that you feel” that build you up and not Jesus are not from Him.

What if you committed this summer to write a note to everyone that comes to your mind; what if you pray for everyone who comes into your mind; what if you follow the promptings of the Spirit all summer long? How would that change your summer plans?

3. ENGAGE OTHERS IN MINISTRY THIS SUMMER (VS. 19)

Paul is probably meaning to show us that this is one of the ways in which we know we are filled with the Spirit—are we involved in each other’s life, not just socially, but spiritually. This is the “musical worship” proof text. And yes, it does say that we should be singing and making melody to the Lord with our heart.

But I want to emphasize the social component of this verse. This is fellowship that is not for the sake of friendship only, but it is for the purpose of the spiritual edification of one another. It is taking the opportunity to speak of the Scriptures into someone’s life. It is addressing one another in psalms, hymns, or spiritual songs.

Now, what I’m not saying is to go up to someone and say, “I have a song for you” and then start singing. That would be just strange, and probably awkward. But what I would suggest to you would be that you take opportunities to think more than yourself this summer.

Sit down this week and make a plan of how you are going to invest spiritually into other people this week. Start with your family. Speak truth into your family this summer. Then, move on to your home fellowship group. Maybe your group is not meeting this summer, but then maybe you get together with them socially to stay in touch with them. Ask them how they are doing spiritually. Whenever I go out with some men in the church, I want to make sure and talk about something spiritual. There is just not enough time in this life to get together with no thought of how this affects me spiritually.

Then maybe you use this time to get to know some new people at the church. Invite them to dinner. Have a bbq. Go to the pool with each other. Ask them their spiritual background. Build relationships with people so you can be invited to speak truth into their life. Redeem your time this summer and invest into the lives of others.

8 4. BE THANKFUL THIS SUMMER (VS. 20)

What if everything you did this summer was filled with thankfulness? How would that change your outlook on things? What if you made the decision right now that you are going to redeem the summer and be thankful in every situation.

Paul seems to give a double whammy! As if it wasn’t complete enough to say give thanks always, he includes and for everything. This seems to say that it is fairly comprehensive. So, this is certainly one evidence that you are filled with the Spirit.

Think about this in light of vs. 16 where he tells us to make the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Do you think the natural inclination of the unbeliever is unthankfulness? Um, yes! Paul says in 2 Timothy 3:2 that at the end days people will be “lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, and so on.

So it says something to a sinful world when at your kids sporting event that doesn’t go your way, you respond with thankfulness. They look at you as if you are from a different world. And you are, technically. Or when you say that you can’t afford a vacation this summer, so you are having a staycation. And you go into it with a thankful heart about all that you can get accomplished. It says that you are different. Or even, are you going to be thankful for the time you have with your children this summer? Some people say yes, but then about August 15th, they are thinking, “I can’t wait till school starts and these kids can go back to school.” Right?

The list can keep going. Redeem your time. Sit down this week and think through the areas that you know you struggle with thankfulness and make plans on how to redeem your time. Buy it back before it ever begins.

How do you do it? I think the only way to stay thankful is to continually remind yourself of the gospel. Think about what you deserve and what you have received. Everything pails in comparison to that great thought. Be thankful this summer!

5. SEEK HUMILITY THIS SUMMER (VS. 21)

Lastly, this is a tough one, but Paul gets to the end of this thought and says that we should submit to one another out of the reverence for Christ. It is thinking about others as more important than yourself. If vs. 19 has to do with speaking truth into one another’s life, maybe this one has to do with seeking truth to be spoken into your life. Invite it in.

Nobody likes to submit to anyone. Many people hate authority. It is like we live in a rebellious culture. But redeem your time, make the most of your

9 time, submit to those who have authority over you and maybe even those that don’t. Seek other people to speak truth into your life.

How about making this the summer that you kill your pride? What would August look like if you dealt with your pride issues this summer? Do you think your future you would appreciate that? Of course. One way you deal with your pride is to intentionally seek people out, submitting to their input in your life. How about that, are you ready for that?

Redeem your time this summer. Don’t waste it! If this summer is about you, it will be wasted, unless it is about you killing your sin and seeking Christ. But whatever you choose to do, it is going to take discipline.

 1 Timothy 4:7–8  “Rather train yourself for godliness; for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.”

My challenge to you is to take some time this week and set some goals, set some plans for this summer. What do you want to accomplish? How are you going to interact with the Bible, the Holy Spirit, Ministry to others, be thankful, and submit to others—as well as many other things.

I would love to hear your thoughts. Here’s one last challenge. I dare you to be serious about this and even send me an email of what you want to accomplish this summer so I can ask you later if you are going to accomplish it. As well, it will help me pray for you.

Love you Cornerstone. I look forward to what God is going to do in and through each of us as we grow together this summer! All to God’s glory!

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