The Gift that Keeps on Ticking: Ecclesiastes 3:1 {Part 2} by Dr. Rod Mattoon

Scripture

• Ecclesiastes 3:1

About this sermon

In this message, we focus on the redemption of our time and its relevance. If there ever was a time to be on the lookout, to be careful, diligent, and to be accurate in what we believe, it is now. Temptations abound in our society that can bring us down and ruin our testimonies if we yield to them. Deception is rampant as people lie, cheat, steal, and trick others into sin, out of their possessions or their identities. Be on your guard. Make your life count for Christ. Beloved, if you want to make your life count for the Lord, then start making it count now. Even if you are in your 70s or 80s, make your life count for Christ with the time you have left. Redeem the time or your opportunities because the days are evil (Ephesians 5:16). The word "redeem" in Ephesians 5:16 is from the word exagorazo {ex-ag-or-ad'-zo}. It means "to make wise and sacred use of every opportunity for doing good, so that zeal and well-doing are as it were, the money by which we purchase and make the time our own." It also means "to buy up." We are to redeem, buy up, all the time that we have and devote it to the Lord. We are to redeem the time because the days are evil. As the world becomes more corrupt, its efforts to hinder God's work and oppose Christianity will increase. One century after Paul wrote the letter to Ephesus, Rome was persecuting Christians with cruelty. Christians were buried alive, boiled in oil, burned alive, butchered in half, and fed to wild dogs and lions. Opportunities today may be gone tomorrow. The brevity of life is a strong argument for making the best use of the opportunities God gives to us. Buy up time while you can. Take advantage and make the most of your opportunities to live for the Lord. One day, you will not be able to do so. How are you spending the sand in your hourglass? This message was preached on Wednesday night, November 11, 2020 at Lincoln Land Baptist Church in Springfield, Illinois.