The Right Use of Time
E.A. Johnston urges believers to wisely redeem their time for God's glory, warning that how we use our days will impact our eternal reward.
In "The Right Use of Time," E.A. Johnston challenges believers to evaluate how they spend their days in light of eternity. Drawing from Ephesians 5:16, he highlights the urgency of redeeming time amidst a morally declining culture. Through personal testimony and biblical insight, Johnston calls Christians to prioritize prayer, evangelism, and purposeful living over worldly distractions. This sermon serves as a sobering reminder that our time is limited and must be invested in what truly matters for God's kingdom.
Full Transcript
There is a verse in Ephesians that troubles me. It troubles me because of how I've failed to live up to it through the years. It is found in Ephesians 5.16 which declares redeeming the time because the days are evil.
Let me ask you, friend, are the days evil in which we live? If so, what are we doing with our time? Are we redeeming the time or squandering it away? There is given every man only so many days of usefulness in this world before he is called away to another world. The right use of time will either bless us or haunt us in eternity. How we use the time God gave us will determine the gold, silver, or precious stones of fruitfulness or the wood, hay, and stubble of waste.
This nation has gone to hell in a handbasket and who stands in the gap for it through desperate nights of incessant prayer, crying out to God for the sins of the land? Our young people today are perverting themselves and drugging themselves and are on a fast track to hell today because we don't have time to pray for them or to witness to them, for we are too busy amusing ourselves or pampering ourselves. How can we squander away our life propped up in front of a television until our eyes grow as big as a saucer and our brains the size of a pea? How can we surf the internet all day when we're not using the information we already have for the spread of the gospel and the glory of God? Add up all the time you spent in prayer this week, friend, and weigh it against the time you were on the internet or in your entertainments. How much time did you give to your Bible this week as opposed to your favorite sport or hobby? For years I wasted my life on golf courses.
I often played golf five or six times a week. I spent a lot of money on the game of golf, and it took away a lot of my time. Then one day God showed me what golf stood for in my life.
G-O-L-F. Golden opportunities lost forever. Time is a commodity once spent never to be regained.
How foolish and insignificant will all the things look in eternity that we place such great importance upon here by devoting our time to them. Like I said, the right use of time will either bless us or haunt us in eternity. Oh, only one life, which will soon be past.
Only what's done for Christ will last. Let us pray.
Sermon Outline
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I
- The challenge of redeeming the time in evil days
- The limited days of usefulness given to each person
- The eternal consequences of how time is used
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II
- The moral and spiritual decline of the nation
- The neglect of prayer and witnessing
- The distractions of entertainment and technology
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III
- Personal testimony of wasted time on golf
- The meaning behind G-O-L-F: Golden Opportunities Lost Forever
- The irreversible nature of time spent
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IV
- The insignificance of worldly pursuits in eternity
- The importance of doing only what lasts for Christ
- A call to prayer and renewed commitment
Key Quotes
“There is given every man only so many days of usefulness in this world before he is called away to another world.” — E.A. Johnston
“G-O-L-F. Golden opportunities lost forever. Time is a commodity once spent never to be regained.” — E.A. Johnston
“Only what's done for Christ will last.” — E.A. Johnston
Application Points
- Evaluate and reduce time spent on entertainment and technology to focus more on prayer and Bible study.
- Commit to praying regularly for the nation and the salvation of young people.
- Prioritize activities that produce eternal fruit and honor Christ in daily life.