Text:               Ephesians 5:15-16

By:                  Sanni, John

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INTRODUCTION

There is a silent thief that robs men every day, yet it makes no noise.
It breaks no doors, spills no blood, and leaves no fingerprints, yet it has destroyed more destinies than failure, poverty, or persecution ever could.

That thief is DELAY.

Not sin in its loudest form….but delay in its most respectable disguise.

Not rebellion….but postponement.
Not saying “I will never”…but saying “not now.”

Many lives are not ruined because people chose the wrong path, but because they kept waiting to choose at all. 

FOUNDATIONAL TRUTH

Paul does not say “enjoy the time” He says “REDEEM the time.”

That means:

• Time can be wasted
• Time can be lost
• Time can be bought back with urgency and obedience
• Time is not neutral.

If you don’t use it wisely, it uses you ruthlessly. 

REDEEMING THE TIME IN CAREER & PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT

Proverbs 24:30–34 “I went by the field of the slothful… it was all grown over with thorns…”

The man was not evil. He was absolutely inactive. 

Examples:

• Courses you planned to take
• Exams you intended to write
• Skills you meant to acquire
• Certifications you kept postponing

REDEEMING THE TIME IN WORKING FOR GOD

John 9:4: “I must work the works of Him that sent Me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work.”

Jesus felt urgency, not pressure.

Many say:

• “I wish I served in church”
• “I wish I joined a unit”
• “I wish I evangelized”
• “I wish I used my gift”

 But wishing is not working.

REDEEMING THE TIME FROM SINFUL HABITS & SPIRITUAL NEGLIGENCE

Hebrews 12:1 “Let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us…”

Notice:

• Some things are sins.
• Some are weights.

They may not send you to hell immediately, but they will keep you spiritually slow and unproductive. 

Habits you “plan” to stop:

• Secret sins
• Compromise
• Prayerlessness
• Bitterness
• Pornography, gambling
• Alcohol, gossip, anger

“God has promised forgiveness to your repentance, but He has not promised tomorrow to your procrastination.”

REDEEMING THE TIME IN SALVATION & BAPTISM

This is the most dangerous delay of all.

Acts 8:36  “See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized?”

What is hindering you?

• Fear?
• Pride?
• Unbelief?
• Waiting to be “perfect”?

DYING FOR YOU WAS NOT DELAYED

2 Corinthians 6:2 “Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.”

Jesus did not postpone dying for you. Do not postpone living for Him.

C.S. Lewis: “The safest road to hell is the gradual one—gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings.” 

KEY REALITY CHECK

• Time does not heal everything
• Time reveals everything
• What you ignore today will dominate you tomorrow 

CONCLUSION

There is still time, but not much.

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