Taking Careful Steps

TAKING A CAREFUL STEP

Micah 6:6-8; Eph. 5:15-20

INTRODUCTION:

·       How we spend our Life Time:

Someone has calculated how a typical lifespan of 70 years is spent. Here is the estimate: Sleep—23 years, Work—16 years, TV—8 years, Eating—6 years, Travel—6 years, Leisure—4.5 years, Illness—4 years, Dressing—2 years, Religion—0.5 years. Total—70 years. Source: Our Daily Bread, November 25, 1992.

·       Every second you spend in life is a step you take towards your future.

1. REDEEM THE TIME v.15

·       The days are evil (painful)

·       Paul was in Roman house arrest and Persecution was on the way

·       Sin was rampant

·       Time is fleeting

·       Greek words for time:

·       Chronos/Cronus: It refers to clock time — time that can be measured — seconds, minutes, hours, years.

·       It takes away everything you have and then it eats you too.

·       Kairos: It measures moments, not seconds.

·       Gk. Kairo comes from Gk.Kara- opportune time/right moment.

·       English: Opportunity: Latin. “Toward the port”- referring to how the ship uses the wind to move towards a port.

·       Greek Mythology: A bald man with hair in the front. You can only catch him while he is coming towards you.

·       సమయం నీ వయస్సును మింగేస్తుంది. అవకాశం నిన్ను దాటిపోతుంది.

·       You Can’t Get It Back:

·       “Time is free, but it’s priceless. You can’t own it, but you can use it. You can’t keep it but you can spend it. Once you’ve lost it you can never get it back.” Anonymous.

·       “సమయం ఉచితంగానే దొరుకుతుంది, కానీ అది వెలకట్టలేనిది. నీవు దానిని సొంతం చేసుకోలేవు, కానీ ఉపయోగించుకోవచ్చు. దానిని దాచుకోలేవు, కానీ ఖర్చు చేయవచ్చు. దానిని పోగొట్టుకుంటే మాత్రం దానిని ఎన్నటికీ తిరిగి పొందుకోలేవు.”

·       సద్వినియోగము చేసికొనుచు: Redeem/ransom:

·       Days are so evil that they steal your time. You have to redeem/ransom your time in wisdom. Make it your own.

·       Give up your worldly pleasures in exchange for godly life.

·       Busy. Being under Satan’s yoke

·       Make better choices

·       Living with godly character

·       Why should we redeem time: God asks for an account and rewards us

·       Invest your life for eternity.

2. WALK IN WISDOM v.16

·       The walk of the foolish: Eph. 4:17-19

·       The walk of the wise: Eph. 4:20ff

·       జాగ్రత్తగా చూచుకొనుడి:

·       ENGLISH: “Circumspect” comes from two Latin words meaning “looking around”.

·       Gk. Idea is “precision/accuracy/exactness”

·       You cannot leave your spiritual life to chance. You have to decide to walk in wisdom. Make deliberate decisions every single day.

·       A ship has to be directed by the rudder or sail rather than to be drifted with the wind.

3. UNDERSTAND GOD’S WILL

·       To walk in wisdom, one has to understand God’s will through Scriptures and prayer.

·       Understanding God’s will is not necessarily a mystical experience. It is revealed to us in Scriptures. The Bible is the revealed will of God. All sufficient and inerrant.

·       2 తిమోతికి 3:16: దైవజనుడు సన్నద్ధుడై ప్రతి సత్కార్యమునకు పూర్ణముగా సిద్ధపడి యుండునట్లు దైవావేశమువలన కలిగిన ప్రతిలేఖనము ఉపదేశించుటకును,17ఖండించుటకును, తప్పు దిద్దుటకును, నీతియందు శిక్షచేయుటకును ప్రయోజనకరమై యున్నది.

·       మీకా 6:8: మనుష్యుడా, యేది ఉత్తమమో అది నీకు తెలియజేయబడియున్నది; న్యాయముగా నడుచుకొనుటయు, కనికరమును ప్రేమించుటయు, దీనమనస్సుకలిగి నీ దేవుని యెదుట ప్రవర్తించుటయు, ఇంతేగదా యెహోవా నిన్నడుగుచున్నాడు.

·       God is not worried about what job you do as long as it is not unscriptural.

·       He is worried about why you do it, how you do it and what you do with it.

4. BE FILLED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT

·       Holy Spirit is not some kind of power. He bestows power. Acts 1:8.

·       He first convicts and regenerates a sinner; He sanctifies and indwells a believer.

·       Being full of the Holy Spirit: You are completely occupied, saturated, covered, controlled and driven by Him.

·       He both enables you to understand God’s will and to do His will.

·       Do not be drunk with wine.

·       దుర్వ్యాపారము: వ్యర్థత/పనికిరాని, నిష్ప్రయోజనమైన

·       What sort of intoxication is putting us to sleep-walk?

·       Sleep-walking people are funny. Ex: My friend tied his feet while sleeping on a terrace.

·       You don’t know where you are going. You can fall off. They are always in danger.

·       Eph. 5:14 is connected to this verse. Don’t walk in sleep. WAKE UP!

5. ENCOURAGE ONE ANOTHER

·       హెచ్చరించుచు: Gk. speak

6. GIVE THANKS TO GOD

·       Through Jesus

·       For everything

·       Always

·       ILL: The man with his goat

7. SUBMIT TO ONE ANOTHER

·       Have the fear of God: He will judge according to our deeds

·       Understand that we are forgiven by God.

·       C.S. Lewis: “To be a Christian means to forgive the inexcusable because God has forgiven the inexcusable in you.”

·       Submit for the common cause of the kingdom.

CONCLUSION:

·       Every passing year tells us that we are one step closer to the coming our Lord.

·       He is coming back with our wages.

·       ప్రకటన గ్రంథం 22:12: ఇదిగో త్వరగా వచ్చుచున్నాను. వానివాని క్రియచొప్పున ప్రతివాని కిచ్చుటకు నేను సిద్ధపరచిన జీతము నాయొద్ద ఉన్నది.

·       He will ask account of how we spent our time and resources.

·       We may think he will not come anytime closer. You never know. Kairos moment is like that of the Ten Virgins.

·       ILL: A pastor lost his sermon note. He kept saying, “Behold, I am coming soon”. He finally fell on an old woman. He said sorry but she said, “My bad. I you kept telling but I only didn’t move”.

·       Make a decision now to make the best of this year for your spiritual growth and God’s kingdom.

·       Can you take a careful step into the new year? Can you decide to watch every step of the way?