What Time Is It?

Introduction:

The beginning of time:

Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

-There was no time before Genesis 1:1; as this is when time began…the time, space, material world began on day one of creation week.

The end of time:

2 Peter 3:10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.

11 Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness,

12 Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?

13 Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.

Revelation 10:6 And sware by him that liveth for ever and ever, who created heaven, and the things that therein are, and the earth, and the things that therein are, and the sea, and the things which are therein, that there should be time no longer:

One day there will be time no more. One day time is going to come to an end. This world as we know it, one day will come to an end. When will this be? No one knows for sure, but we are to watch and work as we wait for the coming of the Lord. All evidences, however, seem to point to the very soon return of the Lord and the end of this present world.

The “fullness of time”:

Galatians 4:4 But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, 5 To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.

-The fullness of the time means the long awaited time for Messiah to be revealed…

-How long has man been waiting for Messiah? Since his fall back in the garden of Eden…

-God sent forth His Son; His eternal, preexistent Son; the One who was always in the bosom of the Father…

-Made of a woman; that is, the seed of the woman promised back in Genesis 3:15…and without man, or natural father, so that He was the virgin born Son of God.

-Made under the law; that is, made subject to the law; the law-giver became obedient to His own law, that He might obtain perfect righteousness for His people…

-To redeem them means to purchase them out of the slave market of sin;

-and out of Satan’s kingdom and family, and to adopt them into God’s family.

1. First of all this morning we want to notice that there is a time to be saved:

Acts 17:30 And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:

2 Corinthians 6:2 (For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.)

-There is an appointed time and day when each of God’s elect will come to Jesus and be saved (not sooner or later). God elected a people and gave them to His Son:

John 6:37 All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.

-And at the appointed time the Holy Spirit will call each one of the elect by the gospel…

2 Thessalonians 2: 13 But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth:

14 Whereunto he called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.

-How are God’s elect saved? We are saved by repentance and faith in the gospel of Jesus. The gospel is God’s sovereign means whereby He saves His people and brings them unto Himself. No one is saved or has the assurance of eternal life outside of faith in the gospel.

Mark 1: 14 ¶ Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God,

15 And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.

John 6:47 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.

What time is it? Perhaps it is time for you to be saved! That is, to repent and believe in Jesus as your personal Savior.

2. Secondly, there is a time to serve the Lord:

We are not to be servants of sin:

Romans 6:6 Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.

-But rather we are to be servants of the Lord:

Colossians 3:24 Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ.

Hebrews 12:28 Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear:

-Seeing that we are to serve the Lord; when are we serve Him?

Romans 13:11 And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed.

Ephesians 5: 14 Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light. 15 See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, 16 Redeeming the time, because the days are evil. 17 Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.

-Beloved, now is the time to serve the Lord!

-We must redeem the time; that is, to make the best use of the time that God gives us…

-The days of our vanity are fleeing away…

-What time is it for God’s people? It is high time to serve the Lord…

Ecclesiastes 9:10 Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.

-We must serve the Lord while we may; the day is coming when we won’t be able to serve Him…

3. Thirdly, there is a time to build the Lord’s House:

Haggai 1:1 ¶ In the second year of Darius the king, in the sixth month, in the first day of the month, came the word of the LORD by Haggai the prophet unto Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, saying, 2 Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, This people say, The time is not come, the time that the LORD'S house should be built. 3 Then came the word of the LORD by Haggai the prophet, saying, 4 Is it time for you, O ye, to dwell in your cieled houses, and this house lie waste? 5 Now therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts; Consider your ways.

-Is it time for God’s people to be concerned about building our own houses, and dwelling comfortably at ease in Zion; and to neglect the building of Lord’s house?

-Explain the circumstances in the text…

-The Israelites were not prospering because of there neglect of God’s house…

6 Ye have sown much, and bring in little; ye eat, but ye have not enough; ye drink, but ye are not filled with drink; ye clothe you, but there is none warm; and he that earneth wages earneth wages to put it into a bag with holes. 7 Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Consider your ways. 9 Ye looked for much, and, lo, it came to little; and when ye brought it home, I did blow upon it. Why? saith the LORD of hosts. Because of mine house that is waste, and ye run every man unto his own house. 10 Therefore the heaven over you is stayed from dew, and the earth is stayed from her fruit. 11 And I called for a drought upon the land, and upon the mountains, and upon the corn, and upon the new wine, and upon the oil, and upon that which the ground bringeth forth, and upon men, and upon cattle, and upon all the labour of the hands.

-Beloved, the Lord won’t bless His people if we neglect His house!

-Next we see that Israel obeyed that voice of God’s prophet…

12 Then Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, with all the remnant of the people, obeyed the voice of the LORD their God, and the words of Haggai the prophet, as the LORD their God had sent him, and the people did fear before the LORD. 13 Then spake Haggai the LORD'S messenger in the LORD'S message unto the people, saying, I am with you, saith the LORD. 14 And the LORD stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, and the spirit of all the remnant of the people; and they came and did work in the house of the LORD of hosts, their God, 15 In the four and twentieth day of the sixth month, in the second year of Darius the king.

-What time is it beloved? It is time to obey the Lord’s voice and build His house.

-What could be more important than this; than to be about performing the great commission?

-The great commission is a commission to build to house of the Lord! (Matthew 28:18-20)

Conclusion:

What time is it?

-For Christians it is time to serve the Lord while there is time! The way to serve Him is in and through His church.

-As members of the Lord’s church, it is time to build the Lord’s house, which in this dispensation is His church.

-If you are lost in your sins, perhaps today is the day and now is the time for you to be saved!