Recognizing The Times

Introduction

Good morning to everyone. Good to see everyone here. Good to be with you. And hopefully, as we study together, that we’ll be encouraged by the things that we uh learn from God’s word. And I hope to be an encouragement to you all. I want to extend my condolences to the Barfield family, and uh and they will be in my prayers as death does impact all of us, even though we know it’s going to happen. And so I’m sure the family would appreciate our prayers and our encouragement during these times of sorrow. But at the same time, the rejoicing as one is faithful to the Lord reach the glory that God has promised to those who are faithful to Him. If you have your Bibles, I encourage you to turn to the book of 2 Corinthians.

And this morning I want you to keep your fingers there, but we’ll look at a few other things and just uh focus on some things I want to cover uh this week, and this is the beginning of that. And it’s interesting that I only have a short period of time in this session, and this is where I have the most information. But anyway, that’s how it works a lot of times. But we’ll do as much as we can. In Ephesians chapter 2, the Bible tells us that God says in verses 8 through 10, the apostle, as he’s writing to those brethren, he says, By the for by the grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves. It is the gift of God.

And he says, not as a result of work, so that uh no one may boast. For we are his workmanship. That’s a key word there. Created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them. And what is interesting in those passages are the purpose that you and I have as the people of God. God has pointed out to us what he requires of us, and then he points out our purpose. And life is so much better when you and I have a purpose, and that’s why that’s there. And this week we’re going to focus on that purpose. And if you will, as I said, we’re going to be looking at a few things from the book of 2 Corinthians.

But I have this chart up, and I want to talk a little bit about the Olympics for a moment. In the Olympics, when you’re watching those events, in the winter Olympics, you do have several things that happen in reference to the Bobsled team. You have the couples figure skating. You have the hockey team. You also have in the summer Olympics the basketball.

And then in some, I remember one Olympics event they had, baseball as well. Now, what’s common with all of those events in the Olympics? And if you’re thinking about the idea of team, that’s exactly right. It’s teamwork. They have to work together in order to be able to win or be successful. And I know we determine success by winning. The team that comes in first place, and we say, Well, that team is successful. And all the while we really miss the true success of these Olympic events or any sports events and even life itself. And that is the idea of finishing. That is truly success. Yes, we praise the ones that come in first place. But the true success is the individual or the team that, in spite of what has occurred, they come in or they finish.

They cross the finish line. And it may be that they have to run out and grab their teammate and help them across the finish line. That is success. Another thing about the relay that I want to point out, and that is that you have, especially in the four-man relay race, that you have an individual, or each individual is put in their place in order to be successful. You have the guy that starts things out. He may be a great starter.

And then on the next leg, what he’s doing, he has that baton, and he has to smoothly make a transition to the next individual. And the next individual in his leg, he may have the ability to sprint very fast when he gets that thing. And he takes the lead or he again stays even. And then in the third leg, you have another guy who may have the technique of entering into those turns and not fumbling or tripping, and therefore makes that smooth turn around as they’re uh getting uh as they’re going forward to the finish line. And then you have the last guy who gets that paton, and he’s the kind, he’s the guy that really can bring it home with all the speed and the energy.

And they cross the finish line. That is how God does with us as his people. I’m reminded of what God speaks of or points out to us in several passages that we kind of overlook a lot of times, but they’re there. 1 Corinthians chapter 12. Do you remember when God gave miraculous spiritual gifts to the church? And each individual had a purpose for those gifts in order to convey the will of God and edify the church. And then over in Romans chapter 12, you have individuals being mentioned that have abilities or gifts. And that each individual is to use that gift and to edifying and building each other up. I know your theme this year is growing together. And when you start thinking about growing together, you have to do some things in order for that to take place.

1. Working Together With God

And that’s where our reading comes from in 2 Corinthians chapter 6. In 2 Corinthians chapter 6, verses 1 and 2. The apostle writes to the brethren at Corinth. Do you remember in the first letter all the problems that those brethren had? And now in the second letter, Paul writes to encourage them and to really, in some cases, praise them and even push them forward in their growth in the relationship with God. And so in verse 1, he says, and working together with him, we also urge you not to receive the grace of God in vain. For he says, at the acceptable time I listened to you, and on the day of salvation I helped you. Behold, now is the acceptable time. Behold, now is the day of salvation.

I want to pick out a key phrase in verse 1. And that key phrase in verse 1 is the idea of working together with God. In order for us to grow together properly, we must work together with God. If you don’t work with God, you’re not going to grow as you should. And you’re not going to accomplish what God intends for us to accomplish as his people. So working together with God will cause us to grow together as we should. And that’s a part of the relationship we are to have with our Heavenly Father. You see, God did His part in sending His Son Jesus to die for us. Giving us the opportunity to have a relationship with Him as we are cleansed by the blood of Christ.

And this idea of working together with God implies fellowship. It implies partnership. And if we’re working with God, God is going to show us how we ought to be, and how we are able to work together using the abilities that he has blessed us with for us to grow together. And I really appreciate your theme. I really do. I got excited. Oh, yeah, I got something.

And it’s this working together with God. And God is going to be with us just like a coach is with his team, encouraging him, and letting them know what they’ve done wrong, how they can improve and be faster, how they would be able to accomplish the task of finishing. That’s our God there. And the reason why Paul says, I urge you, it is God using Paul to urge them, to encourage them, push them forward in their growth. And with that concept in mind, the first thing we need to realize, and God shows us and mentions these things in these verses, was this.

2. The Time They Need to Recognize

They think that everything is well, but when it’s really not, they haven’t established a relationship with God. The time as a point they need to recognize that. And if they don’t recognize it, they will continue to be in the zombie state, even though they may be having fun. They may be enjoying the pleasures of life. But they’re not with God.

See, at the end of it all, in the idea of finishing, it’s to be with God. That’s really what it’s about. That’s the finished process, or what we want to do here is finish so that we can be with God throughout eternity. There are some who want to change, but don’t know how. Hmm. You and I, as God’s people, we are working together with God. We can help them. We can show them the one who will help them change, that will help them to grow. And then as they join in working with him to be productive, and then life becomes full with whatever we encounter. Here’s something else about this. In 1 Chronicles chapter 12 and verse 32. And here’s an interesting tidbit that I have realized and I’ve learned.

3. They Understood the Times

And that is that in the kings, you have the historical accounts and events in the life of Israel as the nation. And then there are some things that are mentioned of good things and bad things that they have done in the kings. When you get to the chronicles, the chronicles not only give you the history, but its focus is on the spiritual aspect of Israel. And I notice that when you’re reading in Kings about Manasseh, who did all those wicked things, and you’re saying, oh wow, Manasseh, how could you have done that? And that’s all you hear about Manasseh. It’s not until you get over to the Chronicles that you learn that Manasseh made a change in his life.

I didn’t know that. But even though the damage was done, Manasseh changed. And the Chronicles does this. And so here in chapter 12 of 1 Chronicles and verse 32, it talks about the men of Isakar. David has consolidated the kingdom. He’s the ruler of all Israel. And what the men of Issachar realize is that they understood the times. And there’s a key phrase that’s there. With knowledge of what Israel should do. They understood the times. An equivalent passage over in the New Testament is where Paul points that out over in the book of Ephesians, chapter 5, in the verses 13 through 17, where he talks about we need to walk as wise, redeeming the time. The days are evil. That we need to know what the will of God is.

4. We’ve Got to Recognize the Now

And as we do that, we grow. And as we apply it in our lives, we’re working with God. And we cannot help but grow individually, but also grow together, working with God to glorify his great and holy awesome name. Our words to describe God, who he is and what he’s done, they’re insufficient. But we do the best we can with what we have. And that’s all God expects of us to do what he requires. But one of the aspects of recognizing time is this. We’ve got to recognize the now. The now. I was listening to a lesson aboutten we say about young people, we say that they are the church of the future. And really, they are the church now. When they obey the gospel. Start out young.

Now that they need to continue to learn God’s will, apply it in their lives so that they can impact their friends. And helping them. And their lives will be filled. And so we look, we have to let them know it’s now. Now when Deb and I were expecting our first child, and I had been listening to one of the lessons in reference to this whole concept of now, and as she’s carrying our oldest Micah at this time, and I said, you know, hun, a lesson that I learned is that we have to start preparing to let him go.

I said, we need to prepare because when he is when he is going to uh when he’s born, he’s cute and cuddly, but he’s going to grow. He’s going to get older. We need to prepare him to leave. So we’ll have to spend more money. No, but that’s the whole point. Yeah, we need to prepare now. And so we start teaching our children. And the impact is parents are now reading to their children. And what better message to read than God’s word to them. Helping them and preparing them for the now. When you really look at the now, there was a statement made by Aristotle. And that statement was, he says, time is the past and future connected by the now. And when you really think, that’s exactly right.

The past is gone, and then you have the now, and then the future. We don’t know what it’s going to be. With God, I mean without God, it is a kind of a bleak future. But when we’re working together with God, it becomes a bright future. Now, living for the Lord, and then moving forward, it is a bright future. Because we’re working with God. We’re growing together. That’s what it’s about. It’s the now. We have examples of individuals who didn’t recognize that. Over in Acts chapter 24, you have Felix. You remember Paul standing before him, and the Bible tells us in verse 25, it says, but as he was discussing, that is Paul with Felix about righteousness, self control, and the judgment to come. Felix became frightened and said, Go away for the present.

Go away for the now. And when I find time, I will summon you. But we don’t have any records of Felix acting on this idea of righteousness, self-control, and judgment. It’s interesting that when you go over to Acts chapter 22, and Paul is recounting the events that have occurred in his life. And what you find in the whole aspect of this discussion that Paul talks about Ananias coming to him, and it says in verse 16 that Ananias said to him, now why do you delay? Arise and be baptized, washing away your sins.

Now. Now is the time. And in essence, what Paul is pointing out is that Ananias was telling him, now is the time to arise and be baptized. Now is the time to have your sins washed away. Don’t wait for some future event to occur. Don’t think in your mind, well, I’m going to get my life right first, and then. No, it doesn’t work that way. The now. So working together with God is about the now. And my life is going to continue to be in the now with God. And if it’s in the now with God, that means I’m ever present with God, and God is present with me. The now. And then when I look back at the past of seeing how far God has helped me to come, I praise him for that.

Knowing that in the now, I look towards the future, it’s bright. I’m going to finish. As I should. So it’s the now. That’s very important. How about you, young folks? I know I did it. I can’t go. I’ll be glad when I get older. And we kind of push that. I tell people now that when I used to think that way, I’ve been using Grecian grain formula. And it’s been taking part. And then my hair is getting thinner too. So that is.

The promise and hope of the future. So it’s the now that we need to look at. And the now is if we do that, we will also grow not only spiritually, but we’ll grow numerically. And that’s where we are at Mill Road. We’re striving to grow, preparing ourselves in the now and serving God so that we will finish strong because of Him. In Matthew chapter 9, verses 35 to 38, Matthew records about the event of Jesus as he’s going through the cities and villages, and he is acting on the now healing individuals, teaching individuals about God. And then he sees the individual or the multitude, and he says, They’re distressed and dispirited like sheep without a shepherd. And he said to his disciples, the harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few.

Therefore, beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into his harvest. Now there are people that are like that. Still like that. But as you and I working together with God, growing together, we’re going to accomplish a lot. Here’s a guarantee that I give, because that guarantee is given to me from God’s Word. And that is if I work with God, I’m going to grow spiritually. That’s a guarantee. Now there’s no guarantee whether you’re going to grow numerically, but it may. Because each individual has to make that choice. And because it has to make that choice. We don’t know what they’re going to choose. But as I choose each day to be in the now, in working with God, I am guaranteed growth. That’s a promise.

5. Now Is the Day of Salvation

And what he brings to the attention is the now is the acceptance of God’s reconciliation. See, now, let’s go back to the text there in verse 2. At the acceptable time, I listened to you. And on the day of salvation I helped you. Behold, now is the acceptable time. Behold, now is the day of salvation. So working together with God is the recognizing of time, and that time is the now. And as we look at a few other things to help us in growing, I hope that it will be an encouragement to you as it has been for me. Because God’s reconciliation process is about individuals who have been broken like me. Individuals who have been broken like you to sin. And that message is a message of hope that’s given and guaranteed for all of those who would be in the now with God.

Working together. And because of God’s message of hope, there is the reconciliation process. And that term reconciliation carries with it two ideas. The redemption, because when we sinned, we were bought, we became enslaved. And then in the reconciliation, there is the price that was paid to restore the fellowship, the relationship. Working together with God.

If you will, bow with me in a word of prayer. Merciful God and Father, thank you for what you have done for us, giving us the hope for now and also for the future. And we ask that you help us to continue to work with you to encourage as many as possible to accept your plan of salvation and to join in in the reconciliation process that we may all finish so that we can be with you throughout eternity. Thank you for your mercy and your kindness. Bless us all as we strive to do your will in this life. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.