Redeem the Times You Have Left - Pastor Gerhard Penner

God is a good, merciful, gracious, loving God who loves to give new things. God gives new mornings, new days, new weeks, and new years, but Christ gives something far greater: a new birth and a new life. The new birth matters because no one inherits the kingdom of heaven without being born again. God also promises a new transformed body and a new heaven, yet the time for receiving and living out that life is now.

Time is short, and it does not belong only to the old. Scripture warns that life can end suddenly, whether at fifty-one, in youth, or at any moment nobody expects. Psalm 39 calls life a breath, and Psalm 90 says even seventy or eighty years quickly pass away. The question is not how many years a person assumes remain, but what that person will do with the time God has given.

The human heart has not changed, even though technology and knowledge have changed fast. Jeremiah calls the heart deceitful and desperately wicked, and human strength cannot fix that problem. Christ alone supplies the power that sinful people do not have in themselves. Salvation is still through the precious blood of Jesus Christ, and the call remains the same: be born again, wake up, and redeem the time.

Ephesians 5 calls God’s people to live carefully, wisely, and according to the Lord’s will because the days are evil. Redeeming time means buying it up, and that costs something. Christ calls His people to take off dark deeds like dirty clothes, put on the shining armor of right living, and clothe themselves with His presence. Jesus Himself lived with that urgency, saying that He had to be about His Father’s business and that the fields were already ripe for harvest.

The heart must know Christ, not merely the head. The warning about missing heaven by eighteen inches presses the need for real transformation rather than religious words, good works, or a past profession without present fruit. Mistakes happen, but a settled lifestyle of sin should bring serious concern. A transformed heart seeks freedom, pursues help against bondage, and depends on Christ’s strength rather than personal willpower.

Paul’s example gives a way forward. Paul left past guilt, past grudges, and past victories behind him, pressing toward the goal in Christ Jesus. God’s grace does not merely demand harder effort. God’s grace teaches surrendered people to trust more, rely more, and choose nothing less than God’s best today, right where they live.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. Time is short, redeem it now. Time does not promise a long future to anyone, young or old. Life can change in one ordinary morning, and postponed obedience can become permanent regret. God calls His people to treat each day as a real opportunity for His will, His glory, and the care of people. [48:26]
• 2. New birth must reach the heart. Knowing Jesus in the mind is not the same as trusting Him from the heart. Religious activity, correct words, and even impressive works cannot replace a real relationship with Christ. The new birth creates a life that belongs to Jesus, not merely a claim that uses His name. [62:03]
• 3. Christ gives power for real change. Human strength cannot finally defeat the deceitfulness of the heart or the grip of sinful desires. A changed heart does not make sin harmless, but it gives a person a new direction and a new power in Christ. Freedom grows where surrender becomes real and Christ becomes King. [63:33]
• 4. Leave the past under Christ’s blood. Past guilt can keep a person sitting still, past hurts can produce bitterness, and past victories can produce pride. Paul refused to let any of those things control his future. Christ calls His people to leave the past where grace has dealt with it and press toward what God has ahead. [67:33]
• 5. Choose God’s best where you are. God’s will is not only for some future season, faraway place, or big moment. The Holy Spirit leads in homes, workplaces, churches, and ordinary daily decisions. Christ calls His people to stop settling for their old nature and to choose His best today.
  
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Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [37:02] - Redeem the Time
• [38:18] - God Gives New Things
• [40:41] - Time Is Very Short
• [43:03] - Wake Up From Spiritual Sleep
• [44:36] - The Human Heart Still Needs Christ
• [47:37] - Life Is Only a Breath
• [49:27] - Redeeming Time in Evil Days
• [53:13] - Jesus Lived With Urgency
• [55:16] - A Short Window for the Next Generation
• [58:16] - Are You Truly Born Again?
• [60:12] - Missing Heaven by Eighteen Inches
• [65:01] - Learning From the Past
• [67:01] - Paul Presses Toward the Goal
• [71:19] - Choosing Nothing Less Than God’s Best

Bible Reading

Ephesians 5:15-17
“Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.” [49:27]

Romans 13:11-14
“Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.” [42:23]

Philippians 3:13-14
“Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” [01:07:01]

Observation questions

1. In Ephesians 5:15–17, what three contrasts or commands describe how believers are to live in evil days? [49:27]
2. In Romans 13:11–14, what “dark deeds” are named, and what are believers told to put on instead? [51:56]
3. According to Philippians 3:13–14, what does Paul leave behind, and what goal does he pursue?
4. What three kinds of things did Paul’s example show must be left behind in order to press forward: past guilt, past hurts, and past victories? [01:07:17]

Interpretation questions

1. Ephesians says to “redeem the time,” or buy up the opportunity. Why might living wisely for Christ cost something in a person’s schedule, habits, relationships, or comfort? [51:19]
2. Romans calls believers to wake up, remove dark deeds, and clothe themselves with Christ. What does this show about the difference between merely avoiding certain sins and actively living under Christ’s rule?
3. Paul does not deny his past, but he refuses to be controlled by it. How can past guilt, bitterness toward others, or pride over past success each keep a believer from pressing toward Christ’s goal? [01:07:33]
4. A repeated, settled pattern of sin is different from a believer’s failure and repentance. Why is that distinction important when considering whether faith has reached the heart and is producing fruit? [01:02:26]

Application questions

1. Where have you been tempted to assume, “I have plenty of time”? Is there an act of obedience, reconciliation, service, or gospel conversation that you have been postponing? [54:10]
2. What is one ordinary place—your home, workplace, neighborhood, or church—where you can seek God’s best this week instead of waiting for a future season or a bigger opportunity? [01:11:42]
3. Romans warns against making room for sinful desires. What situations, routines, media, relationships, or private habits make temptation easier for you? What wise step could help you remove that provision? [52:23]
4. Is there a past guilt that Christ has forgiven but that you continue to carry, a hurt that has grown into bitterness, or a past success that has fed pride? What would it look like to place that behind you and press forward? [01:09:09]
5. When you examine the recent pattern of your life, what fruit shows that you are walking with Christ? Where do you need to seek help, accountability, or a deeper surrender to Him? [01:05:20]
6. Christ gives strength for real change; freedom is not finally produced by willpower alone. In an area where you feel weak or stuck, what would trusting, surrendering, and relying on Christ look like in practical terms this week? [01:14:00]
7. Who around you may be hurting, spiritually hungry, or in need of care? What is one specific way you can make time to walk with them, pray for them, encourage them, or point them toward Christ? [54:46]