Time and Judgement

I don't know if some of you have ever been in a, like, a team building activity where you, with a group of people, are placed in a certain location. And you've given a simple map of a little x and a compass and says, you get to that place within a certain amount of time. And then you're left alone there. Our physical life, in a sense, is very similar to that. We start in one place, we're going to end in another place, a place that is towards our destination of why we're born, and we have a purpose. We have a purpose, and we have a certain limited time to get to that destination. And we've given a compass, a way of life, a way to go. And therefore, what do we do with the time we've got, which is our life, whatever time we have? Fifty years, seventy years, some of us, you know, like the Bible says, three score in ten, and some will have a little bit more. It is important. It is very important for us, because it's important how we use the time we've got. Now, time management is not easy. You know, there are various courses on time management. But it's even more challenging when you and I are managing time and having certain challenges, such as trials, difficulties, weaknesses of the flesh, and whatever they may be. Turn with me, please, to James chapter 4 verse 14. Here we read. Whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow, for what is your life? It's even a vapor. Brethren, these few years that you and I have, whatever these three score in ten, or more or less, for these few years we have, it's like a vapor. It's like a little flower that blooms and then dies. It appears for a little while, and then it vanishes away. The other day, I was at somebody's house, and they said, you see this little flower? It's not a flower. It's just a stem. It was a little stem. You see, it's going to open up after sunset, and it will be a beautiful flower. And in the morning, it will be dead, and the leaves will be on the floor. What? A little flower that only blooms for a couple of hours after sunset, and by sunrise, it's gone. And indeed, I have the picture of this little flower to show it. It's like it says, it's a vapor that appears for a little time, and then vanishes away. And it's our life. I don't know. For God, you know, a day is like a year, or a thousand years, and a thousand years like a day. It's just, it's nothing. God has given us limited time to reach a certain target, a certain end-destination, a certain overcoming to do with our lives, particularly after we called. Now, look at Acts chapter 24, Acts 24, verse 25. Acts 24, verse 25.

Now he reasoned about righteousness and self-control and the judgment to come. Yeah, I was Paul talking to Felix, and he was reasoning to them, saying, Hey, you have to discipline yourself, you have to control yourself, you've got to be righteous and have self-control, because there is a time of judgment to come. And Felix was afraid, and said, Hey, just go, we'll talk about this later. Just go. There is going to be a judgment. You know, in fact, quite often we think of time and chance, but there is another expression in Ecclesiastes chapter 8. Let's start reading in verse 5. Proverbs, Ecclesiastes chapter 8 verse 5. And it says there, He who keeps his command will experience nothing harmful. You know, so if you listen to the instructions of the king, and he says, And a wise man's heart discerns, in other words, distinguishes, is able to make an evaluation both time and judgment. And because, verse 6, And because for every matter there is time and judgment, though the misery of man increases greatly, for he does not know what will happen. So we can tell him when it will occur. So brethren, we have a limited amount of time. So there is time, but there is going to be a time of judgment. And so you and I have to use the little time that we have before there is that judgment. Now understand one thing. I don't want it to be negative, because I want you to think judgment, if you're doing the right things, is not condemnation, it's not punishment, it's a reward.

The time of judgment is when an evaluation will be made, not only to be given life, eternal life, but to be given rewards according to your works. In other words, judging according to your works. So I don't want you to look at it nearly as judgment to come as a day of punishment, but as judgment to come, because we're doing the right things, and we're going to be rewarded, or we're going to be rewarded even more than otherwise we could be. And so, as you just may be on the same page or a little bit further ahead, in Ecclesiastes 9 verse 10, says, Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might. For there is no work or device or knowledge or wisdom in the grave, where are you going? So, use the time, the little bit of time that you and I have, from when we were born or from when we were called, or from now till the end. You and I don't know how much time we've got left, but use that little time using the right compass in life, the right direction in life, to go the right way. And therefore, I could have titled this sermon with the word, the watch and the compass, because the watch is what we look at it to see how much time we've got, and the compass is our direction. But really, what I'm really talking about is that you and I need to use the time we have, we've got to redeem the time with wisdom. That's what we read here in Ecclesiastes 8 verse 5. A wise man discerns both time and judgment. So, let us be wise, let's be wise to discern that our time is short, and let's use the little bit of time we have with this compass, which is what God has given us in His Word, in His Bible, this compass, His words, His teaching, to go in the right direction, because then there'll be judgment, which will be a great reward for us. So, our spiritual compass brethren is nothing else than God's Word, and our desire to follow that compass correctly, in the right direction, to achieve what God wants you and I to achieve with our lives in this limited period of time. Now, you and I know that none of us will achieve perfection as human, physical human beings, but we're on the road towards that goal, that target, and that's what God wants to see. We are on the road to the true north, the true north. You know, compass points to north, you know. You're on the road to the true north, and the true north is the goal that God has for you and I in our lives. And so, we've got to use this compass in our lives, which basically means God's Word, but also make sure that our hearts and our minds are focused in that direction, and that we can see the end purpose, the goal, for us. And so, today I'm giving you a few principles to help us, help you, help me, to keep in mind. And the first one is that you and I need to have a very clear vision all the time. And we need to be thinking of this vision all the time. Or in other words, we need to have our goal in mind and make sure that always checking our compass, that we're going in that direction towards that vision all the time. You see, when we fail, when we fail is usually because we're not thinking about that goal and how to get there. In other words, not meditating in God's Word all the time. Turn with me to Ephesians chapter 1, Ephesians chapter 1 verse 17 through 19. Ephesians 1 verse 17 through 19.

Ephesians 1, 17 through 19. It says that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of Glory, may give you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, so that God may give us the wisdom to discern that you and I have a little bit, not much time, but in the knowledge of Christ, which is our goal. You see, our end goal is not for you to be like Mr. or Mrs. so-and-so. Our end goal is not to compare ourselves to other people. Our end goal is to compare ourselves to Christ. Christ is our goal. He's the one that gave us an example, the standard. That's why it says, Love others I as I have loved you. He is our goal to be like Him. And so we need to ask God to give us the wisdom to discern, to understand what our goal is. What is our goal? To be like Christ. You know, with the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, of understanding what we need to be to be like God, because Christ is in the image of God. And that's what we need to be. The eyes of your understanding being enlightened so that we, you and I, may actually grasp and see that you may know what is the hope of His calling. So we know what is the end goal. What is the end goal is to be in God's Kingdom, to be sons and daughters of God, to be co-heirs of Christ. And what are the riches of the glory of the inerrantance of His saints? I think the problem in us, I know it's in me, but I'm sure it's in us, is that quite often we don't think about the riches of the glory of the inerrantance that we're going to have. If we had that more crystal clear in our minds, in our moments of weakness, and if we had meditating and thinking about that more frequently, with God's early Spirit, we putting our mind on that, that kind of gives us hope, that gives us encouragement to actually do the right thing.

What is our goal? Is to be sons and daughters of God. That's what it is. You know, that's why you and I were born, to be sons and daughters of God. So, let's look at a scripture that we quite often read, and I want to read it with this understanding, and really get a very strong re-emphasis of the meaning.

And it's 1 John, in 1 John chapter 3, starting to read verse 1. Behold, what manner of love the Father has bestowed us. You know, what degree of depth of godly love and kindness and outgoing concern He has for you and I. In fact, brethren, it's for all humanity. It's not just for us. Yes, maybe some will be called later. No, not maybe some, the others will be called later. But what I mean is, maybe we are just called first because He knows that we can make it.

But His desire for whole of mankind is to be sons and daughters of God. And so, what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that you and I should be called the children of God. Yes, indeed. We are the children of God. We have been begotten by God. We have got Holy Spirit. We are begotten by God. So we, His children, yet unborn is like the baby in a mother's womb, growing in a mother's womb until the baby is born.

But He's already the son of the dead. Therefore, the world does not know us because it does not know Christ. They don't recognize us. Verse 2, Beloved, now we are God's children. But it has not yet revealed what we shall be because what shall we be? We will be spirit beings in the family of God, as sons and daughters, full sons and daughters of God, but it has not been revealed what will be. Why? Because you and I are still flesh and blood.

But when you are in the kingdom of God, you and I will not be flesh and blood. We will be spirit. Or as when Christ appeared to Downton Thomas and others, He says, touch me, feel me, because I am flesh and bone. Interesting. He didn't say flesh and blood.

There is like some other meditation point for you at another time. But anyway, getting back to the subject. We will be something beyond our imagination. The riches of this glory we just can't understand. And He says, we don't yet see what we shall be. But we know that when He is revealed, in other words, when Christ comes, we shall be like Christ is. In other words, of the same kind, of the same, let's call it, yeah, characteristic, human characteristics.

No, not human, but the same composition. Yeah, the same composition. In other words, the spirit being like He is. So we'll be like that. And we shall see Him as He is. In other words, once we are spirit beings, we can see God as God is. Because that glory will not destroy us as physical human beings.

Now look at this one. And everyone who has this hope in Him, which means if you and I, brethren, keep this clearly in our minds, this is going to motivate us to do our part to purify ourselves, just as He is pure. We will strive harder to be overcoming. Whoever commits sin also commits loneliness, and sin is loneliness.

So this is the point. We need to remain in Christ. That's why it says in verse 6, Whoever abides in Him does not sin. That does not mean that we'll never trip, but our mind, our intent is not to sin. So if you and I are keeping our minds abiding in the way Christ is, we will not be practicing sin. Little children, let no one deceive you.

He who practices righteousness, if we are practicing what is right, is righteous, just as He is righteous. But He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose, the Son of God, Jesus Christ, was manifested that He might destroy the works of the devil. So, brethren, we need to be practicing righteousness. In other words, we need to be in a way of practicing good things. And what He's saying is, if we have the soap in us, we will purify ourselves.

Because we have the soap and we know there will be a judgment. But again, I emphasize that judgment is the day of receiving that reward. A day that you and I will be rewarded. You know, you read in Revelation, it says, Christ is coming and it says, the day of judging the dead.

Well, because some dead will be judged to be in the first resurrection. What does that mean? That they will have eternal life and they'll be rewarded according to their works for greater or lesser. So, that judgment is positive if you and I are striving to do what's right. So, our spiritual compass is really our perspective and direction and orientation to be directed in the direction or to be going in the direction of the true North.

Which is God's kingdom. That's our destiny. Now, look at Ephesians chapter 4. Ephesians chapter 4. Starting from verse 1. I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord beseech you to walk worthy of the calling which you were called. Paul is saying, therefore I'm pleading with you, please let us follow this path using the spiritual compass doing the right things because that's what you and I were called. We are called to be sons and daughters of God. Yes, with all the loneliness and gentleness and long suffering. That means being willing to suffer long, bearing with one another. Yah, when somebody else does things wrong to us and we are hurt.

When it really hits us inside Yah, it says bearing it in love. Endeavoring to keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace. The unity of the spirit in the bond of peace. Brethren, unity requires sacrifice. Unity requires sacrifice. That's why it says, love is the gentleness with long suffering. Bearing with one another. That is sacrifice. So that we endeavor, we struggle to be united as brothers and sisters physically or spiritually. Unity requires sacrifice. Look a little bit ahead in verse 7. But to each one of us, grace was given according to the measure of Christ's gift.

God has given us grace. God has given us goodness and kindness and gentleness. So that we can now pass it on to others. Because you and I don't deserve anything. But He wants to give us the greatest gift which is to be with Him in His family. And look at verse 13. Look at verse 13. Till we all come to the unity of the faith. This is our end goal.

You know, like I mentioned at the beginning, let's say you are in a group of people and you have an exercise to build team. What's team? It's unity, right? Teamwork. And this you've given like a little map and it says get there and you got this compass and work it together. If you've ever been in one of those exercises, you finally will be in a lot of challenges. They deliberately go like that because you've got to cross the road, you've got to go up a mountain over this.

And then you get on to the wrong direction and then you've got to look at the compass and get back to the right direction again and all that. That's normal. That happens. I don't know if it's happened to you, but if you've done an exercise like that, you know it.

That's what it is. And our life is like that. Our life is like that. Till, as we read here, we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God. Till we come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge. In other words, that is the end goal. What is the end goal? Christ. For us to know what He is so that you and I can imitate Him. And if we imitate Him because He's in the image of the Father, we are therefore becoming like the Father.

So that is our direction. That is what our compass needs to point us, our spiritual compass needs to point us, to walk the way as disciples of Christ walk in that way till we reach the end goal, the standard, which is imitate Christ as He is. And as you and I walk through life, you will have challenges, you'll have trials, I'll have trials, you'll have difficulties, and if you're not careful, and if I'm not careful, there will be enough things to distract us and to get our mind off the goal. And you know, if your mind and my mind is off the goal, that's where we can fall. Because we need to be looking at that goal time and time again, and when you look at that goal, then these distractions, which are like these thorns in the parable of the seeds, you know, that you get these thorns and they pull you out of the track.

So, the point is, we've got to have this compass, but we also have a deadline. We have to overcome so much that God says, okay, I can see you've done your effort. Not saying that we've become perfect, but God can see you've used your time with your spiritual compass correctly. And so that means your compass and your watch are synchronized, and you're working together, always watching yourself at redeeming time. Stephen Covey wrote various books, and one of them is The Seven Habits of Effective People.

And in there he says that one of the habits of effective people is to put first things first. Put first things first. What is the first thing? It's God. These are things of God. We put that first. That's a habit of a truly successful Christian. Turn to Psalms chapter 1. Psalms chapter 1 is a lovely song. And by the way, I appreciate the song we had earlier on, but Psalms 1 is just another one that's just so lovely. Maybe it's a challenge to one day have a song about Psalms 1. But Psalms 1, let's turn to it.

Psalm 1 is basically talking about the man that follows God's way. Psalm 1, and he's like a tree by the river. He says, Blessed is the man who walks not in the Council of the ungodly nor stands in the path of sinners nor sits in the seat of scornful, but his delight is the law of God.

He's delight. And in God's law, he meditates day and night. I wish I was more like that. I need to be more like that. I think we all need to be more like that. Because when we are constantly thinking about the way, the principles of God, the law of God, we are keeping that goal in mind towards God's kingdom and practicing God's righteousness. You know, seek you first the kingdom of God, hand is righteousness. Matthew 6, 33, you probably know that of our heart.

Our destiny is the kingdom of God. That's what our destiny is, to be sons and daughters in the kingdom of God. The direction is God's righteousness. God's righteousness is the how to get there. So seek you first the kingdom of God, and God's righteousness is put to practice the way to get to that goal. And so that's the second point that I want to emphasize today, is how do we get to that goal? So the first one is going to have clearly in our minds what the goal is, and keep thinking about God's law, and keep meditating about that to help us to think so.

When we in difficult times, when you and I are in difficult times, I think you and I need to start thinking, Hey, what is the real priority that I need to have? Let me get my mind into the important things first. Put that first, and then meditate about God's law, and that will help us through our weak times. I think so. But in addition to that, the second principle is follow God's righteousness. Put it to practice using God's righteousness. Look at Matthew 19. This is the story about that man that came to Christ and said, Yeah, what else must I do? Look at Matthew 19.

Matthew 19 verse 16. He says, And I'll be all one came and said to Christ, Good Teacher, what good things shall I do to be in the kingdom of God, to enter eternal life, to have life eternal? So Christ said to him, Why do you call me God? No one is good, but one that is God.

But, let's get back to the point Christ says, but if you want to enter into the kingdom of God, keep the commandments. If you want to enter into the kingdom of God, keep God's laws. Keep those in mind. That is the compass. Because God's commandments are the way of God's love. Alkaline concern for man and Alkaline concern for mankind. So let's keep that in mind. Then a man said, Well, which ones? And Christ said, Well, don't kill, don't commit adultery, don't steal.

So he quoted a few. Don't be a false witness, honor your father and mother, love your neighbor as yourself. So he quoted a few. And the young man said to him, All these things I've done from my youth, what do I still lack? Now, Christ is very discerning. Now, he doesn't say, Yeah, how this man was dressed or whatever.

But you know, based on the next comment, Christ probably discerned certain things by maybe his mannerism over the way he was dressed or whatever it was. That said, that made Christ then say, If you want to be perfect, why would Christ say that? Probably because he saw he was a man with many positions, wealthy, maybe dressed, you know, people that are wealthy, dressed slightly different than others and things like that. So he said, Well, go and sell all you have, give to the poor. And the poor, in other words, God of Christ, as the Son of God, perceived what?

An attitude of greediness or of covetlessness. Yes, he had all the other things, but he perceived something else. And he said, Give it all. And you will have treasure in heaven. Come and follow me. So in other words, you got your treasure in physical things. So follow me. Do you know what Christ was saying to this man? If you're going to be do this, you can be one of my 12 apostles. Wow! But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great positions.

Brethren, when Christ says, Follow me, that means our first priority must be God. Must be God's value system. And to live like he lived. Everything therefore must be putting that as first priority. Look at Matthew 13 verse 44. Just a few pages back. Matthew 13 verse 44.

Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid. And for joy over it, he goes out and sells all that he has and buys that field. God is giving us the biggest treasure.

Now the problem is, we can't see it. Therefore, it's important for us to understand the richness, as we read earlier on, the richness of the glory that he's got for us. Now, obviously we cannot understand because human beings, we just can't see it. And that's where faith comes in. But you and I need to really kind of come to groups. We need to come to groups that God has got something so awesome, so great for us. That it really is such a valuable treasure that everything else is peanuts. Everything else is nothing. Or yeah, you and I need an education. Or yeah, maybe you need a good job, you need a possession. Maybe we have certain things, we have ours, we have things. We have our life, we have our family. All these things are important and all these things help us to mature in our work towards the kingdom. But all these things are secondary to the number one priority, which is God's kingdom, which is what we got to seek first, and God in our lives. And therefore, the way for us to get there is through God's righteousness. It's through God's righteousness. It's not our righteousness. It's not my righteousness. It's not your righteousness. It's God's righteousness. Look at Romans 7. Romans 7. Romans 7. Starting in verse 7, it says, God's law... What shall I say? Is the law sin? Is God's law bad? No! I would have not known what's wrong, unless God's law would have told me what's right and what's wrong. And look at it in verse 12. The law is holy, and the commandment is holy, and just, and good. You know what? It's God's commandments. God's law is perfect. There's nothing wrong with God's law. God's law points us on the way of outgrowing concern for other... to God and to other human beings. There's nothing wrong with that. But the problem is me and you. It's us. Because we fail. We fail. Look at verse 14. For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am carnal, soul, and the sin. In other words, I fail. You fail. We all fail. We fail a lot. And therefore we are slaves. Slaves of sin. Look at verse 16. If I, if then I do what I don't want to do, I agree that the law is God. But I know it's no longer I who am doing it, but it's sin that dwells in me. For I know that in me, that is in my flesh, there's nothing good. I'm just a piece of rubbish. For to will is present with me. I really want to do what's right. But I keep failing. I keep missing the mark. And understand, this is the Apostle Paul talking. It's not me. It's not you. It's not little Tom, Mary, John, whatever our name is. But it's the Apostle Paul. And he says, For to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good, I do not find it. For the good that I want to do, I don't do. But the evil that I don't want to do, that I practice. Now, if I do, what I don't want to do, it's no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. Before there's a law that evil is present within me, the one who wants to do what is good.

It really is very powerful what he says here. I am striving to do what's right, and I still occasionally fail. What is that?

For I delight in the law of God. I meditate in God's law day and night, as we saw in Psalms, according to the inward man. Therefore, it says, I see another law in my members, which is fighting against the law of my mind, what I want to do, and bringing me into captivity of this law of sin, which is in my members. What a rich man I am! What a piece of rubbish I am! I'm not saying be all discouraged in the mother of Satan and give up. No, because that's not what he's getting to. He's saying, in the flesh, I'm nothing. Who will deliver from me from this? How am I going to get out of this? I give God thanks, because through Jesus Christ our Lord, that's how you and I are delivered. So then, with the mind, we serve God's law, but with the flesh, the law of sin. But thanks to God, because it's God's righteousness, not my righteousness. Keep your finger there, because we're going to come back to this in a moment. So keep your finger there, but let's just briefly look at Isaiah 64. Isaiah 64, verse 6, it says, But we are all like an unclean thing, and our righteousness are like filthy rags. Our righteousness is like a rag which is filthy, absolutely filthy. But then it says, you know, we are just in the hands of the Master Potter, and he's working with us. Even though we're just a piece of clay, the important thing is you and I need to be malleable and teachable and meek and humble, because he's working with us. Yes, he knows we're a piece of clay. We know he knows we're a piece of rubbish, but in his grace he's working with us. So let's go back to Romans. We're reading in verse 25 of chapter 7. I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. That's what he's doing. Now, does it mean that we continue sinning? No. And you read that in Romans 6 where he says, we sin, no, no, we don't sin, but, look at chapter 8 verse 1, But there is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus. If you and I are striving to do what is right, and if that's our desire in our heart and in our minds, even though we fail, as he mentioned Yah in chapter 7 at the end of chapter 7, there is no condemnation in you and I. Wow.

You and I are placed, as somebody else said, in a special category. Because you are deciding to do what's right, and there is no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus. Because we do not walk according to the flesh. Our desire is not to do that. Our desire is to walk in the light. We are trying to walk according to the Spirit. Our mind is on that target, on that goal, that map we have, that direction. And we've got the compass pointing in that direction. Yeah, we are on this challenge and sometimes we get sidetracked, but we are going in the right direction. We are clay in a Master Potter's hand, and he's working with the clay.

4 verse 3, he says, for the law which could not do in that it was weak for the flesh. You see, the law cannot make you be a better person. You see, you and I can only be a better person because, yeah, we are looking at the law, but we are using God's Holy Spirit to give us the guidance and the strength to be malleable and teachable and working and teachable so that we can go and point to Christ all the time.

He says, for the law could not do in that it was weak for the flesh, but God, by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, not according to God's sin, he condemned sin in the flesh. Why? Because we are in the semanet because of that, that, so that, the righteous requirement of the law might be for folding us.

That is the reason. Who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. Brethren, you and I are in a special category. We are not condemned. God has condemned sin. But now, because of this, we have God's Holy Spirit and we have got the mindset and the mind to strive to go on that so that we are fulfilling or doing the righteous requirement of the law. In other words, we are fulfilling the law.

And you look in Romans 10, for instance, where it said, Paul talked about in verses 1 through 4, Paul talked about the Israelites. He says, you know, I have a desire towards these Israelites. I know that they are zealous. They are zealous. And putting into today's context is like saying, I know that many Christians are very zealous, but not according to knowledge. Because my desire, Paul, is that all these people would be following God and have the understanding.

But because they don't understand, they put on their own righteous and they deny God's righteousness. Christianity in their desire, well, we say by Christ, they put on their own righteous. They denying Christ's righteousness by saying, well, the law's been put away because they're actually denying God's Christ's righteousness. You see, it's not our self-righteousness. It's God's righteousness. And God's righteousness is only possible with the help of God's Holy Spirit. We've got that goal and we are humble, we are malleable, we are teachable, we are clay in the potter's hand, and we are being taught. And then, that spiritual compass with God's Holy Spirit, we start bearing the fruit of God's Holy Spirit, which is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, etc.

All those fruits start being exhibited in us. Those are the qualities that God is looking in us. And as we put more and more of that into practice, we become more and more like that, then we become a ripe fruit. A ripe fruit. In other words, that the love, the joy and peace and long-suffering and kindness and gentleness and faithfulness and meekness and self-control, that all those attributes now become more mature, more like God, that God says to a point, All right, you're not perfect yet, but now I can take you because you've proven that you're going that way.

And then, that's the time when we and I go to sleep, or Christ comes back, we have matured enough, and then He can give us the rest, the difference, to make us perfect. And that's where our heart needs to be, brethren. It needs to be on that goal and continuously, which God's given to us, which is the Kingdom of God, and using God's Spirit all the time to become more like Christ.

And therefore, to help us doing that, you and I need to invest. You know, it's like an investment, you know, we need to put money in the bank. We need to invest daily time. Time in prayer, time in Bible study, time in then putting it to practice every day. That's the investment that we've got to do. It's using time as an investment, and obviously, the principle is so obvious that we all, well, of course, but you know, we forget it. That's why we've got to repeat it to ourselves. We've got to search daily God's blessings, and we need to ask for the wisdom through God's Holy Spirit, how they liberate.

That's the Mughal Prayer, right? Secute the kingdom first, let that kingdom come, let that will be done on earth, it is. Give us our daily bread, that's God's Holy Spirit, spiritually speaking, and help us forgive others. Yeah, so we're generous, so we are forgiven. And then we keep thinking, when we have difficulties and challenges, lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil world. In other words, ask God for help, that help that you need to make it the way. And we've got to keep that in mind, daily. Now, there's another lovely psalm, which is Psalm 127, and you know that psalm pretty well once you get to it, you'll see.

Oh yeah, that's what it is. Psalm 127, verse 1 and 2. Psalm 127, verse 1 and 2, which reads, Unless the Lord builds the house, unless you and I are being compliant to the Master Potter that is building you, as the Master Potter, you and I are just a clay, unless we are complying to that and allowing him to build our house, because the house in us, it's got temple, right?

We are the temple of God. So he's building the temple of God, he's building the house. Unless the Lord builds the house, you and I are working in vain. You are wasting time. I'm wasting time. That's why you and I have got to redeem time. Are we putting time by looking at the spiritual compass and doing it the right way?

Unless the Lord guards the city, the watchman stays awake in vain. As we are in the sermon, people are thinking, well, how can we avoid being in a disaster? The Bible says, watch and pray that you may be accounted worthy. You may be accounted worthy to escape. We got to watch ourselves that we are really being malleable and teachable in our God to build the house so that our work is not in vain.

Because it is vain for you to rise up early in the morning, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows. In other words, you are working yourself to death for nothing. If you and I don't quit first things first, and if we don't use that compass, and invest the time to look at the things that we need to do.

Brethren, we need to edify our house, our home, our family lives, putting God first. And that's why there are scriptures like Paul said to Timothy, study the Bible, which is good for you for teaching and instruction and correction. The Bible, we need to do that every day, because that gives us a teaching to help us in our activities. Otherwise, if we are not focusing that way every day, every hour, throughout our day, what happens? We're going to be like the parable of the sower, which I mentioned a little earlier on. But let's look at it, which is in Matthew 13, the parable of that seed, and the sower putting out the seed, Matthew 13. Let's look at that very briefly. I just want to touch one point on it. Matthew 13, the parable of the sower. And you know that sower that puts the seed and goes into different types of fields. But I want to look at one specific one, which is in verse 22. Parable of the sower, verse 22. It says, now he has received the seed. You and I have received the seed. We've received God's word, which is God's word. And received it on good ground. In other words, we are good clay. We are being malleable. On good ground, that's verse 22. He's the one who hears the word and understands it. But look at verse 22. He will receive the seed among thorns. What are the thorns? It's all the distractions. And why are they distractions? Because you and I are not putting in our minds that goal and putting it first in our minds. So he who received, it says here, among thorns, is he who bears the word, and the cares of the swole and the seed from overreaches shall the word. And he becomes unfruitful. So the traps of being so busy, the traps of richness, the traps of false values, they choke the word. Choke the word. Choke the direction of the kingdom of God, of the true north.

And there could be various examples. Could be time management. Could be that we're not preparing properly. We're not using the six days of the week. We're not preparing properly for the Sabbath. We're not preparing properly for the holy days. Could be that we're putting out our priorities of money, and maybe we're not tithing properly. Whatever it may be.

Brethren, you and I need to keep in mind, we have limited time. And there is a judgment. And there is a judgment. And the judgment, brethren, is not just punishment. It's a reward. And you and I need to invest our time, our way of doing things in a wise manner, using all our resources correctly in the direction of the true spiritual north. So we need to keep a vision well clear. We need to have that compass always at hand, comparing it against the map. We need to pursue justice, God's righteousness. We need to keep God's law carefully according to those principles. And you and I need to invest daily time. Time in prayer, time in Bible study, and time to make sure that we're practicing what we've learned. I remember when I first started in the church, and I always get a lot of wisdom from my wife, and I appreciate that. And she said, you're spending so much time in prayer and study, but you're not giving enough time to me and the family. And so the point is, yeah, you and I need to do prayer and Bible study, but we need to use now the time to put that to practice with our loved ones, with other people, so we can be alight. It's not just to be a hermit doing prayer and Bible study all the time. And so we need to invest, yes, in prayer, Bible study, meditation, occasional fasting, but we need to invest in practicing it, in being alight to others. We'll never have time for everything, brethren, but we need to put God first in how we use our time. We need to look for God's blessing by putting Him first. With the little bit of time that you have, in other words, our little watch is as time is running out. And we need to use that time in a direction, according to the spiritual compass, in the direction of the true spiritual north. Because there'll be a judgment in which you and I will receive great glory.