Would you turn to Galatians chapter six? I wanna read the 10th verse. As we have therefore opportunity, that's what I entitled this lesson, opportunity. As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all, especially unto them who are the household of faith. Let's pray.

Lord, how we thank you for who you are. Lord, what a blessed privilege to be enabled by your grace to know you, and to love you, and to trust you, and to love all your glorious attributes. And Lord, we're so thankful for the revelation of your person. Lord, meet with us, speak to our hearts, order our steps in your word, and let no iniquity have dominion over us. Bless us for Christ's sake, and what we're asking for ourselves, we're asking for all your people, wherever they meet together, accept our thanksgiving. In Christ's name we pray. Amen. Opportunity.

I feel somewhat embarrassed that this is no more on my radar than it is, what I'm going to be trying to talk about. And I'm hoping that after I'm praying that after today, this will be more on my radar, something I'm always thinking about. This is something we ought to think about every day. I'm afraid I don't think about it much, but I hope after this, this will at least come into my mind every single day. Let me read the verse again.

As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men. especially they who are of the household of faith. Now the word opportunity is usually translated time. As we have time, let us do good to all men, especially they who are the household of faith. If you look in verse nine, it's translated due season. And let us not be weary in well-doing for in due season. We shall reap if we faint not.

Now, time has to do with a measure of time. And time is measured, isn't it? Seconds, days, months, years. Time is always measured. It's a product of creation. Hunting season, hunting time, the time when you can hunt. There's a time when you can't hunt, and then there is hunting season, the time when you can. Opportunity knocks, a window of opportunity, an open door. Now, as I've already stated, time is the product of creation. In 2 Timothy, 1.9 we read this phrase before the world began and the word world is actually usually translated time before time began.

And then we read in Revelation chapter 10 when time shall be no more. Eternity is God's existence outside of time. Now I know our minds short circuit when we try to grasp this thing of eternity because we can't grasp eternity. But eternity is God's existence.

Outside of time, he is without beginning. He's without an end. He has no past, he has no present, he has no future. All is in the eternal now with him. He's not bound by space and time the way you and I are. He's infinite. He can't be measured. I love to think of that. He cannot be measured in any way to any degree.

We're here in time, but he is beyond time. Now, this may be a crude illustration, but time is like us watching a parade. We watch The floats go by, we see them come in a sequence of events. Here's one, there's one, there's one. We don't see it all at once. What if a man was in a helicopter? He could see all the parade at once, couldn't he? We can't do that. God does. Turn with me to Psalm 90 for just a moment.

The psalmist says in verse one, Lord, thou has been our dwelling place in all generations. I've always been in Christ. He's always been my dwelling place. I've never been anywhere else. That's glorious. Thou has been our dwelling place in all generations, before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting. Somebody may call that from eternity past to eternity future. And those are dumb terms when it comes right down to it, because you can't put a time on eternity. But from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God. It doesn't mean God's real old. It means he is ageless. He has no age.

Now, as we have opportunity. As we have a measure of time, a season that we'll not always have. Time's running out. I mean, you really don't have that much longer to live. You know, I think about that every day at some point. I don't have much longer to live. As we have time, as we have this short space of time, let us do good unto all men.

Now, this limited amount of time you and I have, God has determined the times before and the bounds of our habitation. Acts chapter 17 verse 26, we have a fixed and appointed day of our death. The very second you're going to die has already been ordained by God. Yeah, that's a comforting thought. Well, we think about when am I going to die? Well, the Lord knows it's his ordained time. And that can't be changed. All we have is right now before our death, this measure of time, this opportunity to do good to all men, especially they who are of the household of faith.

Now, I would love to wake up in the morning thinking about this, not to broadcast to everybody how I'm thinking this and what a good person I am. I don't mean that, but I would like to, Every day, think of the opportunity that I have to do good to all men. And that word do actually is work. Work. There's labor, there's effort, there's toil involved. As we have this measure of time before our death, the Lord has ordained when I'll die, I've been given time, Let us do good to all men, especially they who are of the household of faith.

Now here's the question I want to ask myself. I hope you ask yourself this question. If someone is around me, do I do them good? Are they benefited from being around me? Are they bettered by it? Have I brightened their day? Or have I made the day more difficult for them? Have I manipulated them and used them or gave them my cold shoulder to demonstrate my disapproval of them? Have I shown no regard to their well-being? Have I judged them? criticized them? Have I been dismissive of them? Have I made them feel unimportant and unvalued by me?

Or have I been an encouragement to them? I hope we'll all think about this. This ought to be in our thinking every day. Have I been a blessing to them? Would they feel like I really love them and have their best interests at heart. Yesterday, was it better or worse for people to have been around me? Well, that's something to think about and chew on, isn't it?

As we have this time, as we have opportunity, as we have this short window, let us work good to all men, especially they who are of the household of faith. If I conducted myself in such a way as people would ask me for the reason of the hope that's in me because of the way I've treated them, because of my kindness toward them, because of my graciousness toward them, as we have opportunity. Let us do good to all men, especially they who are the household of faith.

Now, I remember shortly before Charlie Moore died, Lynn's dad, Chuck's dad, he wrote us a letter. And in that letter, Lynn and I have used this line so many times, he said, love to all, Animosity to none. Isn't that a good statement? Wouldn't that be the way we ought to live all the time?

Love to all. Animosity to none. Life is just too short for it to be any other way. Love to all, animosity to none. Life's too short to be mad at people, to give a cold shoulder to people, to let them know of our disapproval of them. Life's too short to hold a grudge. to not work to do good to all men, especially they who are of the household of faith.

May all who encounter us feel like they benefit from being around us, feel like they've been bettered by being around us. As we encounter those around us, may they find us to be Kind, merciful, gracious, non-judgmental, caring, helpful people. May we have an understanding attitude, a humane attitude. You know, whatever somebody's going through, we don't really know. As that poem goes, they may have a rock in their shoe that we don't know anything about when we see them limp. have a humane, caring, understanding attitude.

I don't want to make people's life harder, but easier. We want to be a blessing. And that's what he's talking about when he says, as we have opportunity. Every one of us have this measure of time before we die that the Lord has ordained. As we have opportunity, let us do good to all men, especially they who are the household of faith.

Now I want you to turn to Matthew chapter 11. Now this is the Lord's command. Matthew chapter 11, verse 28. This is not good advice. This is the Lord's command. He says, come unto me. Now this is command to me and you right now. Come unto me. He is salvation. Come unto me and look at these people he identifies. Come unto me all, not most, but all ye that labor and are heavy laden.

Now this is a reference to laboring under the burden of sin, a sinful nature that beat you up. You don't beat your brother up, do you? Don't forget that. You labor and toil under the sense of a sinful, evil nature. You've got it. Now, who does he tell to come to me? Those who labor and are heavy laden, burdened by their sin. What's the Lord say to these people to do? and I will give you rest. You rest when the work is finished and there's nothing for you to do. The Lord says, you come to me, I will give you rest. Now that's a gospel command.

He says in verse 29, take my yoke upon you. Now, a yoke is what? brings two oxen together so that they can labor together. And in his yoke, who's the one who bears all the weight? He does. You know, that's why I said my yoke is easy. I'm the one bearing all the strength of it. My yoke is easy. My burden is light. Take my yoke upon you, learn of me, for I not learn about me, learn of me. For I am meek. This is the Lord Jesus Christ. This is the creator of the universe. This is the son of God. This is the absolute sovereign of the universe who controls everything and everybody. What does he say about himself? He says, I'm meek and lowly in heart. The son of God is humble. And I think of his address to poor sinners like me and you.

Come to me all ye that labor and are heavy laden and I'll give you rest. Should that not be the attitude of me and you? Like our Lord. He doesn't say hold them off or come to me. All ye that labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest. Now, back to our text.

As we have therefore opportunity, this measure of time, I wish we'd wake up every day and think, I want to do somebody good. I want them to be encouraged. I want to be a merciful, gracious person. I hope this comes to our mind every single day because we don't have that much longer. As we have opportunity, let us do good. And like I said, the word do is work. There's effort involved. There's thoughtfulness involved. Let us do good to all, make it to where Their day's been better by being around you.

Let us do good to all men, especially they who are the household of faith. Especially they who are the household of faith. Now I like this term, the household of faith. We're all under the same roof, the roof of God's grace. We're in the same house, We're in the same family, we're one family, the household of faith.

These people are identified by those who look to Christ only as everything in their salvation. Are you one of those people? A member of the household of faith, this is the best place anybody can be is in the household of faith. Everyone who looks to Jesus Christ only as their only grounds of acceptance before God, their only object of faith, they have nothing else but Him. Now, that's what all of the household of faith have in common, especially they who are the household of faith.

Now, remember what the Lord said, inasmuch, this is in Matthew 25, inasmuch as you have done this, to the least of these, my brethren, you have done it to me." He didn't say, it's as if you've done it to me. He says, you've done it to me because God's people are at such union with Christ that what you do to them, you do to him. Now that's the Lord's words. That means if you're a believer, how I treat you is how I treat Christ himself.

That's an amazing concept, isn't it? But it's true. As we have opportunity, we just got a little bit of time, let us do good to all, but especially them who are of the household of faith. Now, turn to 1 Corinthians 13. What did the Lord say in John chapter 13?

By this shall all men know you're my disciples, by your love one to another. Now there's a lot of things he could have said that by this shall all men know you're my disciples, by your Fill in the blank as far as, because you believe, because of your faith, your soundness in doctrine, those are all, I would never speak disparagingly of anything like that. It's all so important. But what did the Lord use to describe by this, shall all men know you're my disciples, by your love one to another.

1 Corinthians chapter 13. Paul says, though I speak, well, let's look in verse 31, chapter 12, but covet earnestly the best gifts, and yet I show unto you a more excellent way. This is better than any gifts. This is more important than any gift you or I might have.

Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, the gift of eloquence in preaching the gospel, and have not charity, I am become as a sounding brass or a tinkling cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge. And though I have all faith so that I could remove mountains and have not charity, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned. And he's talking about being burned as a martyr for Christ. And have not charity, it profits me nothing. No good will come out of that.

Now look at this description of charity. Charity. Now let me say about this charity, only a believer has this. No unbeliever has this kind of love. This is the product of a new heart, of a new birth, of a new nature, of a holy nature. No natural man has any love for God at all. As a matter of fact, he hates God. Only the believer has this charity. He that loveth not knoweth not God. God is love, John said. Now this is the love he is speaking of.

Charity suffers long. It's long suffering. It's a long-suffering, not short-suffering, long-suffering. And it's kind. Charity envieth not. You know what a base emotion envy is? To be envious of what somebody else has, wishing it were you instead of them. You know, if you really love somebody, you're not gonna envy them. you're going to be thankful for their blessing. Charity envieth not.

Charity vaunteth not itself. We've all been around people who are trying to convince us how great they are and convince us that they ought to love us because we are fill in the blank, vaunting yourself, pushing yourself. You need to love me All of my accomplishments in it becomes kind of a brag thing. I'm this, I'm that. Charity doesn't do that. It doesn't vaunt and push itself. It's not puffed up.

You know, physically, when you're swollen, puffed up, what's that mean? Something's wrong with you. You're sick. You're sick. He's talking about being puffed up with pride. Does not behave itself unseemly, unbecomingly. Rude. It seeketh not her own. It's not self-seeking. It's not easily provoked. It's not touchy and easily offended. You've got to walk on eggshells around it to keep from offending it. It's not easily provoked.

It thinketh no evil. That means it keeps no records of wrongs. Isn't that a beautiful thing? Wouldn't you like to just have no record of any wrong? That's what charity does. I'm thankful the Lord doesn't keep records of wrongs. I mean, you'd be in trouble if he did, wouldn't we? But charity keeps no records of wrongs. It rejoices not in iniquity.

It doesn't have that feeling of pleasure in the fall of somebody else, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things. It believes all things. Now to say, It bears all things means it covers with silence all things. Love covereth the transgression. It doesn't try to expose. That's what this bearing is. You bear in silence all things. You're not trying to expose your brother. Love covereth a transgression. It bears all things.

It believes all things. It hopes for the best. What it can't see, it hopes for. It hopes all things. It endures all things. It never quits. It continues. Charity never faileth. It's never reduced to inactivity. Now, this is the activity we're to have toward our brethren, to do good to all men, especially they who are of the household of faith. Charity never fails.

But whether they be prophecies, they shall fail. Whether they be tongues, they shall cease. Whether they be knowledge, he's talking about these supernatural gifts, it shall vanish away. For we know in part, and we prophesy in part, but when that which is perfect is come, that which is in part shall be done away.

What is the one thing we have in this world that we can touch that's perfect? The Bible. The word of God. And when the word of God has come, the full canon of scripture, they didn't have it yet. When the full word of God, the canon of scripture has come, all these speaking in tongues and miracles, they'll be done away with. They're no longer needed because we have the full revelation of God of himself in the word.

But that, when that which is perfect has come, that which is in part should be done away with. And now, when I was a child, I spake as a child, I acted like a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child. But when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now we see through a glass darkly. That's just the truth. We see through a glass very dimly. We don't really see things as they are with regard to ourself or anybody else. God does, but we don't. We see through a glass darkly.

And I'm finding that more true in my own experience than, I used to know everything. The older I get, the less I realize that I know. I could tell you how to, what you need to do, how you ought to conduct yourself, where you ought to go, what you ought to avoid. I used to know it all.

What arrogant pride to think of something like that. We see through a glass darkly. And Paul said this under the inspiration of God the Holy Spirit. These are inspired words. We see through a glass darkly. And remember that about your brother. He does too. He does too. Be compassionate. We see through a glass darkly, but then face to face, face to face with Christ my Savior.

I love that Fannie Crosby, a hymn writer, we sing her hymns, she was blind. And they said, I know it's been a great trial to you to be blind. And she said, no, it's a great blessing. The first face I'm ever gonna see is the face of the Lord Jesus Christ. What a blessing.

Now I know in part, but then shall I know even as also I'm now. known and now abideth faith, hope and charity, these three. But the greatest of these is charity. May that be in my mind when I sometime during the day, hopefully when I wake up in the morning, I've got opportunity. I've got a measure of time. Let us do good to all men. Be an encouragement. especially today for the household of faith. Amen.