The first church proclaimed that salvation is by grace alone.

The first church proclaimed that the unknown God had become known through Jesus.

The first church proclaimed Christ as the only way to God. The gospel is for everyone.

The first church proclaimed the power of Jesus. So often we can get lost in trying to sell our faith; instead, we should point people to Jesus and let him do the rest.

The first sermon of the church was about the passion of Christ. If you are a follower of Jesus, the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus must be central to your faith.

Jesus was busy. But he was never in a hurry. He had counted the cost of his time, and knew exactly what he should do in order to fulfill his mission on earth. We can do the same by budgeting our time, and protecting it based on our priorities.

Our culture today is constantly striving for more. But God did not design our bodies to work hard forever with no breaks. There are distinct rhythms that enable us to be productive, even with our rest.

When Jesus came to earth, he temporarily traded in his Godly omnipresence. He could only be in one place at a time. Therefore, he had to prioritize the many good things pulling at his attention because he was laser-focused on finishing the work the Father gave him.

How we use our time impacts our personal and spiritual lives. At the start of a new year with goals and resolutions, wouldnt it be great if you got even better with managing your time? This morning we consider how our time management improves when we focus on Jesus rather than our tasks.

We are commanded throughout scripture to "redeem our time", because "the days are evil" and we are running out of time to do the "will of the Lord". If our aim is to redeem our time, it is imperative that we start with God's Word.