The Biblical Principle of First #4 Redeeming The Time ~ Dr William P. Hohman

Redeeming The Time Overview

In this powerful message from NTC Ministries, Dr. William P. Hohman continues his series on the Biblical Principle of First, focusing on what Scripture calls redeeming the time. Drawing from Ephesians 5:15-16, Revelation 2:2-5, and the example of Jesus rising early to pray in Mark 1:35, Dr. Hohman reveals that every believer operates under two kingdoms simultaneously — the kingdom of this world and the kingdom of God — each with its own economy and priorities. The sermon centers on the urgent call to give God the first portion of every day, just as the Old Testament principle required offering the first clean animal to consecrate all the rest. Dr. Hohman unpacks the contrast between the church at Ephesus, which labored faithfully yet had forsaken its first love, and the apostle John, who rested securely in Christ’s love and followed without comparison or competition. Through illustrations from Martin Luther, the story of Mary and Martha, and the Garden of Eden, the message makes clear that redeeming the time begins not with doing more but with abiding first in the love of God, allowing that love to cast out fear and empower every area of daily life.

Redeeming The Time Outline

• 00:00 – Introduction to the Biblical Principle of First: Dr. Hohman recaps the series on kingdom economy, explaining how Christians live under two governments — the kingdom of this world and the kingdom of God — each requiring a different approach to time, resources, and priorities.
• 07:30 – The Old Testament Foundation of Redemption: Exploring how the first clean animal was given to God under the old covenant, redeeming all the unclean, and how this principle extends to our children, our days, and every aspect of life.
• 16:00 – The Church at Ephesus and the First Love: A close reading of Revelation 2:2-5 reveals that faithful service without intimate love for God is a fallen state. Dr. Hohman calls believers to remember where they have fallen and return to their first love.
• 27:00 – Redeeming the Time — Practical and Spiritual Dimensions: Using Psalm 5:3, Mark 1:35, and Matthew 6:6, Dr. Hohman shows that giving God the first part of each morning — before phones, before problems, before people — is the act that redeems the entire day.
• 38:00 – God Is Love — The Foundation of Our Giving First: An exposition of 1 John 4:10, 16, and 19 establishes that we love God only because He loved us first, in creation and in redemption. God is not withholding anything from those who draw near to Him.
• 48:00 – John the Beloved — Security in God’s Love: The contrast between Peter’s insecurity and John’s confidence in Christ’s love illustrates that knowing you are loved by God frees you from comparison, competition, and the fear of others.
• 57:00 – The Greatest Commandment and Grace: Mark 12:30-31 is examined: loving God with all heart, soul, mind, and strength is impossible in human effort alone. By grace, God pours His own love into us so that the commandment is fulfilled through us.
• 1:04:00 – Walking Circumspectly in Evil Days: Ephesians 5:15-16 and Isaiah 55:1-3 close the message with an exhortation to walk with eyes wide open, redeeming every moment by staying rooted in God’s love, which casts out fear and produces confident, fruitful living.

Scripture References

Revelation 2:2-5, Proverbs 3:9-10, Psalm 5:3, Mark 1:35, Matthew 6:6, Genesis 3:8-9, 1 John 4:18, 1 John 4:19, 1 John 4:10, 1 John 4:16, Romans 5:4-5, Romans 8:28, Mark 12:30-31, John 21:20-22, Ephesians 5:15-16, Isaiah 55:1-3, Malachi 3:6, Luke 21:25

Key Takeaways

• Giving God the first portion of your day redeems all the hours that follow, releasing supernatural grace into your ordinary responsibilities.
• The church at Ephesus is a warning to every believer: faithful service done without first love is a departure from where God calls us to stand.
• Jesus rose early before daylight to pray because He understood that without the Father first, the demands of the day would have been too great to bear.
• God does not ask for your time because He is prideful or demanding attention — He asks because you are living in a corrupted world that drains without restoring.
• You cannot out-give God, but you can give Him your firsts — your morning, your attention, your trust — and He will redeem everything else.
• John the apostle’s security in Christ’s love, not Peter’s striving for position, is the model for how every believer is meant to walk with Jesus.
• There is no fear in love, and when you begin each day soaking in the love of God, fear, anxiety, and indecision lose their grip on your life.

Redeeming The Time Notes

Two Kingdoms, One Believer’s Priority

Dr. Hohman opens by establishing that every Christian lives simultaneously under the kingdom of this world and the kingdom of God. Each has its own economy. The world operates on a work-and-pay system where you earn through the sweat of your brow. The kingdom of God operates on give-and-it-shall-be-given — a system of redemption, not transaction. Understanding this distinction is the foundation for grasping why the principle of first is not optional but essential. When believers try to apply the world’s economy inside the kingdom, they encounter resistance, just as Jesus drove out the buyers and sellers from the temple.

Redeeming the Day Through Morning Prayer

Drawing on Psalm 5:3, Mark 1:35, and Matthew 6:6, Dr. Hohman demonstrates that the practice of giving God the first, clean, uncluttered portion of the morning is the key to redeeming the entire day. Jesus Himself rose long before daylight to pray in solitude. If the Son of God needed that time with the Father before facing the crowds, so does every believer. Martin Luther’s famous reply to his assistant — that precisely because he had so much to do, he could not afford to skip his time with God — captures this truth perfectly. The morning hour with God is not subtracted from the day; it multiplies it.

Left Your First Love — The Ephesus Warning

Revelation 2:2-5 presents a sobering portrait of a church that worked hard, persevered, tested false apostles, and never grew weary — yet had drifted from intimate love for Jesus. Dr. Hohman points out that God did not rebuke their activity but their priority. They had begun to love their serving more than their Savior, living off a previous experience rather than a present relationship. This is the ecclesiastical version of a marriage that runs on performance instead of affection. The remedy is not to stop serving but to return — to remember, to repent, to do the first works in love.

John the Beloved as a Model of Secure Love

The contrast Dr. Hohman draws between Peter and John in John 21 is one of the most penetrating illustrations in the message. Peter, who had denied Christ three times, was preoccupied with comparison — concerned about what Jesus would require of John rather than simply following. John, who five times identified himself in his own Gospel as the disciple Jesus loved, had no such anxiety. He was already following. Knowing you are loved by God replaces insecurity with confidence, silences the inner critic, and removes the need to measure yourself against others. This is the fruit of giving God the first place in your heart.

Grace Fulfills What the Law Cannot

Mark 12:30-31 commands love for God with all heart, soul, mind, and strength — a standard no human being can meet independently. Dr. Hohman makes the liberating point that this is precisely why Jesus died for us: He fulfilled the command in our place and now, by grace through faith, pours His own love into our hearts through the Holy Spirit. We are not called to manufacture this love through discipline alone. We are called to receive it, sit in it, and let it flow through us. The Holy Spirit is not a force but a person, the governor of God’s kingdom within us, sent to make the Father’s love tangible and real every morning.

Walking Circumspectly in These Evil Days

Ephesians 5:15-16 calls believers to walk circumspectly — with eyes all around, making the best of the time, because the days are evil. Dr. Hohman ties this directly to the loss of first love: when the lampstand is removed, the light goes out, and confidence disappears. Without daily renewal in God’s love, believers become hesitant, indecisive, and unable to discern the right path. Isaiah 55:1-3 closes the message with God’s own invitation — come to the waters, buy without money, eat what is good, let your soul delight in abundance. Redeeming the time is not a discipline of self-effort; it is a daily response to a God who calls, loves, and satisfies.

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