Walking in Wisdom

As we entered into the Disciplined or Duty portion of Ephesians out of the Doctrine portion, the Apostle Paul has presented this Duty as WALK.

Eph 4:1-2 - The Worthy Walk

Consists of

Eph 4:4-13 - Walking in Unity

Eph 4:17-32 - Walking in Separation

Eph 5:1-2 - Walking in Love

Eph 5:3-14 - Walking in Light

Paul continues to build on the foundation he has been laying for us in this book.

His basic command for the church is that we, as saved children, are to be different because we are in a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.

We were dead in trespasses and sin when he found us and saved us by His grace. God, through His amazing grace brought us out of death and depravity, and He delivered us from the doom and condemnation of His wrath.

Here is what He did for us. He saved us from our sins, transformed us into new creatures, placed us in the body of Christ, then left us in this world to be light to a world trapped in darkness.

Therefore, we are to walk in wisdom.

Ephesians 5:15–17 KJV 1900

15 See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, 16 Redeeming the time, because the days are evil. 17 Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.

Ephesians 5:18–21 KJV 1900

18 And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; 19 Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; 20 Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; 21 Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.

Requires Diligence:

Ephesians 5:15 KJV 1900

15 See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise,

See then - watch out for, consider, observe.

“circumspectly”—note the roots of “circumference” (circle) and “spectacles” (to look) in the word—means to “walk while looking around.”

diligent, accurate, and precise.

The command is for us to “give attention to the way we walk in this world”, so that we “walk accurately and precisely.”

As believers, we must give due diligence to every step we take in this world.

1 because we have an adversary.

1 Peter 5:8 KJV 1900

8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:

James 1:14 KJV 1900

14 But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.

The phrase “drawn away,” means “to lure prey from it hiding place.”

Like a hunter sets a trap to catch an animal, Satan does all he can to lure us away from the place of safety and closeness to the Lord.

He seeks to lure us into sin.

The word “enticed,” means, “to catch by bait.” If you are going to bait deer, you don’t use dead fish. You have to use corn or apples, or something else that is attractive to the animal.

Satan knows what makes us tick. He knows what is attractive to us.

Like a hunter who studies his prey, Satan studies us to see what we like, and he baits his traps accordingly.

Satan is a treacherous and very dangerous enemy. Yet, the only reason he has any power at all to deceive and destroy us is due to the sin that dwells within each of our hearts.

As James says, we are “drawn away of” our “own lusts.” Satan is only able to tempt us to sin, because the will and ability to sin already exist within our hearts. Every time we fall into sin, it is only because we take the bait and fall into the devil’s snare.

So, knowing the deceitfulness of the enemy, and the wickedness of our own hearts, Paul warns us to watch every step we take, because each step is filled with danger, especially in this world.

Ephesians 5:15 (KJV 1900)

15 See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise,

Foolish -

Psalm 14:1 KJV 1900

1 The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, There is none that doeth good.

Romans 1:22 KJV 1900

22 Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,

Titus 3:3–6 KJV 1900

3 For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another. 4 But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, 5 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; 6 Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour;

We are not to walk like the world around us. They stumble around in the darkness of their depraved condition, and they take no heed to where the next foot will fall. We are not so blind.

Ephesians 5:15 (KJV 1900)

15 See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise,

Wise -

Biblical wisdom refers to practical skills associated with understanding and living a successful life.

Proverbs 1:7 KJV 1900

7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: But fools despise wisdom and instruction.

We have been redeemed.

We have been made alive.

We have been given the Spirit of God.

We have been given the light of the Word of God.

We do not stumble about like a blind man, but we have been equipped to walk accurately, placing each step precisely where it pleases the Lord and leads us closer to Him.

What a blessing it is to know that we do not have to fall for the deceptions of Satan.

We do not have to be ensnared in his traps.

Through the help of the Holy Spirit, every subtle maneuver of the enemy is painted with the light of Heaven.

We do not have to yield to his devices.

We do not have to walk his way.

We do not have to find ourselves overcome by his schemes.

Our Lord has made us wiser than that. He has given us all we need to be able to walk in His will for His glory.

Therefore, we must not only be DILIGENT, BUT IT ALSO

Requires Discernment:

Ephesians 5:16 (KJV 1900)

16 Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.

The Lord here says we are to be “Redeeming the time...”

Redeeming -

means “to buy up; to deliver from loss.” It was used in that culture of “purchasing a slave in order to set the slave free.”

2 words used for time.

chronos - referring to the linear passage of time, minutes, hours, days, and so on.

kairos - referring to a set period of time. “a measured allotment of time.”

Time as God has allotted to each of us - our life on earth.

Paul is talking about the small window of time we have in this world.

In other words, we are to “deliver the allotted time we have been given in this world from loss.”

This phrase speaks about our walk with the Lord. It challenges us “to make good use of every opportunity for serving the Lord.”

1 Peter 1:17 KJV 1900

17 And if ye call on the Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man’s work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear:

The Lord has determined the boundaries of our lives. We will not live one minute more, one minute less, than the time we have been allotted by the Lord.

Our time is that block of time, the dash on your tombstone, to accomplish God’s plan for this earth.

The idea is not to buy time.

Time is the gift of God; a man has time. What he is to do is to use his time to buy things of value. He is to redeem time, to turn his time in, for things of value.

• Take the time to pray.

• Take the time to worship.

• Take the time to share the Gospel.

• Take the time to be holy.

• Take the time to read the Bible.

• Take the time to honor the Lord every minute of every day.

Psalm 90:12 KJV 1900

12 So teach us to number our days, That we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.

Someone has noted that each day we are gifted with 24 new hours—1,440 minutes and 86,400 seconds that we will never see again!

Together they add up to the kairos God has given us—a segment we are to grasp and redeem lest it go unused. We are to redeem our life out of the marketplace of vanity and purposelessness through which we walk in this world.

Ephesians 5:16 (KJV 1900)

16 Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.

Paul tells us that we should salvage the time we have been given, because “the days are evil.” The word evil comes from the same word that gives us our word “pornographic.” The days are wicked, evil and filled with every kind of sin and vice.

God has placed us here to be light to a world trapped in darkness. We are His “ambassadors,” 2 Cor. 5:20.

He has given us a window of time in this evil world to serve Him, walk for Him and bring glory to His name. So, as we walk through this world, we are to recognize the evil around, as well as the opportunities the Lord has given us to serve Him. We are to redeem those opportunities in order to make our lives count for the glory of God.

I pray that my life time produces more than a dash between two dates. I want to leave a legacy. I want to “buy up the opportunities” the Lord gives me.

I would remind you that the word “redeeming” refers to “buying a slave in order to set that slave free.”

It also has the idea of “saving it from loss.”

We are all slaves to time. We can either lose that time, and have it be gone forever, or we can redeem that time and make it count for the glory of God.

Life has limits, and the discerning, disciplined individual will use each day wisely.

Requires Direction:

Given that we have a limited amount of time in which to walk in this world, and given that we want our walk to be wise, it behooves us to stay focused:

Ephesians 5:17 KJV 1900

17 Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.

unwise means “stupid or ignorant.”

It refers to a person who “thinks himself wise when actually he knows nothing.”

How much of what we do every day really fits into the will of the Lord?

Paul is saying, “Don’t run through this world like an idiot.”

We run everywhere!

We run with our calendars, our smart phones, our schedules, thinking we have to do all these things for ourselves, and for others, not realizing that Satan has baited the trap, and we have taken the bait.

We allow ourselves to get so busy doing all the things we do that we don’t have the time to enjoy the Lord Who saved us.

Instead of running through life like a maniac, we are counseled to be “understanding” of “what the will of the Lord is.”

How do we know the will of God?

We have to understand the principles taught in the Scriptures.

We have to slow down long enough

to read the Word of God.

to meditate on the Word of God.

to understand the Word of God.

Think for just a moment how foolish we really are.

We send our kids to school so they can learn but don’t take the time to teach them a book written by the Wisest Being in the Universe.

We strive to learn all sorts of things to become more knowledgeable and productive while not taking time to learn from the fountain of wisdom, Jesus Christ.

Our ignorance of the Word of God explains

the problems we have with sin.

the problems we have in our relationships.

the lack of power, and emptiness of life.

Listen, I am going to give you some very reliable truth:

Your Bible will keep you from being spiritually stupid.

It will make you wise in the ways of the Lord.

It will open your eyes to the snares of Satan.

Do you want a life of legacy?

or

Do you want a life of regret?

Are you redeeming your time with wisdom or foolishness?