Walk in Wisdom
The Christian Walk • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
0 ratings
· 3 viewsNotes
Transcript
Eph 5:15-21
See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise,
redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.
And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit,
speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord,
giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,
submitting to one another in the fear of God.
Intro:
Intro:
AG: Have you ever walked, or maybe climbed over the rocks along a creek? The rocks are slick and not always stable. There's nothing quite like carrying trying to stay dry knowing you carry an expensive phone, your wallet, and other things which don’t mix well with water while crossing wet rocks jutting out of a stream.
That will make you give extreme care to every single step you take.
That is the level of attention to how we walk Paul uses in Eph 5. Walk circumspectly, as wise ones instead of fools.
RS: Wisdom is something that everyone seeks.
See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise,
Circumspectly:
accurately, carefully, considering how you walk.
Walk wisely instead of foolishly
Living morally is to live wisely
Being foolish, or unwise, in the Bible isn’t about low intelligent, it is about unbelief and the abominable deeds that leads to.
The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, They have done abominable works, There is none who does good.
How do we walk in wisdom?
The First Way is to make the Most of Our Time. (16)
The First Way is to make the Most of Our Time. (16)
redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
a. We are advised to redeem the time.
You and I have a fixed number of days on Earth
When our days are complete, we will stand before the Lord in judgment.
We must make the most of time
“Dost thou love life? Then do not squander time, for that’s the stuff life is made of.”
Benjamin Franklin
We choose how we spend each moment.
We should be wise in how we use each moment
Our top priority should be in fulfilling God's purpose
Use every opportunity for useful worship and service
And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear;
b. “the days are evil.”
The contrast of our “evil days” mandate we use our time wisely.
If we don’t redeem the time, we will squander it away in unrighteous pursuits
The Second Way is to understand the Will of God. (17)
The Second Way is to understand the Will of God. (17)
Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.
Knowing and understanding His will through His word is spiritual wisdom
For example, GOD has revealed that it is His will for people to be saved
For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior,
who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.
It is also His will that we be sanctified
For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you should abstain from sexual immorality;
It is His will we submit to authority
Therefore submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake, whether to the king as supreme,
or to governors, as to those who are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of those who do good.
For this is the will of God, that by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men—
There are many other verses which directly address His will.
He doesn’t leave us ignorant of His expectations!
To walk in wisdom, we must live out the Scriptures!
Hear and obey
John 8:47
He who is of God hears God’s words; therefore you do not hear, because you are not of God.”
The Third Way is to be Filled with the Holy Spirit. (18)
The Third Way is to be Filled with the Holy Spirit. (18)
And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit,
Scripture condemns drunkenness several times.
In light of the context, Paul may be referring to the pagan worship ceremonies. They would indulge in drugs, alcohol, and sexual acts seeking an ecstatic state where they thought they could then commune with the gods and goddesses.
They were totally out of control- in other words- FOOLISH
In light of that, Paul says
a. Do not get drunk
refers to the acting under the influence of anything other than the spirit.
Don’t be drunk- don’t cast off restraint and get out of control
b. Be filled with the Spirit
Instead of loosing control, wisdom is to be completely under the control of the Holy Spirit!
Communion with God come through the Holy Spirit, not drunkeness!
This is not referencing the indwelling Rom 8:9
But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His.
Nor is it the baptism into Christ by the Spirit 1 Co 12:13
For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and have all been made to drink into one Spirit.
Every believer is indwelt and baptized
This is a command to be continuously living under the direct influence of the Spirit
Being filled with the Spirit is living in the constant conscious
MacArthur Study Bible NASB (Commentary)
Being filled with the Spirit is living in the conscious presence of the Lord Jesus Christ, letting His mind, through the Word, dominate everything that is thought and done.
The Fourth way is to have Public Worship. (19)
The Fourth way is to have Public Worship. (19)
speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord,
This verse is a direct consequence of being filled with the Spirit
corporate worship, like we are doing now
speaking to “ONE ANOTHER”
There is an aspect of our faith that is public!
We must be with other Christians in order to walk in Wisdom.
The Spirit directs us to gather with, encourage, and serve each other.
The Christian walk is not meant to be a solo journey!
Speaking in Psalms.
MacArthur Study Bible NASB (Commentary)
Old Testament psalms put to music, primarily, but the term was used also of vocal music in general.
The early church sang the Psalms.
hymns.
Perhaps songs of praise distinguished from the Psalms which exalted God, in that they focused on the Lord Jesus Christ.
spiritual songs.
Probably songs of personal testimony expressing truths of the grace of salvation in Christ.
making melody.
Lit. means to pluck a stringed instrument, so it could refer primarily to instrumental music, while including vocal also. with your heart to the Lord.
Not just public, but private. The Lord Himself is both the source and the object of the believer’s song-filled heart.
The Fifth way is to give thanks to God (20)
The Fifth way is to give thanks to God (20)
giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,
The Bible is constantly talking about giving Thanks to God.
Oh come, let us sing to the Lord! Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation.
Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving; Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms.
For the Lord is the great God, And the great King above all gods.
In His hand are the deep places of the earth; The heights of the hills are His also.
The sea is His, for He made it; And His hands formed the dry land.
Oh come, let us worship and bow down; Let us kneel before the Lord our Maker.
In our text, we are told to give thanks for all things
Who God is
All He has done
The Sixth way is to submit to One Another. (21)
The Sixth way is to submit to One Another. (21)
submitting to one another in the fear of God.
As Spirit filled Christians, we are to bee humble and submissive to each other.
Listen to each other as we share the Word of GOD
Heed warnings
Follow examples
Learn from each other
The key is that no believer is inherently superior to any other.
That is why we sing, “We are one in the bond of love”
“In the fear of Christ”
our submission to each other grows out of our reverence to God
Conclusion
Conclusion
Today make a decision to Walk in wisdom.
Make the Most of Our Time
Understand the Will of God
Be Filled with the Holy Spirit
Have Public Worship
Give thanks to God
Submit to One Another
