Sleepwalkers

Intro

Micah’s bedroom is right off our main living area of the house - kitchen and living room

A few weeks ago now, long after we tucked him in, he came wandering out of his room

We tried calling his name, but not really reacting to us

Micah, Micah, Micah?

Nothing

This has happened a couple of times

One time he just sat down on the couch, grabbed the remote and turned on the TV

All without interacting or responding

Eventually I picked him, carried him back to bed, tucked him in and said goodnight

And that was it

He was, as I’m sure you’ve guessed, sleepwalking

Walk

I share that because we are going to see one of the Apostle Paul’s favorite words today

Walk - περιπατέω

Paul uses this word 36 times in his letters that are in the Bible

In fact, if you have been with us throughout this study in the book of Ephesians, we have seen it 4 times already

Ephesians 2:2 “in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience—”

Ephesians 2:10 “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”

Ephesians 4:1 “I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called,”

Ephesians 4:17 “Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds.”

Before we read today’s passage and the final 3 times Paul uses the word in the book of Ephesians, I want to highlight two things

First, walk here does not mean a stroll in the park

It is a way of being, a way of life

Paul uses the word to frame out an approach to life

It’s a descriptor not only of behavior, but of orientation

It’s a way of living out your underlying condition

Second, the first “condition” that Paul painted in 2:2 was dead

When we looked at that passage, I referenced The Sixth Sense with its famous, “I see dead people, walking around and they don’t even know they are dead.”

Paul is reminding people that apart from the death and resurrection of Jesus, they are dead people, just walking around and doing exactly what comes to those in that condition - living in sin

And then they were made alive in Christ

So with that, let’s look at Ephesians 5:1-15

Scripture Reading: Eph 5:1-15

Ephesians 5:1–15 ESV

Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints. Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving. For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Therefore do not become partners with them; for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. For it is shameful even to speak of the things that they do in secret. But when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible, for anything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says, “Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.” Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise,

Pray

Transition

This can be a challenging passage that is full of imperatives

There are a lot of things we are commanded to do and not to do

And many of them run against the grain of popular culture

But let us start at the end of the passage and work our way backwards

Sleep Walking vs Walking Awake

Ephesians 5:14 “for anything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says, “Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.””

If Ephesians 2 talked about dead walking, our passage today is a warning against sleep walking

Sleepwalkers can sometimes do normal things even while awake

Get dressed, have something to eat

But sleepwalkers often do strange and unusual things

Common denominators though is often unaware in the morning when they wake up

They don’t remember

If the deadwalkers of Ephesians 2 were dead but trying to walk around like they are alive, sleepwalkers are asleep trying to walk around like they are awake

So Paul calls the church in Ephesus… and is calling us… to “awake, o sleeper”

Transition

Going over the three uses of that word “walk” in our passage, let’s look at how sleepwalkers live in contrast to those who are walking awake

Walk in impurity versus walk in love

Walk in darkness versus walk in light

Walk in foolishness versus walk in wisdom

And before we look at each of those three, let me make one important clarification

This is an admonition to followers of Jesus

That is, he is talking to those who were made alive in chapter 2

Ephesians 2:1–2 “And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience—”

Notice the past tense?

you “were dead”

you “once walked”

Ephesians 5 here is present tense

He is talking to people who were made alive by Christ

But now have to decide if they are going to sleep walk or arise and walk awake

Walk in Impurity versus Walk in Love

The first of the three occurrences of the word “walk” is in verse 2 so let’s look back at the beginning of the chapter

Ephesians 5:1–2 “Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.”

Walk in love - that’s a sign of the awake walker

Contrast that language with the cautions of verses 3-5

Ephesians 5:3–5 “But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints. Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving. For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.”

I framed that word “walking” as a way of being

It’s an orientation to how we view others and how we view ourselves

It’s easy to say “don’t have sex outside of marriage, don’t covet, watch your mouths, etc.

Even just considering the idea of filthy or foolish talking and crude joking

We have all seen and experienced the increasing normalization of cursing and foul language

So sure, we could assess each of these together

But let me bring them together and present that as a whole as a depiction of walking in impurity

For sleepwalkers who are walking in impurity, the default framework is to view others as objects who are to be used for your personal purposes and gains

If you have something I want and you are just an object, then

I can use you sexually for my gratification

I can tell that dirty joke to gain your laughter and my sense of validation

I can covet and take something you have but I don’t because I deserve it

But to walk in love?

Walking in love requires me to see you first and foremost and one made in the image of God

And if you are made in the image of God, you are worthy, you have dignity

Paul contrasts that filthy and foolish talk with thanksgiving

I can be grateful for you, for your gifts, for what God has given to you

I can rejoice with you and I seek to uplift you with my speech

Sleepwalkers walk in impurity using people as objects

Awake walkers walk in love honoring people with dignity as those made in the image of God

Walk in Darkness versus Walk in Light

That’s the first contrast

Here is the second: walking in darkness versus walking in light

Ephesians 5:8–13 “for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. For it is shameful even to speak of the things that they do in secret. But when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible,”

Watching someone sleep walk is kinda fascinating because, especially in their own home, the ability to navigate with no light

Person can get up, leave their bedroom, walk to the kitchen, get something to eat, go to the bathroom and then back to bed

All without waking up or turning on the lights

Don’t need light there, they are managing ok in the dark, right?

But in reality, still just sleep walking

Themes of dark and light would make for a fascinating study of the Bible

First day of creation God created light and separated it from the darkness

One of the plagues on Egypt was the plague of darkness

For our purposes today, want to contrast walking in darkness versus walking in light

When you came to faith in Christ, you were made alive - you were no longer a dead walker

But something really awful happens - people choose to be sleep walkers, closing their eyes

You were made alive not to sleepwalk, but to be able to live with your eyes open and experiencing the light of God for the first time ever!

Remember way back in ancient history when going to a movie theater was a thing?

Don’t need to go over all the reasons movie theaters are struggling, but I do miss it

But do you ever remember being in a dark movie theater and then stepping outside and almost blinded by the sunlight?

It takes a little while to adjust

We were made to walk in the light but we have been in the dark so long, it takes a while to adjust

And that is the challenge of sleepwalkers walking in the darkness

The light is intended to shine in and through you

Effect of walking in light:

Revealing the fruit of God’s work within you

Discerning what is pleasing to the Lord

Exposing sin

And the effects of walking in darkness?

Unfruitful works

Hiding sin

Walk in Foolishness versus Walk in Wisdom

Ephesians 5:15 “Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise,”

The final “walk” for us today is a call to walk in wisdom versus foolishness

We’ll see in our next time together some of what that looks like, but let’s look back at verses 6-7

Ephesians 5:6–7 “Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Therefore do not become partners with them;”

Those who walk in foolishness do two things

They are deceived by empty words

They partner with those who deceive through empty words

Those who walk in wisdom respond differently

They are on alert for those who would seek to deceive them with empty words

They evaluate information, they discern if what they are hearing is in accord with the Scriptures and the revealed will of God

In fact, I hope that for all of you, part of walking in wisdom is that you would be discerning even my words now for their faithfulness to the Scriptures

There are many in our world who feign expertise, trustworthiness, and importance

But to receive all that without discernment is to sleepwalk in foolishness than awake walk in wisdom

Sleepwalking vs Awake Walking (Reprise)

To summarize:

Sleepwalkers walk in impurity, in darkness, and in foolishness

Awake walkers walk in love, in light, and in wisdom

Christ Loved Us and Gave Himself for Us

I’ll be honest, that’s a tall ask

Sometimes I get it right and walk in love by seeing others as image-bearers and honoring them well

But often I see others as objects and use them for my own ends as I walk in impurity

Sometimes I get it right and walk in light eager to have the sinfulness of my own heart exposed and provide fertile soil for the good, fruitful works God has prepared for me

But often I cover up my own shameful sin as I walk in darkness

Sometimes I get it right and walk in wisdom, seeking to know the Scriptures well and able to discern what is true, good, and beautiful

But often I am inclined to skip time in God’s Word and I just go along with the prevailing winds and whatever others say without thoughtful consideration as I walk in foolishness

Sometimes we, all of us, are sleepwalkers who need to be waken up and hear the call to “Awake, O sleeper”

So where is the hope? Back to verse 2

Ephesians 5:1–2 “Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.”

Here, my friends, is our hope

Jesus, the Christ, loved us

And because he loved us, he gave himself up for us

And that giving himself up for us goes before God as a fragrant offering and a sufficient sacrifice

It is the same work of Jesus that made you alive from being a dead walker that now wakes you up and empowers you to walk awake rather than sleep walk

There was nothing you could do to make yourself alive when you were dead in your sins and trespasses as we saw in chapter 2

And now there is nothing you can do to wake yourself up instead sleepwalking

But Jesus can… and did… and does even now

It is his love that holds you, redeems you, and wakes you up to walk in love, in light, and in wisdom

Because he is love incarnate

Because he is the light of the world

Because is the wisdom of God

And because you are his beloved child

Pray