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*/Ephesians 5:15-21/*
Paul’s progression in chapters 4-6 has been very logical.
He has given us four applications of the doctrine in 1-3 thus far.
Each application is demarcated by the words *therefore…walk* (/oun…peripateo/). 1) WALK IN UNITY because Christ broke down the hostility between believing Jews and Gentiles and united us in one new man.
2) WALK IN HOLINESS because you laid aside the old man and put on the new man at conversion. 3) WALK IN LOVE because Christ loved us and gave Himself for us.
4) WALK IN LIGHT because we are no longer darkness but light in the Lord.
Therefore, expose sinful deeds because we love one another.
Discipline and love go hand in hand.
Lastly we have WALK IN WISDOM in 5:15-6:9.
5:15-21 is the key for the section on walking in wisdom.
Paul is going to make a lot of practical applications in 5:22-6:9 but before he does that he commands us to be filled by the Holy Spirit.
This is walking wisely.
So, our section tonight, 5:15-21 forms the basis of your behavior toward your marriage, children, employer, or employees.
We’re going to look at a series of negative and positive commands related to a wise walk.
2PPAImp conj adv adv 2PPAI neg conj adjNPM conj conj adj NPM
*/Greek Text 5:15/**/ /**/Ble,pete ou=n avkribw~/j pw~/j peripatei~/te mh.
w`j a;sofoi avllV w`j sofoi,( /**/ /*
*Ephesians 5:15 Therefore, you [all] look how carefully you [all] walk, not as unwise but as wise, *
“The metaphor of darkness and light is dropped, and the contrast is now between a;sofoi and sofoi,.”[1]
The point is not how carefully one is to observe but how carefully one is to walk.[2] Take care to walk carefully.
This is almost saying that as a Christian you should walk on pins and needles.
Your lives should not be lived recklessly but carefully.
The words *be careful *comes from the Greek word /blepo /which means “to see”.
Here it means to use your spiritual eyes to habitually walk carefully.
Then Paul introduces the FIRST OF FOUR CONTRASTS *walk, not as unwise but as wise*.
These two words are obviously antonyms: /asophia /and /sophia/.
“WISDOM” means true insight into God’s plan and God alone can give this kind of wisdom.
Thus, God is the source of this wisdom and insight into God’s plan is the object.
Wise people have insight into God’s plan and walk in accordance with that plan.
Unwise people lack insight and despise God’s plan.
So, we might say that wisdom is divine skill in thinking and divine skill in living.
How do we walk wisely in accordance with God’s plan?
PMPart NPM art ASM conj art NPF adj NPF 3PPAI
*/Greek Text 5:16 /**evxagorazo,menoi to.n kairo,n( o[ti ai` h`me,rai ponhrai, eivsinÅ ** *
*Ephesians 5:16 making good use of the time, because the days are evil.*
This is a participial clause describing how to walk wisely.
Wise people *make the most of their time*.
The Greek word for *making the most* is the GREEK WORD /exagorazo /and it means “to purchase or buy an item”.
Time is a limited commodity.
We ought to “buy it up” intensely.
Paul is telling us that if you are wise you will take advantage of any and every opportunity, you will make good use of every opportunity, you will take advantage of every chance.
Unwise people waste time, are inefficient, over-sleep, are non-productive, and procrastinate.
Wise people redeem the time, are efficient, productive, and get things done ahead of time.
Why should we *make good use of time*?
*because the days are evil*.
Christians are to make the most of every opportunity at hand *because the days are evil*.
The word for *evil *is /poneros /and is the opposite of good.
It describes anything that is opposed to God who is good, including evil people, evil thoughts, evil deeds, and the evil present age.
Here *the days *refer to the present age.
The present age is opposed to God because it is characterized by *evil *(Gal 1:4).
Why is the present age opposed to God?
Because the present age is controlled by the god of this world (2:2).
Who is presently the god of this world?
Wait for an answer.
Satan is the god of this world.
How did Satan become the god of this world?
God gave Adam and Eve regal dominion over the creation.
But, when Adam fell he handed over that dominion to Satan.
From that point forward the kingdoms of the world have been the property of Satan.
Satan even offered these kingdoms to Christ in Matt 4:8-9.
Scripture tells us he has dominion over the world, he blinds the minds of the unbelieving, and the world lies under his power (John 12:32; 2 Cor 4:4; Acts 26:18; 1 John 5:19).
Therefore, the days are evil because Satan is presently ruling over them.
And he is at war with God trying to thwart the plan of God and fulfill his plan which is to take as many people to hell with him as possible.
Therefore, Satan wants you to be a time-waster.
He doesn’t want you to make the most of every opportunity.
He wants you to be an impotent Christian.
And you are impotent whenever you are wasting time.
You are wasting God-given opportunities and useless, even harmful to God’s plan and purposes.
You are also opposing your fellow brothers who wisely make the most of their time.
Paul knew this lesson well all too well.
Just think of Paul’s circumstances of hardship; almost killed numerous times, almost drowned, shipwrecked, imprisoned and yet Paul made the most of his time in every circumstance.
Paul used every circumstance as an opportunity to minister to others.
He never wasted time or opportunities because he believed God was the author of all his circumstances.
For example, where was Paul when he wrote this letter?
Wait for an answer.
That’s right; he was in prison in Rome.
Paul didn’t sit around and waste time in prison.
Paul capitalized on his time in prison by writing four of the most potent letters ever written to the Church.
Paul took advantage of every opportunity.
He didn’t see his difficult circumstances as hardships that messed up his days but as opportunities to capitalize on (Phil 1:12-14).
Likewise, you ought to regard all circumstances as opportunities.
If you don’t then you probably have a problem with the sovereignty of God.
You probably don’t accept the fact that God is the author of all your circumstances.
Your circumstances are God-ordained and once you recognize that, like Paul did, you’ll start buying up the time intensively.
You’ll start seizing every opportunity in this evil age.
Stop wasting time!
It’s God’s to give and you are wasting a gift of God when you waste time.
When people say “take some time”, just remember it’s not ours to take, its God’s to give but never ours to take.
So make the most of it.
Notice that Paul doesn’t say we should be afraid of this evil age or that we should avoid interacting with it.
Instead we are to walk wisely in it because there is an ongoing war between the god of this world and the God of heaven.
How are we to walk wisely in an evil age?
prep proASN neg 2PPMImp NPM conj 2PPAImp pro ASN art NSN art GSM
*/Greek Text 5:17 /**dia.
tou~/to mh.
gi,nesqe a;fronej( avlla.
suni,ete ti, to.
qe,lhma tou~/ kuri,ouÅ ** *
*Ephesians 5:17 For this reason, do not become foolish, but understand what is the will of the Lord.*
This is done in two ways.
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