Eph 4_15-17 Walking in Wisdom

Walking in Wisdom

Ephesians 5:15-17

Secular:

• A fool – someone who acts unintelligibly and irresponsibly…
• Psalm 14 says “The fool has said in his heart, "There is no God." They are corrupt, they have committed abominable deeds; There is no one who does good.”
• A fool in the first order is one who does not recognize that there is a god… a theological or practical atheist…
•  The supreme fool is anti-God… set against God in their thinking and in their actions…
•  Look where “foolishness” has got us…
• A world that lacks respect for authority and family structure that God demands…
• Where the strong words of a teacher are challenged
• We a policeman’s strong exhortation is scoffed at…
• Where teachers are barely given the tools to maintain order in their classroom…
• Where children come first in a family… instead f the foundational relationship….
• A world so rapped up in individual rights and choices…
• That abortion flourishes
• That a child pornographer can produce his material and never have to face a penalty…
• That the long held and understood nature of the institution of  marriage could be subject to its current challenges…
• Where obedience to Scripture can put you in opposition to the laws of this land!
• A world that lacks corporate values…
• Hedonism… (last weeks Epicureans)
• Greed…
• Check out the Warehouse for the elderly!
• Lying…
• Honour / Integrity
• This is not the life that Christ calls us to…
• Do it your way
• Do it to please yourself
• Remember you are #1
•   No! God wants us to walk in wisdom…
• A testimony to faith…a testimony to God…

Biblical:

NAU Ephesians 5:15 Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, 16 making the most of your time, because the days are evil. 17 So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.

Personal:

• On the KVR trip… the whole class came to a T in the trail… left or right… the first person went left…
•  And almost the entire class followed…
•  Some 30-31 adults and kids zipped off…
•  One of the more seasoned riders… took stock of direction and slope of the path…
•  … it was his assessment… his wisdom and his knowledge of the trail that led him in the right direction…

Bridge:

• In our world… many people are heading naively down the wrong path… peddling and smiling on the way to destruction…
• We know that there is a better route…
• God isn’t a genie or magic eight ball that discloses his will at our command…
•  But God has definitely given us the plan… and he expects us to be walking in wisdom…

Body:

The Believer’s Life Principles

Ephesians 5:14 For this reason it says, "Awake, sleeper, And arise from the dead, And Christ will shine on you." (Live as new creations… those resurrected in Christ!!) 15 Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise,

·         NAU Ephesians 5:1 Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children…15 Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise

·         Paul teaches in Ephesians 4:1 -5:14…

o       Walk in

§         Humility

§         Unity

§         Separation

§         Love

§         Light

§         And Wisdom

• Walk as they are…
• In Christ we are humbled… pride inconsistent
• In Christ Unity… dedicated to the truth… dedicated to the Son of God and His mission
• In Separation in Christ… with our citizenship in heaven… not of this world even thought we are in it
• In Christ… we love. We desire to serve those in need, to love the unlovable, to reach out with the Gospel of Hope..
• In Christ… Light… the beacon of hope… declarers… proclaimers of the Word… in the Words we share and the lives we lead…
•  And in Wisdom…
• Believers are wise… they have understood the most important message and accepted it… THE GOSPEL…
• NAU 2 Timothy 3:15 and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.
• NAU 1 John 2:20 But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you all know. 21 I have not written to you because you do not know the truth, but because you do know it, and because no lie is of the truth.

• By believing we understand the most important thing EVER!
• But Easy-believism undermines the true nature of this wisdom…
• Easy believism separates the Truth… in knowledge… and the Truth in faith, a core… the core belief (guiding principle of our life)
• McDonald’s toy… versus something of value (bits and pieces everywhere)…
• NAU Titus 2:11 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, 12 instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age… (to Walk in Wisdom!!)

•  We have a road ahead… and in our commitment to Christ this is a road  that guides us… our living… Christ is the Path!! * NAU 2 Peter 3:18 but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory, both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.
• Some wisdom at new birth… but it is on going… the refining… sanctifying of the children of God.
• We all make mistakes… but how we react shows our wisdom… NAU 2 Samuel 24:10 Now David's heart troubled him after he had numbered the people. So David said to the LORD, "I have sinned greatly in what I have done. But now, O LORD, please take away the iniquity of Your servant, for I have acted very foolishly."

• Remember… wisdom doesn’t discount information just because we don’t like it…
• Ignore a bill it gets bigger… ignore a grizzly get eaten… ignore your spouse????
• Ignore the truth…
• NAU Matthew 7:14 "For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.
• Many people adhere to the wrong things…
• Protect wealth fiercely…
• Uphold ideologies vigorously…
• Training the body relentlessly…
• What about walking in wisdom?

Wisdom is the application of knowledge as a belief… tempered and grown by our walk…it is fear of the Lord applied… Life is our Life Principle…

That which guides our every step…

The Believer’s Limiting Principles

16 making the most of your time, because the days are evil.

• It is commonplace not to finish what we have started…
• Symphony unfinished * A painting incomplete
• Sometimes it is because the great composer or artist dies before completion
•  Many a Christian life is a series of unfinished works…
• Even the most proficient time managers… those that attempt to squeeze every moment for Christian ministry impact… don’t complete every task…
• Paul uses kairos… not chronos…
• Chronos… is seconds… minutes…
• Karios… is a season… an appointed length of time…
• NAU 1 Peter 1:17 If you address as Father the One who impartially judges according to each one's work, conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your stay on earth;
• God set boundaries on our lives…
• We have a set amount of time…
• The Bible speaks of it being shortened… but never lengthened…
• God has given us a predetermined amount of time to accomplish our mission…
• The Greek Statue “Opportunity”
• Winged feet
• Lock of hair on the front
• Bald on back…
• Fast… grab hold… gone…
• Make the most… (buy… as in redeem or buy back… like a slave)
• Redeem the time…
• Make the most… most foolish thing after spiritual disobedience… would be to waste time…
• Check your life…
• Are you making the most…
• Are you encouraging your children…
• Are you redeeming time…
• Our will you be grasping at missed opportunity?
• NAU Galatians 6:10 So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith.
• Some serve well into old age…
• Others only have a few years or a few weeks… (Pastor taught them how to die)
• Could you imagine tracking your wasted moments… (like quarters in the Arcade)
•   Are you on a path – “NAU 2 Timothy 4:7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith;”
• Who are you living for?
• Are you walking in Wisdom…

The Lord’s Purposes

17 So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.

• In light of the fact… we ought to walk in wisdom
•  In light of the fact we have a limited season…
• So then… we need to turn from foolishness and need to “understand what the will of the Lord is.”
• What is the antidote to foolishness…
• The will of the Lord expressed as revealed in the Word of God…
• The unwise believer is very similar to the unwise husband… abandon the road map… the chances of getting lost… are huge…
•  When we pray for guidance… when we seek the Holy Spirit… we are not asking for things outside of Scripture… we are asking for God to illuminate his Word to guide and direct…
• Can you imagine driving along and saying okay… I am lost… but I will go left at the first blue house God puts in my path…
• You are better to examine your circumstance according to the map…
• Note landmarks… schools, churches, parks…
• Note the names streets, roads and highways…
• Plan a route according to what has been faithfully disclosed…
• Be Berean… NAU Acts 17:11 Now [the Bereans]  were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so.”
• Be discerning…
• Do not be hung up on circumstance!
•  

Conclusions:

The Believer’s Life Principles

The Believer’s Limited Principles

The Lord’s Purposes