Be Imitators of God By Walking in Wisdom
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We have a sermon series in Ephesians 5:1-21 called, “Be Imitators of God.”
In his letter to the Ephesian Christians, the Apostle Paul wrote in Ephesians 5:1a, “Therefore be imitators of God.” That is Paul’s overall command for this section of Scripture. He then gave three ways in which Christians imitate God. Christians imitate God by walking in love, by walking in light, and by walking in wisdom. We have previously examined walking in love and walking in light. Today, I want to examine how Christians imitate God by walking in wisdom.
Let’s read about walking in wisdom in Ephesians 5:15-17:
Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil. So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.
What a privilege and responsibility it is to be a father. coming off Fathers day weekend we are reminded When we hold our children…
we hold in our hands the clay which will be fashioned into a vessel of honor or dishonor for the Lord.
And knowing that, it is our responsibility to walk in wisdom. Let me tell you about one father and see what lessons we can learn from his example.
We all face similar choices. What will we do when facing a choice of right and wrong? How will we handle the situation?
WE once found a beautiful sharpe puppy He was sweet playful and so wrinkly oh Silvia wanted him so bad we named him. But I know a dog like this must belong to someone. I thought carefully about just keeping this cute little puppy. After all what kind of owner would let something so little so cute run the streets of san Antonio a day went by I thought about it more we began to become attached to him. I decided to make a ad on Facebook Black lost dog found on this street if he is yours describe him and we will return him to you. It had not been one hour and we had a call our Juanito is a black Sharpe puppy we got him for our little girl I knew it was theirs so we made arrangements and returned the pup to the rightful owner
Our problem was not unique.
We had a choice to make we had a choice a opportunity between right and wrong
To be wise or foolish
In our Bible text this morning…
God’s letter to the Ephesian Church
Paul reminded them that the days were evil.
So, he says it is very important that they walk wisely. In the Colossian letter, he repeats that teaching.
Then he adds 3 ways as to how to do that.
Fathers Mothers Husbands Wives, Deacons Sunday School Teachers Children we all must walk in wisdom.
BUT…what does it mean to “WALK IN WISDOM?
1. IT MEANS MAKING THE MOST OF EACH OPPORTUNITY:
Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time.
Verse 5:
Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time. nkjv
Some people say, "Opportunity only knocks once."
True and false?
Well, some opportunities are here just once. You grab hold of them… or miss them forever.
But some opportunities are with us frequently. So what do we do? We assume that opportunity will remain for a long time. Friends, every meeting, every difficulty, every problem, every decision represents opportunity.
You have opportunity right now: To lead your child or some other person to know Jesus Christ.
You have opportunity right now: To make or break the self-confidence of your child or someone else. You can build on their successes! Point out their good points! You can help them succeed or destroy them.
You have opportunity right now: To reach out and help those who are bearing incredible burdens
too heavy for their backs, too big for their shoulders. You have opportunity right now: To make someone feel welcome and included here OR…take make them feel shut out and unwanted. You have opportunity right now:
To give God glory for the good things that happen, or to take the credit for yourself or to call it good luck.
William Taylor said, "We travel through this world only once; so let us live to some purpose. The day that dawned this morning will never come again. The opportunities it brought will never return. If we fail to fill our measure of time with the service it requires of us there will be no possibility of returning to this day to repair the mischief. The wheels of time’s chariot have ratchets on them - they move only forward!"
As I sad earlier my situation was not unique
This story is about Brother Glen Madison. Brother Madison was the pastor of a little church in Tennessee. Brother Madison and his wife, Marcy, had 2 little boys. There was 6 year old Jimmy and 8 year old Tommy. One day, a stray Black & Tan coon dog showed up at the preacher’s house. It didn’t take long for the preacher, his wife, and their 2 sonsto become attached to the hound. The dog was black & tan, except for 3 white hairs growing in his tail. They decided to call the dog “Skipper” One week after the dog showed up at Brother Madison’s house… they noticed an ad about a lost dog in the local paper. LOST DOG: A male Black & Tan coonhound. He has a few white hairs in his tail. Lost in the vicinity of Chattanooga. Call 423-657-3312 Well, the whole Madison family was heartsick. They knew without a doubt that the newspaper ad was referring to the dog they had come to love. Brother Glen Madison had a big problem! What should he do? Should he ignore the ad and pretend that he didn’t see it? Or…should he call the owner and let him come get the dog? Brother Madison had an opportunity to make a choice between right and wrong; between what he wanted to do and what he ought to do; between the easy and the hard. Brother Glen Madison was faced with a choice. It was also an opportunity to be a man of integrity. His wife, Marcy, insisted that he call the number and let the person come see the dog. So, Brother Glen called the guy. He explained that a Black & Tan had showed up at his house. He was welcome to come see if this was his dog. But Brother Glen, didn’t really want to lose the dog. So, before the man showed up at his house… Brother Glen pulled the 3 white hairs out of the dog’s tail. His 2 boys…Tommy and Jimmy….were watching when he did it., NOW…Brother Glen’s conduct was a contradiction. Was that consistent with his profession to be a Christian? Was that consistent with what Brother Glen preached?
Friends, if we have a relationship with Jesus,
our conduct ought to be consistent with our confession.
Fathers: walk in wisdom.
Don’t Waste Opportunities To Be A Good Witness for Jesus.
Well, what else does “WALKING IN WISDOM” mean?
The command to imitate God in Ephesians 5:15-17 teaches us to walk in wisdom. but How?
2. IT MEANS MAINTAINING GODLY CONDUCT:
VERSE 5:
Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time.
Christianity is based on faith…NOT WORKS!
However, our behavior is part of the package.
Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or remain absent, I will hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel;
Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called,
When you stop to think about your conduct or behavior,
there are some important considerations:
"Will this bring glory or shame to Jesus and His church?"
"Will this lead someone else astray or help them walk closer to Jesus?"
"Will this harm me?
“Will this destroy my reputation?
“Will this bring shame or hurt to others?"
"Will this ruin my testimony as a Christian?"
FATHERS…Mothers Wives Children..Conduct counts!
It influences others
Transition:
Well, the dog’s owner came to the Brother Glens house
As soon as he got out of his pickup truck…the dog ran over to the man and jumped up on him. Obviously, the dog knew this man.
So the man was ready to take him home. Brother Glen’s wife and 2 boys were standing on the porch. When the man reached down to snap a chain on the dog’s collar…
Brother Glen spoke up,
"Didn’t you say in the paper that the dog has 3 white hairs in his tail?"
“I don’t see any white hairs on this dog’s tail!”
The man was unable to find the white hairs
so he was forced to leave without his dog.
Not only did Brother Glen fail in his conduct, but he added to his sin by a lie. His behavior was wrong! And so was his speech.
SO….Fathers: walk in wisdom! Be imitators of God
That means:
1. Don’t Waste Opportunities To Be A Good Witness for Jesus.
2. Maintain A Good Conduct.
And finally, POINT
3. IT MEANS BEING CAREFUL WHAT WE SAY:
Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.
Listen to what the Bible says about our words:
"When there are many words, transgression is unavoidable, But he who restrains his lips is wise." Proverbs 10:19
"He who restrains his words has knowledge, And he who has a cool spirit is a man of understanding." Proverbs 17:27
"Do you see a man who is hasty in his words? There is more hope for a fool than for him." Proverbs 29:20
Jesus said: "
“But I tell you that every careless word that people speak, they shall give an accounting for it in the day of judgment. “For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”
Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear.
"If anyone thinks himself to be religious, and yet does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this man’s religion is worthless." James 1:26
"But no one can tame the tongue; it is a restless evil and full of deadly poison. With it we bless our Lord and Father; and with it we curse men, who have been made in the likeness of God; from the same mouth come both blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be this way." James 3:8-10
So what’s so important about words?
Words are an indicator of an internal condition of heart.
Jesus said:
"For the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart." Matthew 12:34
Words can be harmful. They crush, hurt, humiliate, discourage and put down.Words once uttered can not be taken back. Words are powerful tools for good or bad;
for building or tearing down; for helping or hindering.
When I was a child, we learned this little song:
"Oh, be careful little mouth what you say;
oh be careful, little mouth what you say;
for the Father up above is looking down in love;
oh be careful little mouth what you say!"
Transition:
Brother Glen missed an opportunity to do right.
His behavior and his lies were costly.
He kept the dog – BUT…he lost his boys. They grew up with no respect for him, no respect for the church, no respect for the Bible he preached.
What an duty rests upon us all: walk in wisdom!
Make the most of every opportunity do to right!
Maintain Godly conduct!
Watch your speech.
Someone is watching…..following - and it might be your children!
It might be your Grandchildren…or the neighbor boys!
Or the children who sit near you in church!
Conclusion
Therefore, having analyzed the command to imitate God in Ephesians 5:15-17, Let us walk in Love Let us walk in the Light and let us walk in wisdom.
I would like to conclude with the following from John MacArthur:
Jesus is our supreme example for fulfilling the commands of Ephesians 5:15–17. He always functioned according to the divine principles established by his Father:
“Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of himself, unless it is something he sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, these things the Son also does in like manner” (John 5:19; cf. v. 30).
Second, Jesus knew that his time of earthly ministry was short and would soon be cut off, as seen in frequent sayings such as “My time has not yet come” and “My time has come.” He always functioned according to his limited privilege of time and opportunity, using every moment of his life in his Father’s work.
Third, Jesus always functioned according to his Father’s purposes. “My food is to do the will of him who sent me, and to accomplish his work” (John 4:34). Not bread not pasta not burgers it was to seek first the kingdom of God
“Therefore,” Peter said, “since Christ has suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same purpose, because he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, so as to live the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for the lusts of men, but for the will of God” (1 Peter 4:1–2).
The words of David sum up the proper reaction to this teaching:
“I will sing of mercy and judgment: unto thee, O Lord, will I sing. I will behave myself wisely in a perfect way” (Psalm 101:1–2, KJV).
So, let us commit ourselves to walk in wisdom to Walk in Light to walk in Love be doing so we will be imitation God. That means that we make the best use of the time and that we understand the will of the Lord that all we do is for the Glory of the lord and the love of the Lord
. May God help each one of us to accomplish this goal. Amen.