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Ephesians 5:15-21
Stephen Caswell ©1999
More Important Knowledge
A young man was being interviewed to be a pilot for a steamboat on the Mississippi River.
The interviewer, doubtful that the young man could know the dangers of the river, asked if he knew where all the rocks were.
To this he replied, "No, sir, I do not know where all the rocks are, but I know where they aren't."
He got the job.
Christians can't possibly know all the errors and pitfalls of the Christian life.
But if they apply the truth they can walk safely.
*In today's passage* Paul continues his */fifth command/* to walk in a certain way.
Christians are not to walk like the world around them.
They have been given new life by Jesus Christ and therefore should walk appropriately.
Previously he has commanded believers /to walk worthy, holy, in love and in light/.
*/Today Paul commands believers to walk in Wisdom.
This involves /*
*/ /*
I. Careful Walk - /emphasizing *planning*/ II.
*/and a/* Controlled Walk /emphasizing *power*/
*Ephesians 5:15 /See/*/ then that you *walk* circumspectly, not as fools but as wise/,
/a.
Undertake to Plan/
Paul gives two commands in this verse.
*/Firstly/* he */commands/* believers */to see/* or */watch out/*.
He wants us to pay attention to something.
The */second command/* is to /walk circumspectly/, /not as fools but as wise/.
This word */circumspect/* ajkribw~~" means*/ to look around.
/*Together they carry the idea of*/ /*walking*/ perfectly, exactly/* or */accurately.
/*The reason is that the non Christians around them are asleep, dead in sin.*/ /*That is why Paul starts with the word */then.
/*Believers must be alert and pay attention /to walk perfectly/, lest they stumble with the wicked./
How can believers walk in such a precise manner?
*By planning*/.
Foolish people run into trouble.
Wise people see it coming and avoid it.
/Why do some people's plans fail?/
Because they fail to plan!
Believers shouldn't walk aimlessly like the unsaved people around them.
Believers are to make plans for their life which will enhance God's will.
They are to pay attention to their goals in life like a good athlete plans his race.
They make wise plans considering their circumstances carefully.
Plans, Goals and Targets
I like to think of a goal as a target.
The bull's eye is 100.
Concentric rings are 80, 60, 40, and 20.
I aim for 100, but sometimes I hit 80 or even 20.
But if I don't aim for 100, I will hit zero every time.
Someone said, "I would rather attempt to do something great for God and fail, than to do nothing and succeed."
Most of the significant things done in the world were done by persons who were either too busy or too sick!
There are few ideal and leisurely settings for the disciplines of growth.
We must plan our lives lest we waste our time on earth.
* *
/b.
Use Your Time Wisely/ * Ephesians 5:16*/ redeeming the time, because the days are evil./
Paul tells believers */to redeem/* or buy back the time.
The word /time/ here does not mean the passing of time, days, hours, minutes, which is crono".
We get chronology from that word.
But the word kairo" which means/ fitting season, proper time or opportunity/.
Part of living is deciding how we will spend our time.
Paul tells us to make the most of the opportunities that God gives us.
There are many activities in life that we can be involved in.
But we can only do so much in a day.
/Since everyone has the same amount of time, why is it that some people accomplish much more than others do?/ */The answer is discipline/*.
Some people plan their lives better than others.
If we make no plans for our lives then that is what we will accomplish, nothing!
Time stands still for no man.
Therefore we must choose to use our time wisely or it will pass through our fingers and we will accomplish little or nothing.
Where the Time Goes
-- Reported in American Demographics, July, 1990.
American adults watch television five times more than they read.
Studies from the University of Maryland and the California Air Resource Board reveal that 18- to 64-year-olds spend, on average, their minutes each day:
Sleeping...461 Working...211 Watching TV...121 Doing Housework...101 Traveling...78
Eating...69 Socializing...48 Recreation...31 Caring for children...28 Dressing...28 Washing, grooming...25 Reading...24 Conversing...24 Thinking or relaxing...9
Significantly, perhaps, worship and devotional activities did not appear in the studies.
I don't believe that things are much different in Australia.
People's priorities seem to be out of kilter.
People spend so much time on TV or the Internet and yet so little time on things that are really important, such as our relationships.
Most people neglect their family, talking to friends, witnessing to their neighbors, thinking, reading and devotional time with God.
It is easy to find out what is important to someone by the way they spend their time.
/When we spend 15 minutes a day with the Lord and 2 or 3 hours watching TV what sort of message are we sending to God?
If we claim that the Lord is dear to us, why don't we spend more time with Him? /We can read the Bible through in 71 hours from cover to cover at normal speed.
That's just 12 minutes a day!
Christians who don't plan their days carefully will accomplish very little.
We need discipline in this area.
We must take steps to build our relationships.
Parents need to have a family devotions time as well as a regular quiet time.
They need to set aside time with their families and have fun times together.
We must grab the opportunities to talk to the neighbor when they are in the yard or invite them over for coffee or a meal.
If you don't make plans, it just won't happen!
A good place to start is our relationship with God and our family.
Unless these relationships are in order our witness to the lost will be hindered.
But we mustn't stop there.
Christ said that we are obligated to do good to our neighbor!
God will help us in this area if we are committed to Him.
If we desire to reach out to people and pray for opportunities, He will provide them.
*Psalm 90:10,12* /The days of our lives are seventy years; And if by reason of strength they are eighty years, Yet their boast is only labor and sorrow; For it is soon cut off, and we fly away.
So teach us to number our days, That we may gain a heart of wisdom.
/Paul gives us another reason why we should buy back the time, */the days are evil/*.
When Paul wrote this letter Roman persecution was about to begin.
So he encouraged the believers to make the most of the freedom that they had now.
It may be lost and then sharing the Gospel would become more difficult.
If the days were evil in Paul's day look at how much worse they are now.
We must take the opportunities that that we have now, we might not get another chance in the future.
/c.
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