Know the Will of God
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15 See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise,
16 redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
17 Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.
18 And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit,
19 speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord,
20 giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,
21 submitting to one another in the fear of God.
We continue in the instructions concerning our walk. Our walk is the way we live our life. Life is a journey, we begin when we are born and we complete when we die. Well, we complete the first leg of our journey when we die. So from the time we are born until we die we walk this journey of life. Everyone who lives walks this journey. Not walking is not and an option, sitting is not an option, lying down is not an option because this journey is time and it doesn’t slow down or stop for anyone. So the only question is “how do you walk?”. In Eph Paul is concerned with the way that we should walk if we are true believers in Christ.
His teaching has been that if you are a true believer then you have been called. You were chosen by God before the foundation of the world that you should be holy and without blame before Him in love. So in eph 4:1 Paul tells us..
Eph 4:1
1 I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called,
So first Paul tells us that our walk in the life should be worthy of this great and wonderful calling of God to be holy. This also sums up how we should walk “worthy of the calling” . The rest of Eph. unpacks what it is to walk worthy of the calling. First through all the practical teaching of chapter 4 and then in Chapter 5 with three ways in which we should walk.
Walk in love
Walk as Children of the light
Walk carefully not as fools but as wise
Which is where we are going to focus today.
Paul’s teaching style is to build layers upon layers like a brick layer with each previous layer becoming the foundation for the next. So in vs 15 when he says Walk circumspectly this is the next layer which is built on the previous so he begins with “See then that you” which is the mortar between the bricks.
This is what connect this truth with vs 8-14
8 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light
9 (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth),
10 finding out what is acceptable to the Lord.
11 And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them.
12 For it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret.
13 But all things that are exposed are made manifest by the light, for whatever makes manifest is light.
14 Therefore He says: “Awake, you who sleep, Arise from the dead, And Christ will give you light.”
This darkness which as children of the light we are to expose because the world needs to awake from sleep and arise from the dead is why we must....
Walk Circumspectly
Walk Circumspectly
15 See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise,
Circumspectly which means carefully comes from a greek word which means accurately, or dilligently, precisely.
It reminds me of walking along the rocks at the beach. You have to be precise and accurate with every foot placement and take special care because if you don’t you will likely break your leg.
The danger that Paul expresses here is “because the days are evil” So we need to know what Paul means when he says that the days are evil.
The days or this current age is evil Paul says and the counterpart of this is on either side don’t be fools but wise and don’t be unwise but understand and because of this evil we must walk precisely and carefully. So could this evil that Paul is talking about be the darkness which he mentions in vs 8 that we once were?
12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.
13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
3 But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing,
4 whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.
1 And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins,
2 in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience,
3 among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.
There is a spiritual darkness over this world at this time or in these days. You may wonder to yourself, “why is the world in such chaos?” “Why is it that things are so obviously true being challenged?” “Why is it that even our schools, places that should be standing for truth are teaching lies?" Because the days are evil, because there is a darkness over the minds of those who do not believe. When we walk in a dark world we must walk carefully, precisely, accurately.
Not as Fools But as Wise
Not as Fools But as Wise
That is don’t be blinded by the foolishness of the world.
Or as in Rom 12:2
2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
Even though we are children of the light if we start conforming to this world then we begin to walk as fools rather than as wise. Ultimately Paul is saying don’t think like they do. Don’t get sucked in. let your mind be transformed, renewed so that you prove the will of God
or as in our passage
17 Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.
So the opposite of being unwise is understanding what the will of the Lord is.
What is the number one thing that hinders me from knowing and understanding what the will of the Lord is?
My own will.
Especially when my own will is conformed to the will of this world. If we want to know the will of God first our will must be totally surrendered. I must come to the point that I know that my will is not what I want to do. I have followed my own will many times and it has lead me to places I do not want to go again. My will has failed to find me happiness or fulfilment so I am ready to abandon my will and offer God what ever life I have left. When you are ready to do this then the will of God will become manifest so clearly to you that you will be so certain of it that if God had spoke to you audibly with a voice from heaven you would not be more certain.
5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding;
6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.
Most people don’t know the will of the Lord because they are not finished with leaning on their own understanding. They may say that they want to know the will of God but what they really mean is that they would like to hear God’s option for their life so that they can weigh the pros and cons between God’s will and their own. But is you are ready to trust in the Lord with all your heart and abandon your own understanding and in every aspect of your life you will seek God’s will ready to obey His command then He will direct your path and you will know what the will of the Lord is.