I. Introduction
-- turn in Bibles to Ephesians 5:15-20
Ephesians 5:15 Be very careful, then, how
you live—not as unwise but as wise, 16 making the most of every opportunity,
because the days are evil. 17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what
the Lord’s will is. 18 Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery.
Instead, be filled with the Spirit, 19 speaking to one another with psalms,
hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the
Lord, 20 always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of
our Lord Jesus Christ.
-- I know you wouldn’t know it to
look at me now, but several years ago, I was an avid gym goer -- almost every day
of the week -- as soon as I got off work -- I’d head to the gym at Moody and
either jump on the treadmill or lift weights
-- during the summertime, the gym
gets really crowded and sometimes all the cardio equipment would be filled up
-- so, I got in the habit of entering the gym by the cardio room so I could
look in and see how crowded it was -- if it was too crowded, I’d either lift
weights or hit the track upstairs
-- one day, I walked in like normal
and turned my head to look through the windows of the cardio room, and I fell
flat on my rear -- I was not watching where I was going and I didn’t realize
that they had just mopped the floor and it was still wet -- when my cowboy
boots hit that wet floor, my feet went out from under me and I hit the ground
-- all because I wasn’t being careful in how I walked
-- this morning, we’re continuing in
our series, “Walking with Jesus” -- so far, we have talked about walking with
Jesus in unity -- in holiness -- in love -- and in light -- this morning, we
are going to be talking about walking with Jesus in wisdom
-- just as an aside, if you missed
any of these messages and want to catch up, you can find the videos on our
Facebook page, along with a link to a website where all my sermons have been
posted -- feel free to check it out and let me know what you think
-- so, on to today’s message --
Walking with Jesus in Wisdom
II. How Do We Walk with Jesus in Wisdom?
A. Carefully/Circumspectly
-- so, how do we walk with Jesus in wisdom?
-- if you would, look back with me
at Ephesians 5:15 and let’s start there
Ephesians 5:15 Be very careful, then, how
you live—not as unwise but as wise
1) Walk Carefully
-- the first answer in how to walk
with Jesus in wisdom is to walk carefully or circumspectly
-- now before we dig into this, I want you
to notice how the Bible interchanges the words “live” and “walk” -- depending
on what translation of the Bible you have, verse 15 either says to be careful
how you live or to be careful how you walk -- those
two words are interchangeable -- to walk in wisdom means to live
in wisdom -- so Paul is not just talking about our behavior -- he’s talking
about how we live our lives -- the way we walk with Jesus on a daily basis --
the daily conduct of our lives -- internally and externally
-- the Bible commands us here to walk
carefully -- other translations say circumspectly -- means the same thing -- it
means to walk cautiously -- sensitively -- not like the way I walked into the
gym that day, but paying attention to where you’re going and how you’re living
-- this means we consider all
circumstances and possible consequences before we do or say anything -- it
means we think about how we act and pay careful attention to the dangers and
deceptions that come to us from our moral enemies -- the flesh and this world
and the devil
-- sometimes, you’ll see this word
translated in the Bible as “beware” -- it’s a good reminder to us that we are
not to just walk through this world with our heads in the clouds, but we are to
be watchful and pay attention and to be on our guard for things that might trip
us up -- for the temptations and sins that so easily entangle and hinder us in
our walks with Jesus
-- when I first started working for
the Government, I was an endangered species biologist at Fort Benning -- I was
out with another guy surveying for the endangered red-cockaded woodpecker near
one of the weapons ranges -- we knew we were safe because we were cleared into
the area and they weren’t firing -- we walked through this stand of trees with
our binoculars -- looking up in the canopy for signs of woodpeckers
-- we finished surveying the stand,
and turned around to head back to the truck, and I noticed these gold discs
shining in the sunlight -- I walked over and took a look -- and discovered they
were unexploded high ordnance -- basically, we had walked into a minefield
because we hadn’t been paying any attention to what we were doing -- if we had
stepped on one of those disks or kicked it walking through there, it could have
exploded and injured or killed us -- I can tell you that we paid a lot more
attention to where we put our feet when we headed back to the truck
-- that’s the message that we see in
this verse -- be careful how you live -- be careful how you walk -- so that you
won’t get hurt by the things of this world or the sins that so easily entangle
2) Walk in wisdom, not
foolishness
-- Paul goes on to say that we need to
walk in wisdom, not foolishness
-- what is wisdom? -- the common
definition is the application of knowledge -- knowing what is true or right and
taking action based on that knowledge
-- in other words, knowledge is knowing
something as a fact -- wisdom is doing something with that knowledge -- wisdom
is putting your knowledge to work
-- in school, I knew a lot of really smart
professors -- they knew a lot -- but a good many of them had no experience
outside the classroom -- they had knowledge, but didn’t know what to do with it
-- they had knowledge, but no wisdom
-- the Bible says it’s not enough to know
about God and to know what He wants from us -- we have to take the next step
and walk in wisdom and apply what we have learned to our lives
-- wisdom comes through experience --
through living out God’s word in your daily lives
-- James talked about this in James
1:22-25 -- he tells us to not just listen to the word, but to do what it says
-- verses 23-25 says, “Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it
says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror, and, after looking at
himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like -- but the man
who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do
this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it -- he will be blessed in
what he does”
-- to walk in wisdom is to take our knowledge
of Jesus and apply it to our lives -- wisdom is the ability to use knowledge
for correct behavior -- what Paul is reminding us of here is that when we
become a Christian, it’s not just about head knowledge -- it’s about a change
in how we think and believe and live out our daily lives -- it’s about living
out your faith and using your knowledge of God to walk carefully and
circumspectly in this world
B. Consciously (Stepping forward with full
awareness of what one is doing -- having considered the way of God, we choose
to follow His path)
-- verse 16
Ephesians 5:16 making the most of every
opportunity, because the days are evil. 17 Therefore do not be foolish, but
understand what the Lord’s will is.
-- the first way to walk with Jesus
in wisdom is to walk carefully or circumspectly
-- the second is to walk consciously
-- to step forward in full awareness of the path you are taking -- in other
words, after considering the way of God and looking carefully around you, you
are consciously making a decision as to how you will live
-- Paul describes this in verse 16
as making the most of every opportunity -- other translations have this as redeeming
the times
-- these phrases carry with them an
urgency -- Paul implies here that we have to make the most of every opportunity
because time is short
-- we’re only here for a limited
time -- unless Jesus comes first, every person in this room will one day face
death -- and in that short period that we have on earth -- whether it’s 30
years -- 50 years -- 80 years -- 100 years -- whatever it is -- we are to make
the most of that time -- living each day for the glory of God
-- you’ve probably heard the saying
that it’s the dash on someone’s tombstone that is the most important thing --
if you look at someone’s tombstone, there is the date they are born and the
date they died -- and then a dash in the middle -- that dash is the sum of
their lives -- that dash represents who they are and what they did -- the
question is how they lived out that dash?
-- did they live a life that made a
difference? -- did they use their time here on earth to live for God and impact
other’s lives in meaningful ways? -- or did they waste their time pursuing
pleasure and worldly gain? -- the measure of a person’s life all comes down to
the dash
-- walking in wisdom means we use
our time wisely and don’t squander it -- knowing that we will have to give an
account of how we have used the time God has given us
-- Paul also says here that we have
to make the most of every opportunity because the days are evil
-- if there’s a more self-evident
verse in the Bible, I don’t know what it is -- all you have to do is look
around you and you can see the days are evil -- we live in dangerous and
perilous times -- not only are we seeing an increase in natural disasters
around the world, but we live in a time of war and rumors of war -- we live in
a day when people not only tolerate sin in their midst, but they affirm it and
celebrate it -- and when Christians speak out against these sins and the evil
around us, the world attacks us
-- it takes wisdom to recognize the
days are evil -- foolish people cannot see the danger in what they are doing
and the impact this has on their spiritual lives -- they’re blindly walking
through this life in opposition to God -- it’s like they’re walking along
blindly -- heading towards the edge of a cliff -- without even being aware of
it
-- our situation today reminds me of one
of my favorite movies, “Shaun of the Dead,” a spoof about zombies -- in that
movie, everyone is running for their lives from the zombies, but Shaun is just
walking around oblivious, just like it’s a normal day -- he’s completely
unaware of the danger he’s in because he’s not looking around him to see how
evil the world has become -- that’s the same way a lot of people go through
life today
-- wise people discern the dangers around
them and live their lives accordingly -- making the most of every opportunity
and urgently sharing the gospel with those around them because they know that
time is short and they see the evil around them
-- Paul commands us here to not be
like the world -- don’t be foolish -- but understand what the Lord’s will is
-- there are two ways for us to live
-- as wise or unwise -- as wise or foolish
-- wisdom, Paul says, is knowing the
Lord and understanding His will and walking with Him down the path of His will
-- foolishness is going our own way and ignoring the call of God
-- I don’t have time this morning to
dive into what Paul means by understanding the Lord’s will -- a few years ago,
I preached a series on God’s will -- you can find it on that website I
mentioned and you might want to take a look at it because we went pretty deep
on what the Bible means by God’s will
-- real quick -- in summary -- let me
remind you of the major points here -- when we talk about God’s will, there are
several spheres that we can talk about -- first, there’s His sovereign will --
His sovereign grace -- His will and purpose and plan expressed to all creation
-- His providential grace that falls on this world and on all people as a whole
to make us aware of Him -- to call us to Him
-- the next is God’s moral will -- His
revealed will -- His purpose for believers in a general sense -- it is knowing
God and receiving redemption and restoration through His living word as it is
spoken and revealed to us through the Spirit -- when we talk about God’s moral
will, we’re talking about the commands of the Bible -- doing what God has told
us to do in His word
-- the final sphere is God’s individual
will for us -- what does God want us to do specifically? -- this is what
everyone wants to know -- what is God’s will for me? -- what is God’s will for
my life?
-- the thing to remember is that when it
comes to His will for our individual lives, it is not usually a matter of
knowing exactly what God wants us to do -- it’s more about who we are -- it’s
more about whether we’re walking with Christ in all aspects of our lives and
letting the Spirit lead us to do what God wants on a daily basis
-- I wish I had the time to dig into this
more this morning, but just know this in regards to God’s will -- God wants you
to please and glorify Him with your life -- He wants you to be a Godly person
-- to do what is right -- and He wants you to know Him -- to be in a right
relationship with Him
-- when you are seeking to become who God
wants you to be, then it becomes easier to discern His will and follow His will
and understand what His will is, as Paul tells us to do here
C. Controlled (Controlled by the Spirit -- Led
by the Spirit)
-- let’s move on -- verse 18
Ephesians 5:18 Do not get drunk on wine,
which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit, 19 speaking to
one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music
from your heart to the Lord, 20 always giving thanks to God the Father for
everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
-- so, first, we walk in wisdom with
Jesus when we walk carefully and circumspectly -- secondly, we walk in wisdom
with Jesus when we walk consciously -- making the most of every opportunity and
following His will in our lives
-- finally, we walk in wisdom with
Jesus when we walk controlled -- and by this I mean, controlled by the Spirit
-- led by the Holy Spirit -- in all that we are and all that we do
-- Paul tells us here that we not to
get drunk on wine, but to be filled with the Holy Spirit -- the emphasis here
is not so much on alcohol, but on what controls us -- what is driving our
thoughts and our attitudes and our behaviors
-- when someone gets drunk, they are
under the influence and control of the alcohol -- it makes them think and speak
and behave differently than they would normally do -- so Paul is trying to
paint for us a picture of something that influences and controls our thoughts
and our minds and our actions -- it might be alcohol or it might be greed or
pride or anything else -- all of these can influence us, but Paul says the only
thing that should be controlling our lives should be the Holy Spirit
-- the Bible commands us here to be
filled with the Spirit -- this implies there is an action on our part that
allows the Holy Spirit to fill us -- in other words, there is something that we
have to do in order for the Holy Spirit to fill us and control our lives
-- what is it? -- faith and trust --
opening ourselves to God -- submitting ourselves to God and to His will and
allowing Him to direct and control our lives
-- after God has molded us and shaped us
into the vessels He wants us to be, now He wants us to be filled -- not with
wine or the pleasures of this world -- but with His Spirit
-- to be filled with the Spirit is
to let the Spirit empower you and control you -- to lead you in the way you
should go
-- the issue here is influence and
control -- who or what determines your actions? -- who or what determines your
thoughts and attitudes? -- who or what influences you? -- the Bible says it
should only be the Holy Spirit
-- Ray Stedman points out that being
filled with the Spirit is "the great secret of real Christianity.... we constantly
need to be filled with the Holy Spirit -- The filling of the Holy Spirit is the
momentary taking from him of the resources you need for the situation in which
you are. It has nothing to do with an experience, or a feeling or a crisis; it
is a quiet drinking again and again of an inner supply of strength."
-- to be filled with the Spirit means that
we go to the Lord and tell Him, “I’m empty -- I need your power -- I need your
strength -- I need your direction -- Fill me with your presence and guide me in
the way I should go”
-- “As long as we are conscious of our
need and as long as we are willing to yield to the Lord, we can be filled with
the Lord all day long. His power is available to us all day long” [Ray
Pritchard]
-- when we are filled with the
Spirit, He influences and controls who we are and what we do -- Spirit-filled
Christians speak words of life to each other and to those around them -- they
speak in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs -- they sing and make music in
their heart -- they give thanks to the Father in all situations because they
trust Him and are led by Him in all wisdom and knowledge
-- to be filled by the Spirit means
you are following the path of Christ and walking with Jesus in wisdom -- living
holy and righteous lives and sharing the word of God to those around you -- to
be filled with the Spirit means you are making the dash matter
III. Closing
-- I’ve gone on long enough -- let’s
bring this to a close
-- since the people I love reminded
me of how I made negative comments about Alabama football in my sermons
recently, I thought I would say something positive
-- without a doubt, one of Alabama’s
former coaches, Paul "Bear" Bryant, is widely considered to be one of
the greatest college football coaches of all time -- in 38 years of coaching, Coach
Bryant had 323 wins -- He took 29 teams to bowl games -- won 15 conference
championships -- and won six national championships -- As one of his colleagues
said, "He wasn't just a coach; he was the coach."
-- John Croyle played for Coach
Bryant on the 1973 Alabama national championship team and was deeply impacted him
-- he shared the story of one of Coach Bryant's pregame speeches.
-- Coach Bryant paced in front of his
assembled team as the band played for the capacity crowd waiting outside in the
stadium. He made eye contact with each player as he spoke the following words:
-- “In this game, there are going to be
four or five plays that will determine the outcome of this contest -- Four or
five plays that will swing the momentum toward us, or away from us -- I don't
know which plays these will be -- You don't know which plays these will be --
All you can do is go out there and give all that you have on each and every
play
-- “If you are doing that on one of those
crucial plays, and you catch your opponent giving less, that play will swing
things in our direction -- And if we rise to the occasion like that, on those
four or five plays, we are gonna leave here today a winner.”
-- the Apostle Paul would share that
sentiment -- in your life, there are going to be plays -- there are going to be
moments -- where you have to choose what direction you are going -- you have to
choose whether you are going to follow Jesus or follow the world -- and those
moments are going to define your dash
-- Paul tells us here how we need to
approach, not just those moments, but our entire lives -- carefully --
consciously -- and controlled
-- if we do those three things -- walk
carefully and circumspectly -- walk consciously -- aware of the time and of
these evil days -- if we understand and follow God’s will through the empowering
of the Spirit within us -- one thing is certain -- we are gonna leave here as
winners
-- our dash will matter -- our lives will
matter -- we will have made a difference here and in eternity
-- so, consider how you want to live your
life -- consider what you want your dash to stand for -- and walk with Jesus in
wisdom today and tomorrow and forever
-- let us pray
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