It’s About Time: Walking In Wisdom Series

Pastor Allan Kircher

Shell Point Baptist Church

June 9th 2013

Ephesians 5:15-17

It’s about time: Walking in WISDOM

Intro: Beginning/Eph. 4:1 continuing through 5:14, the Apostle Paul has challenged the church concerning her walk before the Lord.

We have been commanded:

• Eph. 4:1-2 - To walk in Humility

• Eph. 4:4-13 - To walk in Unity

• Eph. 4:17-32 - To walk in Separation

• Eph. 4:14-16; 5:1-2 - To walk in Love

• Eph. 5:3-14 - To walk in Light

Now, we are challenged to add to those virtues the quality of wisdom.

“wisdom”

• Our language means, “Knowledge of what is true or right coupled with just judgment as to action.”

• Scripture, carries/idea/understanding/will of God as it is revealed in His Word

• Coupled with the desire to live it out.

• The call here/for believers/yield/Word of God/our daily walk.

• We are to hear His voice, as it is revealed in His Word

• To live out that revealed Word moment by moment.

Here, Paul gives us some insights into what The Walk Of Wisdom is supposed to look like.

• Let’s look at these insights

• learn what The Walk Of Wisdom is

• How we can activate it in our lives.

I. V. 15 IT IS A DILIGENT WALK

The wise walk is clearly defined in this verse. Paul calls upon to the church to “be very careful, then how you live.”

• Means to “observe.”

• Idea of being “diligent/accurate/precise.”

• command for us to “be very careful”

• So careful we “walk accurately and precisely.”

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If you’ve ever seen anyone walk a tightrope, then you know what Paul is referring to here.

• Person/tightrope watches where they place each step.

• Least deviation or inaccuracy/their footing would result/fall.

As believers, we must give due diligence to every step we take in this world.

• Any less/guarantee/fall into trap of the enemy.

• enemy that is set on our destruction

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1 Pet. 5:8, “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.

• He sets traps for us

• lies in wait to attack us

• To destroy our walk with the Lord.

“But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed,” James 1:14.

Phrase “drawn away,” means “to lure prey from it hiding place.”

• Like a hunter sets a trap to catch an animal,

• Satan does all he can to lure us away from the place of safety and closeness to the Lord.

• He seeks to lure us into sin.

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“enticed,” means, “to catch by bait.”

If you are going to bait deer, you don’t use dead fish. You use corn or apples, or something else that is attractive to the animal.

• Satan knows makes us tick.

• He knows what is attractive to us.

• Like a hunter who studies his prey

• Satan studies us to see what we like

• He baits his traps accordingly.

Satan/treacherous/very dangerous enemy.

The only reason he has any power at all to deceive and destroy us is due to the sin that dwells within each of our hearts.

• As James says, we are “drawn away of” our “own lusts.”

• Satan is only able to tempt us to sin eternally

• The will/ability to sin already exist within our hearts.

Every time we fall into sin it is only because we take the bait and

fall into the devil’s snare.

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Have you ever done something you know is wrong and

immediately felt stupid because of it?

• We all have, and we should!

• The only reason we did it was because we fell/deception.

• We got snookered.

• We didn’t watch our step and we fell into the trap.

• So, knowing the deceitfulness of the enemy

• the wickedness of our own hearts

• Paul warns us to watch every step we take

• Each step is filled with danger, especially in this world.

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We are counseled to walk, “not as unwise but as wise.”

• We are not to walk like the world around us.

• They stumble around/darkness of their depraved condition,

• They take no heed to where the next foot will fall.

• We are not so blind.

We have been:

• Redeemed/Made alive.

• Given the Spirit of God.

• Given the light of the Word of God.

• We don’t stumble about like a blind man

• we have been equipped to walk accurately

• placing each step precisely where it pleases the Lord

• Where it leads us closer to Him.

What a blessing it is to know that we do not have to fall for the deceptions of Satan.