Always For All Things-2 Series

ALWAYS For ALL THINGS--II—Ephesians 5:15-21

OR--A Distinctive Walk

For Thanksgiving Sunday

Attention:

Christians all have a life-“walk” that distinguishes them from the walk of the world.

Paul exhorted the Ephesian church toward a telling/distinctive/indicative walk.

God’s people have a(n) telling/distinctive/indicative walk.

What is telling/distinctive/indicative about the walk of God’s people?

*When is the walk of God’s people indicative?

7 indicators of a thankful/Christian walk.

This morning we found that A thankful/telling walk is...

1. An ACCURATE WALK(:15)

This evening we will find that...

2—A thankful/telling walk is also...

A REDEMPTIVE WALK(:16)

Explanation:(:16)

:16—“redeeming the time, because the days are evil.”

One’s accurate/precise walk in God’s wisdom(:15) is seen in the practical prioritization of God’s desire over & above their own fleshly(self-serving) desire.

Believers who are commended of God will be those who “redeem the time” that they have remaining on earth. They will gladly & effectively ‘trade in’ their own time in exchange for new purposes...for living & giving their time to & thus for God.

Those who prioritize the redemption of their time for God, do so because they recognize the reality that the “days” in which they live “are evil.”

That is, in recognizing that “evil” is a reality & is both temporally & eternally deadly, they simultaneously recognize that God’s desire is the only effective counter to “evil.”

The Holy Spirit thru Paul is telling us to make the most of every moment by seizing each moment for the glory of God! Believers readily trade ‘their’ time for God’s time!

“Redeeming”—exagorazw—Present Middle Participle Nominative Plural Masc.—1) To redeem—1a) By payment of a price to recover from the power of another, to ransom, buy off, 1b) metaph.--Of Christ freeing the elect from the dominion of the Mosaic Law at the price of his vicarious death; 2) To buy up, to buy up for one's self, for one's use—2a) To make wise & sacred use of every opportunity for doing good, so that zeal & well doing are as it were the purchase money by which we make the time our own. Strong—To buy up, i.e. Ransom; figuratively--To rescue from loss(improve opportunity). Used 4X.

From—ek/ex—1) Out of, from, by, away from. Strong—a primary preposition denoting origin(the point whence action or motion proceeds), From, out(of place, time, or cause; literal or figurative; direct or remote).—&—agorazw—properly--To go to market, i.e. by implication--To purchase; specially--To redeem.

“Time”—kairov—Noun Masc.—1) Due measure; 2) A measure of time, a larger or smaller portion of time, hence:—2a) A fixed & definite time, the time when things are brought to crisis, the decisive epoch waited for, 2b) Opportune or seasonable time, 2c) The right time, 2d) A limited period of time, 2e) To what time brings, the state of the times, the things & events of time. Kairov denotes a definitely limited portion of time with the added notion of suitableness. Strong—of uncertain affinity; An occasion, i.e. Set or proper time.

“Days”—hmera—Noun Fem.—1) The day, used of the natural day, or the interval between sunrise & sunset, as distinguished from & contrasted with the night—1a) In the daytime, 1b) metaph.,--“The day” is regarded as the time for abstaining from indulgence, vice, crime, because acts of the sort are perpetrated at night & in darkness; 2) Of the civil day, or the space of twenty four hours(thus including the night)—2a) Eastern usage of this term differs from our western usage. Any part of a day is counted as a whole day, hence the expression "three days & three nights" does not mean literally three whole days, but at least one whole day plus part of two other days. Strong—feminine (with wra[hour] implied) of a derivative of hmai(to sit; akin to the base of edraiov[sedentary, immovable]) meaning--Tame, i.e. Gentle; Day, i.e. literally--The time space between dawn & dark, or the whole 24 hours(but several days were usually reckoned by the Jews as inclusive of the parts of both extremes); figuratively--A period(always defined more or less clearly by the context).; 3) of the last day of this present age, the day Christ will return from heaven, raise the dead, hold the final judgment, & perfect his kingdom; 4) Used of time in general, i.e. The days of his life.

“Evil”—ponhrov—Adj.—1) Full of labors, annoyances, hardships—1a) Pressed & harassed by labors, 1b) Bringing toils, annoyances, perils; of a time full of peril to Christian faith & steadfastness; causing pain & trouble; 2) Bad, of a bad nature or condition—2a) in a physical sense: Diseased or blind, 2b) in an ethical sense: Evil wicked, bad. Ponhrov is a word at once stronger & more active than kakov, it means mischief-making, delighting in injury, doing evil to others, dangerous, destructive. Kakov describes the quality according to its nature, ponhrov, according to its effects. Strong—Hurtful, i.e. Evil(properly, in effect or influence) figuratively--Calamitous; also passively--Ill, i.e. Diseased; but especially(morally)--Culpable, i.e. Derelict, vicious, facinorous; neuter (singular)--Mischief, malice, or (plural)--Guilt; masculine (singular)--The devil, or (plural)--Sinners.