ALWAYS For ALL THINGS--I—Ephesians 5:15-21
OR--A Distinctive Walk
For Thanksgiving Sunday
Attention:
My worn walking shoes(‘tennis shoes’/sneakers):
They are worn on the outside of both heels—A mechanic would say that my ‘wheels’ have a positive camber & are in need of adjustment!
All this to say, that I have a distinctive or telling walk.
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.
1—A thankful/telling walk is...
An ACCURATE WALK(:15)
Explanation:(:15)
:15—“See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise,”
*Christians are to walk as children of light because they are in fact, light in the Lord, who were formerly darkness(5:8). Our character has been changed due to that transformation in Christ. It is therefore the call & duty of every Christian to “find out what is acceptable to the Lord”(5:10).
Because of the above truths, believers are to exhibit a specific ‘walk-about’ of diligence, accuracy, & precision(“circumspectly”).
Not that we live leashed but that we choose to live within certain parameters that God sets!
God’s children know what is pleasing to Him, by virtue of their relationship with Him. The believer’s ability & desire to live out that ability for circumspection, flows out of their allegiance to Christ...
...Thru that allegiance the believer is provided with the presence of the Holy Spirit & thereby provided with the ‘potential’ for receiving God’s moment-by-moment direction. In such precise living, Christians are choosing & exemplifying God’s wisdom.
God’s people become living examples of godly wisdom, which supernaturally flies in the face of the worldly wisdom of “fools.”
Also, it must be remembered that such wise & ‘accurate’ walk is all up to the believer’s choice to do so! Every believer must decide to be a follower of God at every moment of every day for the remainder of the days of their continual salvation.
We are to live “as” we actually are! The accuracy of our talk is made genuine by the accuracy of our walk.
Your personal acceptance of eternal security, or its lack, is lived out in your walk!
“See then/Therefore/Take Heed”—blepw—Present Active Imperative 2nd Plural—1) To see, discern, of the bodily eye—1a) with the bodily eye: To be possessed of sight, have the power of seeing, 1b) Perceive by the use of the eyes: to see, look descry, 1c) To turn the eyes to anything: to look at, look upon, gaze at, 1d) To perceive by the senses, to feel, 1e) To discover by use, to know by experience; 2) metaph.--To see with the mind's eye—2a) To have (the power of) understanding, 2b) To discern mentally, observe, perceive, discover, understand, 2c) To turn the thoughts or direct the mind to a thing, to consider, contemplate, to look at, to weigh carefully, examine; 3) in a geographical sense of places, mountains, buildings, etc.--Turning towards any quarter, as it were, facing it. Oraw gives prominence to the discerning mind, blepw to the particular mood or point. When the physical side recedes, oraw denotes perception in general(as resulting principally from vision), the prominence being in the mental element. Blepw on the other hand, when the physical side recedes, gets a purely outward sense. Skopew is more pointed than blepw, often meaning "to scrutinize, observe”. Strong—a primary verb; To look at(literally or figuratively).
“Then”—oun—Particle—1) Then, therefore, accordingly, consequently, these things being so. Strong—apparently a primary word; adverbially--Certainly, or conjunctionally--Accordingly.
*“Walk/Live”—peripatew—Present Active Indicative 2nd Plural—1) To walk—1a) To make one's way, progress; to make due use of opportunities, 1b) Hebrew for, to live—1b1) To regulate one's life, 1b2) To conduct one's self, 1b3) To pass one's life. Strong—To tread all around, i.e. Walk at large(especially as proof of ability); figuratively--To live, deport oneself, follow(as a companion or votary).
From—peri—1) About, concerning, on account of, because of, around, near. Strong— properly, Through(all over), i.e. Around, With respect to.—&—patew—To trample(literally or figuratively).
*“Circumspectly/Be Careful/Exactly/Accurately”—akribwv—Adverb—1) Exactly, accurately, diligently. Strong—Exactly. Used 5X. *cf.—Mat. 2:8; Lk. 1:3; Acts 18:25; 1Thes. 5:2—search Carefully, Perfect understanding, taught Accurately, know Perfectly.
*From—akron—1) The farthest bounds, uttermost parts, end, highest, extreme. Strong—The extremity.
“Not”[See :17, 18]—mh—Particle—1) No, not lest. Strong—a primary particle of qualified negation(whereas ou, ouk, ouc expresses an absolute denial); adverbially--Not, conjunctionally--Lest; also(as an interrogative implying a negative answer[whereas ou expects an affirmative one])--Whether. “As”—wv—Adverb—1) As, like, even as, etc. Strong—probably adverb of comparative from ov, h, o; Which how, i.e. In that manner(very variously used).
“Fools/Unwise”—asofov—Adj.—1)Unwise, foolish. Used 1X. Better directly translated as ‘unwise’...
From—A(as a negative particle)—&—sofov—akin to safhv(clear); Wise(in a most general application).
“Wise”—sofov—Adj.—1) Wise—1a) Skilled, expert: of artificers, 1b) Wise, skilled in letters, cultivated, learned—1b1) Of the Greek philosophers & orators, 1b2) Of Jewish theologians, 1b3) Of Christian teachers, 1c) Forming the best plans & using the best means for their execution. Sofov denotes wise, skilled, an expert. Strong—akin to safhv(clear); Wise(in a most general application).
English=‘Sophomore’=‘Wise(sofov)-Fool’(mwrov--more common use of ‘fool’)
Argumentation:
**Mat. 28:18-20—“And Jesus came & spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven & on earth. Go therefore & make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father & of the Son & of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; & lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.”
**Mat. 10:16-20—“Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents & harmless as doves. But beware of men, for they will deliver you up to councils & scourge you in their synagogues. You will be brought before governors & kings for My sake, as a testimony to them & to the Gentiles. But when they deliver you up, do not worry about how or what you should speak. For it will be given to you in that hour what you should speak; for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you.”
1Cor. 14:15-20—“What is the conclusion then? I will pray with the spirit, & I will also pray with the understanding. I will sing with the spirit, & I will also sing with the understanding. Otherwise, if you bless with the spirit, how will he who occupies the place of the uninformed say “Amen” at your giving of thanks, since he does not understand what you say? For you indeed give thanks well, but the other is not edified. I thank my God I speak with tongues more than you all; yet in the church I would rather speak five words with my understanding, that I may teach others also, than ten thousand words in a tongue. Brethren, do not be children in understanding; however, in malice be babes, but in understanding be mature.”
**1Thes. 5:11-23—“Therefore comfort each other & edify one another, just as you also are doing. And we urge you, brethren, to recognize those who labor among you, & are over you in the Lord & admonish you, & to esteem them very highly in love for their work’s sake. Be at peace among yourselves. Now we exhort you, brethren, warn those who are unruly, comfort the fainthearted, uphold the weak, be patient with all. See that no one renders evil for evil to anyone, but always pursue what is good both for yourselves & for all. Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophecies. Test all things; hold fast what is good. Abstain from every form of evil. Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; & may your whole spirit, soul, & body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Why do these things?...Because in so doing, you are walking within God’s perfect will!
How do we do these things?...Thru an Accurate Walk in Christ!
Prov. 14:6-9—“A scoffer seeks wisdom & does not find it, But knowledge is easy to him who understands. Go from the presence of a foolish man, When you do not perceive in him the lips of knowledge. The wisdom of the prudent is to understand his way, But the folly of fools is deceit. Fools mock at sin, But among the upright there is favor.”
Php. 1:27-28—“Only let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come & see you or am absent, I may hear of your affairs, that you stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel, & not in any way terrified by your adversaries, which is to them a proof of perdition, but to you of salvation, & that from God.”
**Col. 1:3-12—“We give thanks to the God & Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus & of your love for all the saints; because of the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, of which you heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel, which has come to you, as it has also in all the world, & is bringing forth fruit, as it is also among you since the day you heard & knew the grace of God in truth; as you also learned from Epaphras, our dear fellow servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf, who also declared to us your love in the Spirit. For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, & to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom & spiritual understanding; that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work & increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience & longsuffering with joy; giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light.”
**Mat. 25:1-13—“Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps & went out to meet the bridegroom. Now five of them were wise, & five were foolish. Those who were foolish took their lamps & took no oil with them, but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered & slept. And at midnight a cry was heard: ‘Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!’ “Then all those virgins arose & trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ “But the wise answered, saying, ‘No, lest there should not be enough for us & you; but go rather to those who sell, & buy for yourselves.’ “And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, & those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; & the door was shut. Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open to us!’ “But he answered & said, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.’ “Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming.”
Gal. 2:15-3:5—“We who are Jews by nature, & not sinners of the Gentiles, “knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ & not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified. But if, while we seek to be justified by Christ, we ourselves also are found sinners, is Christ therefore a minister of sin? Certainly not! For if I build again those things which I destroyed, I make myself a transgressor. For I through the law died to the law that I might live to God. I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; & the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me & gave Himself for me. I do not set aside the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain. O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you that you should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed among you as crucified? This only I want to learn from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh? Have you suffered so many things in vain--if indeed it was in vain? Therefore He who supplies the Spirit to you & works miracles among you, does He do it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?--“
**Js. 3:13—“Who is wise & understanding among you? Let him show by good conduct that his works are done in the meekness of wisdom.”
Illustration:
Bow Hunting/Must be on target—Otherwise you may lose the ‘kill’ by merely wounding it/An ACCURATE WALK
In the inevitable political discussions at the Thanksgiving get-togethers—As far as you are concerned, bringing the focus upon why & where our personal decisions arise—should elevate God’s desire thru Christ Jesus/Intense family discussions reveal the failure of trust in political parties thru their lawmaking as it is measured by God’s design!/Know the boundaries!...Know God’s will(:17)/Recognize, & declare God’s objective boundaries—Unashamedly declare His word!/An ACCURATE WALK
An architect who believes he is a great builder but has not been schooled properly in practical physics/The accuracy of his projects is questionable/ACCURATE WALK
Application:
?Does your ACCURATE WALK speak of trust in Christ?...or of trust in someone/thing else?
?What is your Walk Telling others?
CONCLUSION:
Visualization:
My worn shoes, say much about the way I walk—A Telling Walk
Action:
A thankful/telling walk is...
1. An ACCURATE WALK(:15)
Pt. 1 only! presented 11/20/2016am to:
FBC Cbelle
206 Storrs Ave. SE(SE Ave. A)
Carrabelle, FL 32322
