Walk in the Wisdom of the Lord
Ephesians 5:15-17; James 1:5; Romans 13:11-14
Sermon by Rick Crandall
Series: The Book of Ephesians
(Prepared May 31, 2024)
BACKGROUND:
*Today we will continue looking into God's Word to see how He wants us to live as Christians. From a practical, everyday point of view, how can we walk the Christian walk? How can we follow in the steps of our Savior?
*The Apostle Paul used this original word for "walk" 33 different times in his 14 letters to Christians. And 8 of these times are found in this one short letter to the Ephesians. For example, Ephesians 2:10 says, "We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them."
*Ephesians 4:1-2 says, "I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to have a walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love." In Ephesians 4:17 Paul wrote, "This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind."
*Ephesians 5:1-2 says, "Therefore be followers of God as dear children. And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma." And Ephesians 5:7-10 says, "Therefore do not be partakers with them. For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth), proving what is acceptable to the Lord."
*There can be no doubt that God deeply cares about our everyday walk as Christians. Today's Scripture helps us learn how to walk in the wisdom of our Lord. Please think about this as we read Ephesians 5:15-17.
MESSAGE:
*When I read these verses, I sometimes think back to a hospital visit that I made over 40 years ago. The lady and I were talking about some problems my brother was having. They were mostly his own fault, and she said, "I guess he hasn't got through going up fool's hill."
*Today I am happy to say that my brother stopped going up "fool's hill" a long time ago. And one of the greatest joys of my life has been to see how much his faith in the Lord has grown, especially over the last five years.
*The great news for us today is that we don't have to go up fool's hill! We can walk in godly wisdom, and today's Scripture helps us see how.
1. FIRST CHRISTIANS, WE HAVE TO SET THE HIGHEST STANDARDS.
*That's what Paul was doing in vs. 15, when he told us to walk "circumspectly." That means "diligently, accurately, perfectly." So, the NIV says, "Be very careful, then, how you live, -- not as unwise but as wise." The Amplified Bible says we "should live purposefully and worthily and accurately."
*God wants us to set the highest standards for our lives, so we need to "raise the bar" from where we are today. And we need to be careful about our direction in life, or we will surely start to drift.
*Charles Lowery gave an illustration from his childhood, and he started by saying, "I love the ocean, and I was so excited the first time I was allowed to swim in the ocean without adults. We had been swimming for quite a while when I looked over to find my parents.
*They had moved about half of a mile down the beach. (I thought they were trying to lose me.) Then I looked again, and the hotel had also moved half of a mile down the beach. As far as I knew, hotels didn't move, -- and that's when I figured out that I was the one who had moved. I had drifted away so slowly that I didn't even know it. And we can do the same thing in our spiritual life." (1)
*Well Church, God doesn't want us to just drift along, so we have to set the highest standards, and carefully check how well we are living up to them. That's how to walk in the wisdom of God: Set the highest standards.
2. BUT WE ALSO HAVE TO ASK FOR GOD'S ASSISTANCE.
*James 1:5 says, "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him."
*"If any of you lacks wisdom. . ." James was being gentle with us there. Do you know anybody who would stand up and say, "I have all the wisdom I need!" I hope not. When we think we have all the wisdom that we need, that's usually the time when we need it the most! All of us need more wisdom, but sometimes it's easier to see this need in others.
*Why do we "lack wisdom?" Why do we need more? -- Because our flesh is weak and our old sin nature pulls us down, because the devil is a liar, and he often tries to deceive us, and because as we move through life, we will continue to face new circumstances and challenges. It may seem like we can handle life on our own when things are good. But when the bad storms come, we find out real fast that we need God's wisdom!
*The good news is that whenever we lack wisdom, all we need to do is to ask God for it in faith, because He will gladly and generously give us all the wisdom we need. So, ask for God's assistance. That's how to walk in the wisdom of God.
3. BUT WE ALSO HAVE TO TREASURE OUR TIME.
*Verse 16 tells us we should be "redeeming the time, because the days are evil." The Amplified Bible says, "Make the very most of the time [buying up each opportunity], because the days are evil."
*"Redeeming the time." One definition of the original word is "rescue." "Rescue your time," Paul says. And a lot of our time needs to be rescued, because we tend to throw it away. I am much more aware of this at 73, than I was at 37!
*We need to treasure our time. Paul made the same kind of point in Romans 13:11-14 where he tells Christians that:
11. . . knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed.
12. The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light.
13. Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in licentiousness and lewdness, not in strife and envy.
14. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.
*The Message paraphrase says:
11. . . Make sure that you don't get so absorbed and exhausted in taking care of all your day-by-day obligations that you lose track of the time and doze off, oblivious to God.
12. The night is about over, dawn is about to break. Be up and awake to what God is doing! God is putting the finishing touches on the salvation work he began when we first believed.
13. We can't afford to waste a minute, must not squander these precious daylight hours in frivolity and indulgence, in sleeping around and dissipation, in bickering and grabbing everything in sight.
14. Get out of bed and get dressed! Don't loiter and linger, waiting until the very last minute. Dress yourselves in Christ, and be up and about!
*Life in this world is much shorter than we think. The Civil War in our country ended in 1865, and that seems like a long, long time ago. But my grandmother was born just 31 years after that, and Mary's grandfather was born just 3 years after that! (He didn't get married until he was 50. And I must say I'm glad he did!) But our time in this world is much shorter than we think. That's why we have to treasure the precious time that God has given to us all.
*And this is how to walk in the wisdom of God: Set the highest standards for your life, ask for God's assistance, and treasure your time.
4. BUT WE ALSO NEED TO UNDERSTAND THE LORD'S WILL FOR OUR LIVES.
*Paul made this truth clear in vs. 17 where he tells Christians, "Do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is." The idea is that we bring things together in our mind to understand God's will. But have you ever wondered about God's will for your life?
*Almost every Christian would say, "Yes." I've been there too in some huge, life-changing situations. But thank God, we can always trust in the Lord, and we should! As Proverbs 3:5-6 says, "Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths." We also need to wait on the Lord, and keep waiting until He shows us which way to go. I've lived long enough to be able to tell you that He always comes through! We may fail God, and we do. But the Lord will never fail us! As He Himself has said in Hebrews 13:5, "I will never leave you nor forsake you.''
*So, what is God's will for our lives? Well, there are a lot of specific things that we don't know yet. The sober truth is that we don't even know if it is God's will for us to live through tomorrow. But we can certainly know the most important things, -- if we take the time to study the Bible.
[1] FOR EXAMPLE: IT IS SURELY GOD'S WILL FOR US TO OBEY HIM.
*We certainly know that God wants us to obey Him, beginning with the greatest commandment of all. In Matthew 22:35-36, one of the Jewish lawyers asked Jesus a question to test Him and said, "Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?''
*Then in Matthew 22:37-40, Jesus said to him, "'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.' This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.'' Christians: it is certainly God's will for us to obey Him.
[2] IT IS ALSO GOD'S WILL TO PRAY FOR US.
*We can see this truth in Romans 8:26-27 where God's Word says:
26. Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.
27. Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.
*We can also see this truth in Hebrews 7:24-25, which says this about our Lord Jesus Christ, "But He, because He continues forever, has an unchangeable priesthood. Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He ever lives to make intercession for them."
*Now, we have a great group of prayer warriors in our church. Heaven only knows the multitude of great things God has done through the prayers of His people. But best of all, we can say beyond the shadow of a doubt that God Himself is praying for us. Praise the Lord! It is God's will to pray for us.
[3] IT IS ALSO GOD'S WILL TO PLACE US INTO HIS SERVICE.
*Remember Christians, that we are all part of the spiritual Body of Jesus Christ. In 1 Corinthians 12:12-13, the New Living Translation explains that "The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up only one body. So it is with the body of Christ. Some of us are Jews, some are Gentiles, some are slaves, and some are free. But we have all been baptized into Christ's body by one Spirit, and we have all received the same Spirit."
*Paul mentioned the body of Christ in every chapter of Ephesians but chapter 6. For example, Ephesians 4:16 in the New Living Translation says, "Under his (that is, Jesus') direction, the whole body is fitted together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love."
*Every Christian is part of the Body of Christ, and every Christian has a purpose in the Body of Christ. When I thought about this truth, my tonsils came to mind. When I was a kid, the doctors didn't think tonsils had any useful purpose, so they routinely took them out. Some years later, doctors discovered that our tonsils help protect us from infection, and now they avoid taking them out if they can.
*Right now, you may think about yourself the same way doctors used to think about tonsils. You may feel like a tonsil in the Body of Christ. You don't know your purpose. You might even feel worthless. But every believer has a purpose in the Body of Christ! And every believer has great value in the Body of Christ!
*If you ever doubt your value, just remember the high price that was paid for you. 1 Peter 1:18-19 tells all Christians, "You were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot." And if you are a Christian, God surely has a place of service for you. God's will is to place us into His service.
[4] IT IS ALSO GOD'S WILL FOR US TO GIVE OURSELVES TO HIM AND TO EACH OTHER.
*God wants us to bring us to the point where we are willing to give our lives to Him, and to each other. That's why in Romans 12:1-2, the Apostle Paul wrote, "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 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."
*Then in 2 Corinthians 8:1-5, Paul was encouraging and challenging those Christians to be generous in their giving. Paul used the generosity of the churches in Macedonia as an example, and said:
1. Moreover, brethren, we make known to you the grace of God bestowed on the churches of Macedonia:
2. that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded in the riches of their liberality.
3. For I bear witness that according to their ability, yes, and beyond their ability, they were freely willing,
4. imploring us with much urgency that we would receive the gift and the fellowship of the ministering to the saints.
5. And this they did, not as we had hoped, BUT FIRST GAVE THEMSELVES TO THE LORD, AND THEN TO US BY THE WILL OF GOD.
*God wants us to give our lives, both to Him, and to each other. I also think of 1 John 3:16 where John wrote, "By this we know love, because He (Jesus) laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren." And I think of Paul's greeting in Romans 16:3-4, where he wrote, "Greet Priscilla and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus, who risked their own necks for my life, to whom not only I give thanks, but also all the churches of the Gentiles."
*Usually giving our lives away is not so dramatic, but it can always make a big difference. In 2006, Kenneth Berry gave me the great example of his sister-in-law Gay Moody. She had recently passed away, and Kenneth told me something special that happened at Gay's funeral. The pastor started asking questions:
-"If anyone here was ever helped by Gay, would you please stand up?"
-"If she ever helped you with some groceries, please stand up."
-"If she ever helped you with a bill, please stand up."
-"If she ever offered to pray for you, please stand up."
*Kenneth said that after a few minutes, everybody in that church was standing. Gay Moody touched a lot of lives. Why? -- Because she gave herself to the people all around her. But first, Gay gave her life to the Lord. She was walking in the wisdom of the Lord, and that's what God wants us to do.
[5] BUT GOD IS ALSO WILLING TO SAVE ANYONE WHO WILL TURN TO THE LORD AND TRUST IN JESUS CHRIST AS THEIR LORD AND SAVIOR.
*We know this because of Scriptures like Matthew 18:14 where Jesus was talking about little children, and He said, "It is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish." 1 Timothy 2:1-6 also urges us to pray for all men. . . "For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time."
*God desires all men to be saved. He loves us so much that He was willing to pay the highest price to save us, and that's what He did when Jesus Christ died on the cross for our sins. God desires all men to be saved, but not everyone is going to be saved, because our risen Lord Jesus is the only way.
*As Jesus said in John 14:6, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." There is no other way to Heaven but Jesus. Peter confirmed this truth in Acts 4:12 where he said, "Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved."
*All of the good works that we have ever done, or could ever do are not enough to pay the price for our sins. But God will surely pardon anyone who turns to our living Lord Jesus and receives Him as their Lord and Savior.
*James Merritt explained: "Jesus said the path to Heaven is a person. Not a principle, practice, precept, or philosophy. The path to Heaven is not the Golden Rule, the Ten Commandments, loving our neighbor, or clean living. All of these are good and godly things, but all of them put together could not pave one inch on the road to Heaven. Jesus is the only way. If you're going any other way, you're going the wrong way." (2)
*A lot of misguided people are like the man who said getting to Heaven was like getting to Boston. There are a lot of roads that will get you there. But a wise Christian told him, "No, getting to Heaven is much more like flying into the Boston airport. The pilot has to land that plane on just the right runway, at just the right speed, at just the right time, and just the right angle." (3)
CONCLUSION:
*There is only one way to land that plane. And there is only one way to get to Heaven: Jesus Christ! Open your heart to receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. Call on the Lord to save you, as we go back to God in prayer. Then start walking in the wisdom of God by walking in the will of God.
(1) SBC LIFE - September 2005 Issue - "Drifted or Lifted?" by Charles Lowery
(2) Adapted from Sermons.com sermon "What Are Your Chances of Going to Heaven" by James Merritt - John 14:6
(3) Original source unknown
