Walk With Awareness

Walk with Awareness

Ephesians 5:15-21

We have discussed much in recent weeks. Paul admonished the church to walk in Love. Our walk and witness are to reflect the love of Christ – the sacrificial love we have received. We are to walk in Righteousness. The world at large lives to please the flesh, seeking primarily to indulge its lusts. As children of God, we are to walk uprightly before the Lord and man. We are also expected to walk in the Light. Those saved by grace have been brought from darkness into the glorious light of Christ. The light of the Lord must illuminate and guide our path.

Having shared such profound truth, Paul shifts his focus a bit in the text today. Those who walk in love, in righteousness, and in the light are to walk in awareness of the day. This involves not only recognizing the great lostness and depravity of our day, but responding to these pressing needs in a way that honors the Lord and impacts our culture. Regardless of our position within the church, every believer is within the body of Christ. Being within the body brings a responsibility to engage the needs of our day with the gospel.

As we continue the series in chapter five, I want to examine the expected facets of our daily lives as we consider the challenge to: Walk with Awareness.

I. The Direction for Believers (15-17) – Paul begins this section of text with biblical direction regarding our recognition and awareness of the needs around us. He urges believers to possess:

A. An Accurate Walk (15) – See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise. As we walk among the world, we are to walk carefully and with wisdom. We are called to walk circumspectly, literally walk “exactly, accurately, and perfectly.” It also carries the idea of walking with alertness. Paul was well aware of the temptations and pit-falls so common among men, and he urged the church not only to walk pleasing to the Lord, but with an awareness of the enemy and his tactics. Gal.5:16 – This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.

It is impossible to overemphasize the importance of our walk among the world. Those who profess Christ as Savior are watched by the unsaved. They carefully examine how we walk and carry ourselves in a variety of situations. We must walk in wisdom, honoring the Lord.

B. An Attentive Walk (16) – Redeeming the time, because the days are evil. We are instructed to redeem the time. This is an interesting phrase. The word redeeming means “to buy up, to ransom, to pay the price to recover.” How can we buy up time; how can we ransom our days? It is really quite simple – we are to make the most of every day and every opportunity that the Lord gives us. The word “time” does not speak of “clock time”. It does not speak of minutes, hours, days, weeks, months and years. The word he uses here is a word that speaks of a “measured allotment of time.” Paul is talking about the small window of time we have in this world. In other words, we are to “deliver the allotted time we have been given in this world from loss.” (i)

One cannot argue that we are living in perilous times. The Lord’s return is closer than it’s ever been. We all have a brief moment here on this earth to impact others with the gospel. May we redeem the time and seize every opportunity for the gospel. “Yesterday is a spent check; tomorrow is a promissory note; today is cash in hand – so spend it wisely,” Unknown.

C. An Acceptable Walk (17) – Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is. The believers at Ephesus were bombarded with all manner of false doctrine and idolatry. The temple to Diana was there. The influence of the Roman culture was very prevalent. Also, there were Jews who sought to corrupt the Gospel with the legalities and rituals of the law. Paul wanted them to understand the contrary influences and be wise concerning the will of God and His plan for the church and their individual lives.

We are responsible to understand the will of God. The word understanding means to “grasp, perceive, or comprehend.” All believers are responsible to grasp and comprehend the will of God for their lives. So, this begs the question – how does one understand the will of God? A proper understanding of God’s will is always found within the Scriptures. God’s will never leads in a way contrary to the Scriptures. Do you desire to understand God’s will? Let me give you a biblical basis to understanding God’s will. First of all, God desires you to submit to the gospel, repent of sin, and believe on Christ for salvation. If you are not saved, you do not understand the will of God. Following salvation, God wants you to surrender your life in conformity to Christ, living in obedience to Him. Once these two steps are taken, you are well on your way to understanding the will of God. Those saved by grace, living in obedience to Him, and searching the Scriptures will understand the will of God.