Walking In Wisdom Series

Over the this last month, we have been examining what Paul described as: that you put off, … the old man ... and that you put on the new man … (Ephesians 4:22a and 24a)

As Christians, we have become a new creation in Christ. As a new creation, we discussed how taking off the old man is like taking off old smelly clothes and putting on the new man is like putting on new clean cloths. We are a new person, or at least we should be. The old man, however, keep rearing its ugly head and we have problems shedding the old man. The new man doesn’t show through and we grieve the Holy Spirit in which we were sealed for the day of redemption.

But as we shed the old man, we are to imitate God and walk in love as Jesus did. Last week we looked at how we should be walking in the Light, the light of Jesus. Today, the final sermon of this series, we will examine how we are to walk in wisdom, the wisdom that comes from walking in the Spirit. Notice how the word “walk” is used. It is a keyword in Paul’s writings. Paul uses the word “walk” seven times in the book of Ephesians In fact, Paul uses “walk" 38 time in all his letters, all used in the sense of how people lives their lives. It involves the whole scope of activities involved in life.

How we walk, or live as Christians define who we are. We have a whole world of people who talk one way and walk another. Talk is important, but if the walk does not reflect the talk, then the talk is meaningless.

Ephesians 5:15–21

An average football telecast lasts 174 minutes, including 60 minutes of commercials. Time between plays, when players are huddling, adds up to 75 minutes, and 17 minutes of the telecast is replays. There are only 11 minutes of executing plays, or about 6 percent of the telecast. [1]

What if our lives were like a football game, with only 6 percent of our time on earth being meaningful? Paul tells us:

Ephesians 5:15–16 (NKJV) See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, 16 redeeming the time, because the days are evil.

How do we walk? A few short moments of action, and the rest of the time viewing the replays, looking at commercials, or being in a huddle ever planning, or just standing around watching the clock count down? Paul tells us we should walk: “circumspectly” or as other translation say, “carefully” not as fools or as the unwise. but wisely.

Why is it so important that we be wise in all of our walk? Verse 16 says: “redeeming the time” I like the HCSB which says “making the most of the time.” The NIV says “making the most of every opportunity.” We spend way too much time on selfish pursuits, on things that do not matter. Does what you do make a difference in this world? Why?

Why should we be making a difference in this world? “because the days are evil.” The days are growing shorter. The word tells us that the “god of this age” which is Satan, rules. And the days are growing closer to Jesus’ return. And in the big scheme of things, our live are short. James 4:14 tells us that we are just vapor, we’re here and we are gone. We must walk as wise, because there is no time to walk otherwise.

The philosophy of the world is so much different. Just view beer commercials: “Go for the gusto.” The implication is to grab all can, because "you only go around once in life." It is all about me.

For the Christian, it ought to be all about Jesus. We were placed here to glorify Him. What do we do in life to bring glory to God?

The days are evil and Jesus is coming soon. It matters little if we meet in in the air, or Jesus calls us home before that time. A.W. Tozer wrote: “Time is a resource that is non-renewable and non-transferable. You cannot store it, slow it up, hold it up, divide it up or give it up. You can’t hoard it up or save it for a rainy day–when it’s lost its unrecoverable. When you kill time, remember that it has no resurrection.” [2]

Our time is short, we must have had fully taken off the old man, put on the new man and be walking-living our lives, carefully, not as fools, but as wise. So how does that work?

Ephesians 5:17 (NKJV) Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.

God call us to be wise. We are use our God given smarts, and we are called not just to know the will of God, but to understand it as well. This is a recurring theme of Paul, knowing and understanding the will of God. Over that last few weeks we looked at: