Lesson 73 October 19, 2003

5:14 Conclusion of his exhortation on purity.

As Paul concludes this exhortation "to walk in the light" which began in vs:8 with an appeal to the spiritually lethargic believer to get with it.

1st line: Rise up o sleeping one!

 

 

2nd line; Arise again from the dead, temporal death, separation from an ongoing relationship with Christ.

 

 

3rd line; "and Christ shall shine on you."

 

The point of the statement is this; Christians need to be spiritually awake, alert, trusting Christ to continue granting them the light needed to keep on walking in purity.

Eph. 5:15-17 Walk as Wise!

 

Vs:15 "Therefore be careful how you walk"

 

To which of your faculties is this appealing??

 

Very emphatically this is addressed to our volition!!

It is a command to make a choice; in fact have 4 imp's in 3 verses; the present tense is used which says its something we need to do on a repetitive basis, every day!

** Paul says that there are 2 ways of choosing to live our life!

"not as unwise men but as wise"

 

Relative to the CWOL:

- the unwise asofosj believer would be a believer who is directing his or her life by human viewpoint, the thinking of the day, tradition; that is anything but the Word. (Rem: need to acknowledge that this is the best that man can do on his own!!)

- While the sofosj is the believer whose life is motivated and directed by DVPT.

 

QUESTION: Where does this put the start of actually living the CWOL??

 

 

** The first step that we take away from human vpt is when we believed in Christ, believed the message of the gospel.

 

 

 

- Paul is working in this section on what we need to know and understand in order to live the CWOL. Putting off and putting on!

 

So the passage says that God wants intelligent Believers; those who are trained in the WOG. To know what it says! That's the thrust!!

5:16 "making the most of your time"

- To do any less is to waste the time that God has granted us; each day we have is a grace gift from God!

 

Why is this true? What have we already seen in Eph that gives us the answer?

Who is the god of this age who is working in the sons of disobedience?

 

Believe that it is interesting that Paul isn't recommending that we fear the present evil age or even to avoid interaction with it.

Rather it is Paul's exhortation for us to walk wisely, be sophos types, in the evil days and do so by seizing every opportunity to walk worthy.

 

 

 

5:17 "So then do not be foolish,."

- because of this, not because the days are evil

It is only the wisdom from being sophos that will give us the capacity to live in and deal with times that are evil.

 

 

 

Getting it together is relative to what??

How do we as believers get it together??

It's related to the will of the Lord!! Must know the word if this is to be a reality since it is only in the Word that we find His will!

 

 

 

* What does this passage show as the basis for stability in life?? One's emotions?? One's feelings?? Not at all!! Basis for stability in life is what you think!

 

 

 

* So vs:17 sums it up beautifully; we are not to be human vpt people, we are to understand, to get it together, as to what the will of the Lord is!!