Ephesians 5:10 – The Straight Walk – Bible study

Ephesians 5:10 The Straight Walk Paul was expressing an important truth in this book, namely that how we live is important. I want to follow Paul through a few verses to see that; but first we need to understand the word that he used to describe our life. It was "walk." When Paul spoke of our walk, he was talking about our life, i.e. how we live. The word walk is just a more pictorial. It illustrates what Paul wanted us to understand about Gods concern. 1. To walk means step by step. 2. It means that God is interested in every single action we take. a. Our actions and reactions b. Our thoughts, words, deeds c. God is even interested in what we are walking toward in life and what we are walking away from and even what we are walking beside. So when Paul, in these verses, spoke about our walk, he was talking about how we live moment by moment. Eph 4:17 This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk. Eph 5:1 Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; Eph 5:2 And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us Eph 5:15 See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, Further, he warns us that some are attempting to lead us the wrong way: Eph 5:6 Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience. And he commands us: Eph 5:7 Be not ye therefore partakers with them. Then he tells us why. Eph 5:8 For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light: Take note what he said in verse 8. 1. He said we are the light and we were the darkness. a. He did not say we are IN the light and were IN the darkness, but that we ARE the darkness and ARE the light. b. Understand what that means. (1) Once you become a Christian, whether you wanted it to be so or not, you ceased to be the EFfected and became the AFfecter. (2) Lost people are always EFFECTED by the world. The word means changed of influenced. (3) Saved people AFFECT the world. That word means to cause a change or to influence. c. Everywhere you and I go, we either produce light or darkness. (1) Darkness means sin. It is our old nature. It speaks of actions that should be hid. (2) Light speaks of good, truth, righteousness. It speaks of our new nature. d. We are not to be those influenced by the world anymore. e. We are to be those that influence the world. 2. That verse also means that the difference between a Christians nature and a lost persons nature is the difference between daylight and dark. With that in mind, Paul gave several commands to the Christians at Ephesus concerning how they should walk, live, and influence the lives of others. I. \#10\ Proving what is acceptable to the Lord. Eph 5:10 Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord. A. To prove something means to test it. B. Stating this assumes two premises: 1. All things are not acceptable to the Lord! a. Has this dawned on us that God is not pleased with all things? b. Some of Gods people are either greatly ignorant or deliberately sinning. c. They seem to think nothing is wrong. d. Everything is not wrong, but the only way we are going to know what is wrong is to test everything. 2. That we can test to see what is acceptable and not. The Bible gives us some test that we can run. a. If it is called sin in the Bible, it is wrong. Luke 6:46 And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say? b. Does it bind? 1Corinthians 6:12 All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any. (1) Christians are free to do anything they want. (2) Why? Because they are free from the law, or rather from the consequences of the law. Romans 8:2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. (3) However, just because we can. (a) Doesnt mean we should. (b) Doesnt mean its right. (4) We are charged not to use our freedom to do wrong. 1Peter 2:16 As free, and not using your liberty for a cloke of maliciousness, but as the servants of God. (a) Paul said, "I can but I will not if it creates a bondage for me!" (b) Whatever you cant stop you must stop or it becomes sin for you! i. Can I smoke? drink? drugs? ii. Can I cuss? watch porn? iii. Can I get addicted to soft drinks? coffee? chocolate? iv. Sure I can, but I shouldnt, not only because some of them are wrong of themselves but because I wont be brought under the bondage of any! (5) The Bible teaches us that we are to bring our bodies in subjection to Christ not in subjection to controlling habits. (a) That is why we are to fast. (b) That is also why we should be punctual, obey laws, go to bed at a reasonable hour, get up when first called, stay within a certain weight, live within our means, and all other things that requires discipline. c. Does it destroy the temple? (1) The Bible is clear that the body is Gods temple. (2) The body is the place where God lives in this dispensation. 1Corinthians 6:19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? 20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are Gods. (3) If we abuse it, God will deal justly with us. 1Corinthians 3:17 If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are. (4) Again, there are reasons why Christians do not do certain things. Somethings are wrong in multiple ways. (a) Some are sinful because they offend God. They are sinful. (b) Some are sinful again because they bind us. (c) Some are sinful yet again for they destroy the Lords temple. d. Does it hurt our testimony? 1Thess 5:22 Abstain from all appearance of evil. (1) These command does not deal with actual, factual sins. (2) It deals with the perception of what someone might think is sinful. (3) Christian, one of the great truths we will learn about sin is, "It is not just important what we do. It is also important what others think we are doing." (a) We do not have to cuss to make someone think we cussed. (b) We do not have to be committing adultery to make someone think we committing adultery. e. Do we know it is not good? James 4:17 Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin. (1) God has placed in every person a natural alarm of right and wrong. (2) It is called the conscience. (3) The Bible teaches that the conscience can become seared and hardened, but a Christian who has been filled with the Holy Spirit should have a sensitive conscience to alert him to right and wrong. John 8:9 And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience 1Timothy 1:19 Holding faith, and a good conscience; which some having put away concerning faith have made shipwreck: (4) There are some things that you may not have a Bible verse or even an explainable reason why it is not good, but you know it isnt! Stay away from it! (5) The Bible teaches that if you dont know it is RIGHT, it is WRONG for you! Romans 14:23 And he that doubteth is damned if he eat, because he eateth not of faith: for whatsoever is not of faith is sin. (1) That verse confuses some. (2) It means if you dont have a faith that what you are doing is right, God will judge like what you did was wrong. II. \#11\ Stay Away From Darkness, Reprove the World Eph 5:11 And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them. A. Stay away from the darkness. 1. Stay away from the labors, the deeds, the work that produces darkness. 2. He just told us to test what is acceptable to the Lord. 3. Here Paul said, "If it failed the test, stay away from it." 4. Do you get the idea Paul was thinking about that one who had to be told everything or they will claim they didnt know? a. You tell your teenager, "How about helping me finding my keys?" b. 10 minutes later they are sitting on the couch. c. "I thought I asked you to help find my keys! Im already 10 minutes late leaving for work!" d. "Oh. I found them ten minutes ago. They fell behind your dresser." e. "And why didnt you tell me you found them?" f. "You just said to find em. You didnt tell me to tell you if I did." 5. You would think that if Paul told them to test what is acceptable and what is not, that they would know to stay away from that which is not; but to make certain, he told them that too. B. Reprove the world. 1. Instead of being like the world, Christians are supposed to reprove the world. 2. Again, that command assumes a basic premise; namely, there are wrong behaviors. a. Wrong is still wrong and right is still right. b. The world and even the church can change its mind about wrong or be ignorant about what is wrong, but that will not change God. 3. Not only does this verse assume there is wrong, it commands the Christian to speak out against the wrong. a. The word "reprove" means to admonish, to convict, to convince, to tell a fault. b. That means with words. c. This goes back to what we are: Not the effected but the affecters. d. The Bible is commanding us that our life must repel the darknesseven if that means doing battle with itand to spread the light. 4. Of course there are some considerations in performing this ministry. a. Condemn sin and not people. b. Speak in love and compassion. c. Dont correct everyone for everything. "Pick your battles." d. Dont be a hypocrite. 5. Few enjoy telling someone what they are doing is wrong, but Paul urges us to accept this ministry with two truths: a. \#13\ If we dont manifest the truth, we arent doing the work of the light. Eph 5:13 But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light: for whatsoever doth make manifest is light. (1) We are the light. (2) The light manifests. The dark hides. b. \#14\ If we dont, they wont see the truth. Eph 5:14 Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light. The ministry to which we are called is challenging. It is not easy to reprove the world, but in a world filled with darkness, God has called us to be the light. If the light on every other church goes dark, I want the light here to shine brightly. And if the light in every other believer goes dark, I want my light to shine brightly. How about you?