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[0:00] Well, good morning, everybody. It's good to be in church this morning.

[0:12] Good to have you here with me. I'm happy to be here. Hope you're not minding the rain. I think it's pretty with the clouds sitting here on the foothills. Don't get to see that every day.

[0:24] Don't get to see that any day over the summer. So enjoy that part of it. But that'll be here soon enough. If you got your Bible, let's get into Ephesians.

[0:34] We're in chapter 5. Making our way through the book of Ephesians, verse by verse, line upon line. And here we are in the fifth chapter.

[0:51] And as always, this book is loaded. It's hard to move too quickly. And there's so much content. And much of what we're studying now is this practical walk of the believer.

[1:05] After getting through the introduction to the book and to some of the lofty thought and comment toward the body of Christ.

[1:16] And then some doctrinal truths and positions of the believer. We're coming into this how we're to walk. And as I mentioned already, it starts with the negative.

[1:27] Not walk as the other Gentiles walk. And the vanity of their minds in chapter 4 and then leading into chapter 5. To walk in love and to walk as children of light.

[1:37] And this morning we'll see in verse 15, walk circumspectly. And so some instruction on how to walk. And as I said, the negative first. We saw that coming through chapter 4.

[1:48] This is what you don't do. And then you teach what you do do. Sorry for saying do do. So, chapter number 5. Let's find our place here.

[1:58] I'll back up a little bit to verse number 6. We'll begin there and then carry it. Thank you. So, in verse 6 the Bible says, And we'll carry that on.

[2:39] Here in a minute. There's a little division to be made. And we'll really see this plainly this morning. Is there was a time when you were lost without Christ. And that was explained in chapter 2 and explained in chapter 4.

[2:53] And in that time you were dead in your trespasses and sins. And now that you're saved, he uses the term, but now. And he says it.

[3:03] Look back at chapter 4. No, no, no. Chapter 2. Just point it out there. And in verse 13. To start in verse 12.

[3:16] That at that time you were without Christ. So, when you're lost, you're without Christ. That's a different time. But now is a new time. In verse 13. But now, in Christ Jesus, you're made nigh.

[3:27] So, in chapter 5 he uses the same phrase in verse number 7. Or verse number 8. For ye were sometimes darkness before you were saved. That was you.

[3:39] Without Christ. Without God. Without hope. But now. But now. Different. It's a new time for you. But now are ye light in the Lord. Walk as children of light.

[3:50] And so, this is a. This section of scripture. That has to do with this practical walk. Of the believer. And a few of the elements that we studied in chapter.

[4:03] Closing chapter 4. Some illustrations of that walk. That difference between the then and the now. Between the let him that stole. Past tense. Steal no more.

[4:15] But let him labor. Or let him. But rather let him labor. Working with his hands. And rather than being a taker. He's a giver. We saw that in verse 28. And so, all these practical thoughts.

[4:26] Of the bitterness should be put away. But be kind in its place. The negative then the positive. The way you were. The way you should be now. In the Lord. Now we got. I know we got up to about verse 10 last week.

[4:38] So. I want to read verse 8. And 10. I think 10. I. Never going to profess to have everything perfectly understood. And be able to explain it.

[4:49] But I think 10. Sometimes gets a little mis. Misapplied. Or not. The wording. Verse 10 says. Proving. What is acceptable unto the Lord.

[5:02] And I've heard it said. And read it in other places. That it's a. That you're. That to prove is to test. And therefore you're testing out things. To see whether they're acceptable.

[5:12] And is this something that I would want Jesus Christ. To find me doing. When he comes at the rapture. And thoughts like that. And I don't know that that's really the. The take. Or what Paul is trying to say there.

[5:24] Exactly. So. To back up. And we'll skip the parenthesis of verse 9. Let's read verse 8. How it flows right into verse 10. For ye were sometimes darkness. But now. Are ye light in the Lord.

[5:35] Walk as children of light. It ends in a colon. Proving. What is acceptable unto the Lord. And have no fellowship. With the unfruitful works of darkness. But rather reprove them.

[5:47] And so. To prove something. Is. In the court of law. You prove it by. Not just stating it. But you prove something by. Demonstrating it.

[5:58] With facts. Or with examples. You. You prove it by. Displaying. What is the truth. What is the right. Right thing. And you were sometimes. Darkness.

[6:09] In verse 7. You're not supposed to be partakers. With them anymore. In verse 11. You're not to have fellowship. With their works. The unfruitful works of darkness. Instead of that. You're to reprove them.

[6:21] And in verse 8. He closes by. Walk as children of light. How do you do that? Proving what is acceptable. Unto the Lord. And I think Paul is teaching. And just telling them. You're going to demonstrate. To them.

[6:33] Rather than partake with them. And have fellowship. With their unfruitful works. But now you're going to demonstrate. To them. What is acceptable. To the Lord. How's that? While walking as children of light.

[6:45] And that. That right there. Is a complete. Separation. You used to. Live like them. You used to walk in the vanity. Of your mind. Like back in chapter 4.

[6:57] The way other Gentiles walk. You. You. Had your understanding darkened. You were alienated. From the life of God. And so forth. In verse 19. Of chapter 4. Your past feeling.

[7:07] Given over to lasciviousness. To work all uncleanness. With greediness. That's the way of the Gentile. That's children of darkness. That's what you were. So now you're going to. Walk as children of light.

[7:19] And display. And demonstrate to them. What is acceptable to the Lord. It's a difference. And I believe that's what he's saying. In verse 10. Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord.

[7:30] And one way you do that. Is you have no fellowship. With the unfruitful works. Of darkness. But rather. Reprove them. And I said last week. I do recall.

[7:41] Being here. Saying that. Just the fact of you. Not participating anymore. Is a reproof. And for some. Maybe that's all you. Got the guts to do. Is just.

[7:51] Not go there anymore. Or not speak like. Maybe you don't have the guts. To speak up. And to. Verbally reprove them. But the very fact. Of not participating anymore. Is a reproof.

[8:02] And it ought to be. Now it goes beyond that. And let's consider this. It tells us to reprove them. Notice in verse 13. All things that are reproved. Are made manifest. By the light.

[8:13] There's a few things. That we can say. With certainty. The Bible declares. To be light. One is the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the light of the world. And without him. You're not. Anything.

[8:24] You're darkness. You. Yourself. If you walk. In the light. As he is in the light. You are light in the Lord. And then the third thing. Is the scripture. Or the word of God. Is likened to light.

[8:35] I'll lay up to my feet. And I'll light unto my path. In the Proverbs. It says the. I think it says. The law is reproof. The commandment is light. Something like that. I'm not sure where that is.

[8:46] Maybe Proverbs 4. But there's some things. That reprove. And I'd say the scripture. Is the one that you want to. I mean. You can't say. Jesus. Like. You can't hold Jesus.

[8:57] In your hand. You can't carry him with you. And say. See what he said. This is. But you have the scripture. You have your testimony. Which should be according to scripture. And the word of God itself. Look at 2nd Timothy chapter 3.

[9:11] Along this line. Of reproving. The unfruitful works of darkness. How are you going to reprove him?

[9:26] The best way. I think. Is to know the Bible. And to declare the Bible. In verse number 16. All scripture is given by inspiration of God.

[9:37] And is profitable for. Number 1. For doctrine. Number 2. For reproof. Look at chapter 4. Verse 2. Preach the word.

[9:48] Be instant in season. Out of season. Reprove. Rebuke. Exhort with all longsuffering. And doctrine. The word of God. Is given. As a.

[9:59] As a. Standard of truth. And righteousness. And it is profitable. For reproof. It is profitable. To declare. You don't want to go into a. In a.

[10:11] A circumstance. With the. The children of disobedience. And. Stand there. And tell them. What to do. And why they're wrong. And why they shouldn't.

[10:22] You don't want to do that on your own. Unless you have a standard. Or a higher authority. That can declare that to them. You want to have the scriptures. And it's a lot better. I say. To defer to the word of God.

[10:33] Than to. Stand there. They'll look at you and say. Who are you? Why should I listen to you? Who do you think you are? And I don't want to be that guy. That says. Well I. Well I was raised this way.

[10:45] Or I was raised by these people. There they are. Or I have this. I don't want to. To turn it to me. What I'd rather do. Is turn it to God. And say. Well. Your issue.

[10:56] Is not with what I'm saying. Or my beliefs. Or my religion. Or my church. Your issue is with the scriptures. You want to point them to. What the book says. What God said. That's the standard. That's always the greatest.

[11:08] And highest authority. You want to argue with somebody. Over something. You better give them the Bible. And I don't mean argue. Like fight. Debate. But it better be the word of God. That you stand on. So if you're going to reprove.

[11:20] The unfruitful works of darkness. They need to see from the scriptures. That the creator. Declares this thing to be wrong. And darkness. And will judge it accordingly.

[11:32] It doesn't. It can't be your opinion. Or your upbringing. Or that's just not a strong enough leg. To stand on. And when it comes to that. There's enough religious people.

[11:42] And cults around. That have a clean life. And have that. As their background. This is the way we were raised. But they don't have the book. They don't have God's authority on it.

[11:53] So if you're going to. Reprove something. Let it be the scriptures. That do that. And to do that. Then you're going to have to be in the scriptures. And know the book. And have it change your life. And renew your mind.

[12:04] To be able to tell. And declare it to others. In verse number 12. Chapter 5. It says. For it is a shame. Even to speak of those things.

[12:14] Which are done of them in secret. Referring to the unfruitful. Works of darkness. Things that you're not to be a partaker with. In verse 7. You were sometimes that.

[12:25] You're not even. It's a shame to even speak of the things. Which are done of them in secret. Now in chapter 4. He used some terms. Remember in verse 19. Of this Gentile mind.

[12:37] And of their actions. Their past feeling. Giving themselves over unto lasciviousness. To work all uncleanness. With greediness. Paul doesn't talk about certain actions. He doesn't identify certain sins.

[12:50] And describe the persons doing them. Or whatever the case. It's kind of generic. He says. Lasciviousness. That can probably cover a whole range.

[13:01] Of sin. That's given over to excess lust. And just. Just letting yourself go. Into some abominable. Darkness.

[13:13] But it's a shame. He says. To even speak of those things. Which are done of them in secret. It still is a shame. By the way. Because it's not becoming. Of a child of God. Of children of light.

[13:25] That are walking in the light. It's not becoming of them. To be speaking of. Things that are ungodly. Things that are of the sort. Where God has no interest in. It's just complete man.

[13:37] And sin. And flesh. And today. It may be a little bit. A different day. Than. Than. Whatever this is.

[13:48] A.D. 60. 64. Somewhere in there. It may be a little bit. Further down the road. With technology. To where. Not only. Is it. You don't have to even.

[13:59] Speak of the things. You can watch the things. They. The Hollywood. Produces the things. Which are done of them. In secret. And puts it all over. The television. Now. Just the commercials. Today. Are filthy enough. You can hear.

[14:10] And see things. That you shouldn't hear. Or see. And it's still a shame. To speak of those things. Which are done of them. In secret. Even though it's not done. In secret. So much anymore. And even though it's.

[14:20] Promoted. It's still a shame. And it's still unbecoming. Of a believer. That names the name of Christ. You know what your Bible says. About everyone. That names the name of Christ. In 2 Timothy 2. He's to depart.

[14:32] From iniquity. And it's still a shame. For him. To speak about. And to. Have these thoughts. And these sins. In his mouth. Things that are wicked.

[14:42] Are still wicked. They're not. Quality. They don't. It's not okay. If it's just a joke. There's filthy jokes. And dirty talk. And that was mentioned earlier. In the verse. Back in chapter 5.

[14:52] Verse 4. Through there. That stuff's not to be named. Among you. As become a saint. You're to be different. And it's still a shame. To speak of those things. Regardless of if. It's all over Facebook.

[15:03] Or the internet. Or you can search. And find it. Or everybody's doing it. I don't care. The book's still true. Consider this as well. In this time. I didn't live.

[15:14] During this time. And I've. I've never. Seen the town. Of Ephesus. I know my Bible says. It was wholly given to idolatry. There was no. Church on every corner.

[15:25] In this. This culture. They were idolatrous. Wicked people. And you've. Been. Raised in a land. That has. Been influenced.

[15:36] By the scripture. And since this book. Came across. And has taken over. In the last 400 plus years. This land. Regardless of the condition. Of it now. Has absolutely.

[15:48] Been shaped. By the word of God. In some. To some degree. Not 100%. Not even 50. Probably. But it. The influence. Is there. But the influence.

[15:58] Wasn't here. And so. When Paul's writing. To a church. Of younger believers. Men and women. Perhaps with families. They didn't. Grow up themselves. In Sunday school. All they've known.

[16:09] Is the unfruitful. Works of darkness. All they've known. Is lasciviousness. And all uncleanness. That's everyday life. And so. For him telling them. It's a shame.

[16:19] To even speak. Of those things. You're gonna. He's trying to get. A complete turn. From darkness. To light. For us. That grow up. In a. More. Moral culture.

[16:31] Though it's degrading. Pretty quickly. Back to this. We might not see it. And quite understand it. That way. And consider. How much. It still is a shame.

[16:41] And it's still wrong. Moving forward. Verse 13. But all things that are reproved. Are made manifest. By the light. For whatsoever. Doth make manifest.

[16:52] Is light. So if you walk in a dark room. And don't flip the switch on. There's nothing. Being manifest. To you. Of what is in that room. And there could be stumbling blocks.

[17:03] There could be dangers. There could be nothing. But when the light comes on. Everything's made manifest. And if you're not walking. As children of light. In your world.

[17:13] Or at your job. Or wherever your. God has placed you. In this life. If you're not walking. And shining. Or as Christ said. To. What did he say there.

[17:25] Let your light. So shine before men. If you're not making. Manifest. That their lives are wrong. You don't have to be. The ugly guy at work. And be the negative preacher. All the time.

[17:35] But just. Walking as a child of light. Not saying those words. Or participating. Or let's just. I'm just. Coming off the head with. If an example here.

[17:46] Somebody says. Hey. I got to leave early. Will you clock out for me? Will you do. What would you say to that? Or vice versa. I got to leave. They say. Oh go ahead.

[17:56] I'll clock out for you. You just go ahead. And then. Do you say. I can't do that. You know what. If you do. What's right. What you're doing. Is reproving what's wrong. If you flip a coin.

[18:07] And it comes up heads. You know what it's not. It's not tails. And if it's not light. It's darkness. And if you're going to do what's right. All the time. As best you can.

[18:17] Do what's right. You're reproving. The rest of. What I'm not doing. I consider it darkness. And. That light. As walking as children. A light.

[18:28] Jesus Christ. The word of God. Reprove. And make manifest. What is wrong. And what is right. Without a Bible. Where would we be. Where would we be.

[18:39] Verse number 14. Wherefore he saith. Now he's going to quote Isaiah here. And. Paul does this all the time. He. He takes a verse that. Either the. I guess. I'd say. Is inspiration of God.

[18:51] I wouldn't claim to be able to do this myself. But he takes a verse. That's applied. It's directly. To the second coming of Christ. And it's a verse that talks about. The nation of Israel sitting in darkness. And the light arising.

[19:03] And shining forth. In the second coming. And. He takes that thought. And just. When he's preaching to them about being in darkness. And now your light. Wherefore he saith.

[19:14] Awake thou that sleepest. And arise from the dead. And Christ. Shall give thee light. See then that ye walk circumspectly. Not as fools. But as wise. So quoting the Old Testament prophet.

[19:26] To build his case. Or to further his case. Of the believer. Waking up. And. He says this in Romans. I think it's. Take a look at it.

[19:36] I think it's 12. Yeah. No. 13. Romans 13. And in this case.

[19:50] When he talks similarly. You see Paul's. Belief. That the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. Is nigh. And that it's at the door. And he wants everybody to be ready.

[20:02] And to be thinking of that. And to be prepared. And in verse number 11. Romans 13. 11. He says in that. Knowing the time. That now.

[20:13] It is high time. To awake out of sleep. For now is our salvation. Nearer. Than when we believed. And amen. It is. The night is far spent. The day is at hand.

[20:23] Let us therefore. Cast off the works of darkness. And let us put on the armor of light. Let us walk honestly. As in the day. Not in rioting and drunkenness. Not in chambering and wantonness.

[20:35] Not in strife and envying. But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ. And make not provision for the flesh. To fulfill the lust thereof. If you don't.

[20:45] If you think. Yeah Paul. I mean come on. Two thousand years. Is coming gone. Well he's still right. Our salvation is nearer. Today. Than when we believed. Today.

[20:56] You know what. Tomorrow. If God tarries. It will be nearer. Every day that goes by. Every day that goes by. Is a day closer. To standing before the judgment seat of Christ.

[21:07] Every single day. We're nearer today. Than we were yesterday. And in our minds perhaps. You just don't have. You can't touch it. It's. It's. In your heart. You long for it.

[21:18] To be with Christ. Which is far better. But in your mind. And in this world. And in this life. You just. One foot after the other. You got to make the payments. You got to. Get to work.

[21:29] You got to try to. Get ready for the holidays. You got. Checklists. You got things. You're just moving through it. And maybe not considering. But it's true. Last week.

[21:40] We met here on a Sunday. And we are one week closer. And there's one week less. Of your life to live. And it's getting closer. Our salvation is nearer than when we believed.

[21:51] So. Verse 12. Let us therefore cast off. The works of darkness. We don't have time for that. If we're going to be children of light. And we're going to stand before Christ. And it's coming.

[22:02] It's coming closer. We don't have time to be. Fellowshiping with the unfruitful works of darkness. We don't have time to be putting that in. And entertaining ourselves. And these. This short.

[22:13] Hand breath. Of life. This vapor of a life. That we have to live for Christ. We don't have time for that garbage. So dive in. Jump in with both feet. To serve Jesus Christ.

[22:25] And give him everything you've got. Because it's coming. And it's coming fast. Anybody in here over 50. Would probably say. I don't even know if you have to be over 50 anymore. To say.

[22:36] This life is quick. And it gets quicker. And it's getting quicker. And I'm sitting at 44. And I can tell you. The last 10 years. Have been faster than the first 20. And it's going faster.

[22:47] So it seems. I don't have time to waste. With the world. I don't have time to try to build something down here. That's going to last. And carry my name. That's foolishness.

[22:58] It's a shame to even speak of those things. Done in them secret. All things that are reproved. Are made manifest. Verse 13. By the light. For whatsoever doth make manifest is light. Back in Ephesians 5. Wherefore he saith.

[23:09] Awake thou that sleepest. And arise from the dead. And Christ shall give thee light. So moving into Ephesians 5 verse 15. See then. See then.

[23:21] That you walk circumspectly. Not as fools. But as wise. Redeeming the time. Because the days are evil. Now the word circumspectly.

[23:32] It's the only time it shows up in your Bibles right here. It shows up in Exodus 23. It says circumspect. Moses says be ye circumspect. All the things that I've commanded you.

[23:44] Be circumspect. And that's the only time it shows up. The word. If you break it down. Circum. Means around. Like circumference of a circle.

[23:55] Or to circumnavigate something. Is to go around. Navigate around something. So circum means around. And spect. Like spectator. Or spectacles.

[24:05] Has to do with looking. And your King James Bible. Puts the word see. Right at the beginning of the verse. Whether you ever picked it up or not. And it's not a reference to your eyeballs. See then.

[24:16] That you walk circumspectly. So the thought being. Looking around. But not just putting those two words together. And saying that's the definition. It carries the thought of aware.

[24:28] Of prudent. The prudent man foreseeth the evil. And hideth himself. But the simple pass on. And are punished. They're not aware of any circumstance.

[24:39] Or any consequence of it. So see then that you walk circumspectly. Not as fools. So a fool doesn't walk circumspectly. A fool doesn't pay attention to his surroundings.

[24:51] Or to his environment. Or to what damage he could be getting himself into. And take a look back at Proverbs 4. Speaking of darkness.

[25:05] And light. And your walk. And being aware. Proverbs chapter 4. Proverbs 4. There's some paths.

[25:20] And some ways. That are to be avoided. And a wise man will avoid it. And a fool will walk right into it. And not give a second thought.

[25:32] I'll start in verse number 14. Proverbs 4.

[26:07] is as darkness. They know not at what they stumble. So they don't have the scripture illuminating their path. The path. The light unto their path.

[26:19] And so they're walking in darkness. Go back to Ephesians. So see then that you walk circumspectly. Not as fools.

[26:30] But as wise. Ends in a comma. Redeeming the time. Because the days are evil. So this redeeming the time. And it connects back to verse 15.

[26:43] To the walk. See then that you walk circumspectly. Not as fools. But as wise. Redeeming the time. Your walk today. Is supposed to be redeeming the time.

[26:56] Your walk today. Contrary to how you were before. When you were sometimes darkness. Now you're light in the Lord. Walk as children of light. Walk circumspectly. Redeeming the time.

[27:07] Now I've got it. I probably have a little bit of a unique take on this. And not to say I'm unique on this. Really it's not my point. But I've never heard anybody else teach this. But I've gotten into this study already.

[27:19] With you a little bit. On this thought of redeeming the time. I've only ever heard anybody say. That that means. Now that you're saved. You should be a little more aware. Of how you waste your time.

[27:29] Don't waste time. We've got to serve God. Don't waste time. I even alluded to that earlier. But that's not. I don't believe at all. What Paul's teaching them. When he says redeeming the time. And if that was the truth.

[27:41] If Paul's saying. That don't waste time anymore. Now that you're saved. And don't waste time. With the unfruitful works of darkness. That's probably would be one of the most violated commands.

[27:51] In the word of God. For believers. All of us. What good. I like sitting down and watching sports. Whether it's World Cup. Baseball. Basketball.

[28:02] Football. All of it. I enjoy it. Or watching a Christmas movie. With my family. Like I did last night. And the night before. Believe it or not. That's a total waste of time. If I'm not learning anything.

[28:14] And applying any of it. What am I doing? I'm just hanging out. I could make. I could say. Well I'm spending quality time. With my family.

[28:26] But am I really spending quality? What's the quality? What qualities are we getting at? We're laughing together. We're picking up some lines from a movie.

[28:36] That we can joke about later. Or is that all we got out of it? But anyway. That's. I don't believe that's at all. What he's teaching. Redeeming the time. To study the word redeem.

[28:46] Is to buy back. You redeem things in the Bible. You redeem souls. You redeem your children. You redeem your cattle. You can redeem lands. And houses. All through that Old Testament.

[28:58] Set up of the law of Moses. Redeeming is to. You owe it to God. You buy it back. Christ hath redeemed us. From the curse of the law. Being made a curse for us. He paid for us.

[29:10] So there's a payment with redemption. It doesn't have anything to do. With this thought of like. Being wise now. With my time. And prudent. And a better manager of time. That's not the teaching. The teaching is.

[29:21] Get back something. What? The time. What would that be a reference to? Well we've already seen it. Look back at chapter 2. Ephesians chapter 2.

[29:32] And verse number 2. Wherein in time past. Ye walked according to the course of this world.

[29:44] That's how you walked. And there's a description of what that was like. In verse number 3. Among whom also. We all had our conversation in times past.

[29:56] In the lusts of our flesh. Fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind. But what a mess we were. Before Christ. In verse 11. Wherefore remember.

[30:08] That ye being in time past. Gentiles in the flesh. Verse 12. That at that time. Ye were without Christ. And you know what goes along with that. But now.

[30:19] But now. So come back to chapter 5. Look at another verse. Verse 8. Speaking of time. And it's the time past. That he refers to.

[30:30] Verse 8. For ye were sometimes. The past. Darkness. But now. Are ye light in the Lord. Walk as children of light. And as you walk.

[30:41] As children of light. Ye walk. Verse 15. Circumspectly. And in that walk. Verse 16. You're redeeming. The time. You're getting it back.

[30:53] And the only way I can make sense. Or apply that. Is that. At that time. The way you walked. It had. You had a testimony. And you declared some things.

[31:03] Among others. That you felt was. Correct or right. Look at. Look at one more place here. Colossians 4. To make this point. Colossians 4. It's towards somebody else.

[31:13] It's not about necessarily you. Regaining what you lost. On a personal level. But rather. A testimony toward others.

[31:25] You can regain. And this is in Colossians 4. Look at this in verse number 5. Notice the word walk. Walk in wisdom. Toward them that are without.

[31:37] Redeeming the time. Them that are without. Are like in Ephesians. Without God in this world. Without Christ. Christ. Which is what you were.

[31:48] So to the lost. Children of darkness. That you once were. But are no longer. Your testimony. And your walk today. Is to redeem. That time.

[31:59] That you were lost. And it's to get it back. And it's to declare to them. That you're not that person. But you're somebody. A new creature. In Jesus Christ. And those days that.

[32:10] You walked that way. Are evil. And you don't want that. To be your testimony. Your testimony. Is supposed to be. Verse number 9. Of Ephesians 5.

[32:21] The fruit of the spirit. Is in all goodness. And righteousness. And truth. And so what you want. Is for them to see. Good. And righteousness. And truth.

[32:31] If it's. If what you're doing. Is not good. Or righteous. Or true. Then there's not going to be. Any fruit of the spirit. And we're just. Spilling right into this passage.

[32:41] On the fruit of the spirit. In verse 18. Back in Ephesians. Chapter 5. So redeeming the time. By walking as children of light. By walking circumspectly.

[32:53] By being filled with the spirit. In verse 18. You've got a new look. And a new testimony. You're a new person. A new creature in Christ. Verse 17 says. Wherefore be ye not unwise.

[33:04] But understanding. What the will of the Lord is. That's a verse. You ought to underline. Or. Or really care about.

[33:15] Be ye not unwise. Well that's. Being unwise. Is easy enough. That'd be the fool. In verse 15. Not as fools. But as wise. Be ye not unwise. But understanding.

[33:28] What the will of the Lord is. Understanding is a. A high thing. Come to Colossians. Chapter 1. It is a high thing.

[33:39] To obtain. So many people. Don't have it. And they're in darkness. Having the understanding. Darkened. Because of the blindness.

[33:50] Of their hearts. Colossians 1. Verse 1. Understanding. What the will of the Lord is. For this cause. We also.

[34:00] Since the day. We heard it. Do not cease. To pray for you. And to desire. That ye might be filled. With the knowledge of his will. In all wisdom. And spiritual.

[34:11] Understanding. Spiritual. Understanding. Not just. Understanding. The. The way of the world. Or the economy.

[34:22] Or. Why. Inflation. Does what it does. Or the political circles. Or. Or understanding. And being consumed. With. Those items. But no. Spiritual.

[34:33] Understanding. And a man that has. Spiritual understanding. He'll get it from. Fellowship with God. In the book. And from getting the word of God. In him. And his eyes opened. Friend. But a man with spirit.

[34:45] With. With knowledge of his will. In all wisdom. And spiritual understanding. Is. Is going to lose interest. In those other things. He's going to lose interest. In the.

[34:55] The. The kingdoms of this world. And what they're doing. And what they're boasting. And who they're talking about. And who they're propping up. And it's just. All that's just going to start to fade. Because the spiritual.

[35:07] He's going to see. That there's this thing. Is being run by something higher. Than just a guy that showed up. From Florida. And people are rallying behind him. Or some other. They're going to see that this.

[35:19] This stage. Is being played out. Somewhere else. And. I'm not going to get political on you. This morning at all. I don't care to. But I care to. Have you be understanding.

[35:30] What the will of the Lord is. And what is the will of the Lord. What's the will of the Lord. For America. What's the will of the Lord. For your family. What's the will of the Lord.

[35:41] For Bible Baptist Church. What's the will of the Lord. What is it. I just want to be in the will of God. I just want to know what it is.

[35:52] Do you. Does anybody want to know. What the will of God is anymore. Does anybody care. The will of. You can find it. You can seek it.

[36:04] You can search for it. And it will be revealed to you. And Paul's praying for these people. That they'll be filled with this knowledge. And understanding. And wisdom. The will of the Lord.

[36:15] And they could have it. If they wanted it. And more people care. So. They're so distracted. I don't want to attack you. And just blame you for it. But it's true. You're giving in. To being distracted.

[36:26] By these other voices. And these other things. That are calling for your attention. And for your love. For your affection. Your heart. And these things are not the will of the Lord.

[36:38] They're not what God's doing. And if you want to know what God's doing. You can find it. You can get alone with him. And start being serious. And devoted to some time with him. And he'll start opening your eyes.

[36:49] If you're serious. Back in Ephesians. We're going to wrap it up here shortly. Be ye not unwise. Unwise. So anybody that's chasing things.

[37:00] That are not the will of the Lord. You know what they are. They're unwise. And they're giving themselves. To something that doesn't matter. And they're wasting their life. And when they stand before Jesus Christ.

[37:12] And they give account of themselves. That's just going to burn. Quickly. That's not going to interest him at all. Wherefore be ye not unwise.

[37:22] But understanding. What the will of the Lord is. Now there's some things in this Bible. That just describe very clearly. What the will of the Lord is. In certain ways. And I don't want to take the time.

[37:34] But there's a handful of references. That say this is the will of God. Very plainly. And it has to do with a discipline. A way of life. That you submit yourself to.

[37:46] What God wants for me. In my walk today. I could almost say. Pretty easily. That most of the commands. And verses we're reading. Is the will of God.

[37:58] Just what we read about verse 11. And verse 12. And verse 13. And verse 15. It's all God's will. For your life. To live this way. But specifically.

[38:10] You want to see a verse. That says. In everything. Give thanks. For this. Is the will of God. In Christ Jesus. Concerning you. So there's one. That's easy.

[38:21] To pull out of the Bible. There's another one. In 1 Thessalonians 4. That actually. I think it's a handful of them. Through the chapter. You can read through that. It talks about.

[38:31] Your sanctification. That you abstain from fornication. But then it goes beyond that. That you do this. That you do that. And that you walk honestly. In the whole chapter.

[38:42] Now. You can look that up on your own. If you don't know where those verses are. Or just search the will of God. Or the will of the Lord. And you'll find a handful of verses. That describe that. I'm not going to be able to get too far into this.

[38:54] But look at verse 18. And be not drunk with wine. Wherein is excess. But be filled. With the spirit. And that's a.

[39:05] That thought is not over. That goes all the way down. To the end of verse 21. So I'll continue reading. Be filled with the spirit. Speaking to yourselves. In psalms and hymns. And spiritual songs. Singing and making melody.

[39:17] In your heart to the Lord. Giving thanks always. For all things. Unto God and the Father. In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Submitting yourselves. One to another. In the fear of God.

[39:29] So he gives. Some specific things. Following. The phrase. Be filled with the spirit. Before that. It's the negative. Be not. Be not drunk with wine.

[39:41] Wherein is excess. But be filled with the spirit. And then he goes on. To give some. Thoughts on that. Before we get into that. Look at. Proverbs chapter 20. He talks about wine.

[39:55] And wine is a word. That you ought to study. In your Bible. And you ought to know. What it means. Because this book. Is our authority. For how we live our lives. And so if it has something to say.

[40:07] We need to know. What it says. In verse number 18. Of Ephesians. It says to be. Not drunk with wine. So a lot of. People that want to.

[40:18] Use their Bible. Will preach. From that. Well moderation. Moderation is the key. Just don't be drunk. Because the drunkard. Won't inherit the kingdom of God. And.

[40:30] That's excess. But if you're moderate. With your drinking. Then you're okay. So is that what the Bible says. I. Wouldn't. Allow that from one verse.

[40:41] Always study the entirety of scripture. Now here's. Here's something from Proverbs 20. Wine is a mocker. Verse 1. Strong drink is raging. And whosoever.

[40:53] Are you a whosoever? Whosoever is deceived thereby. Is not wise. Wherefore be ye not unwise. But understanding.

[41:05] What the will of the Lord is. What's the will of the Lord. When it comes to wine. Or alcohol. What is the will. You can find it in this book. If you search for it.

[41:15] And you want to know it. The quick guy will say. Well don't be drunk. Moderation. Because when you're drunk. Things happen. And. We could do a study on wine.

[41:27] It's not a hard study to do at all. That wine is a word. That is a product of the vine. It's the liquid from the vine. And it can be.

[41:39] It's called new wine. In many cases. It can be just as fresh as fresh can be. We call that grape juice. But it can also be in another state. It can be in a fermented state. An alcoholic state.

[41:50] And that's called. Wine. Noah was drunken. With wine. And lot. And there's negative things that happen with wine.

[42:01] And there's other cases where there's kings and Pharaoh. Having it pressed into his cup. And it's wine. And so there's different. It's the same word. But there's different.

[42:12] What's the word I want? Different. Presentations. Of that substance. One is fresh and pure. The other one is alcoholic.

[42:24] And fermented. And the Bible uses the word. The same word. Jesus turned water to wine. What did he turn it into? Something where they were all getting drunk. And what happens when you get drunk at a party?

[42:36] Is that what Jesus Christ was doing? Or has he just turned it into something that they said. This is the best stuff we've ever had. It was as pure and as fresh as could be. So it just takes a little Bible study.

[42:47] To find out what God is allowing. Or what he's saying. But the command here is plain. Be not drunk with wine. And that's something that no doubt. These Ephesians would have grown up with.

[43:00] And been accustomed to. And now they're being taught. That stay off of that stuff. Be filled with the spirit. And if you're filled with the spirit. He's not going to pick up the wine. He doesn't have it.

[43:10] The new man doesn't want to taste it. He doesn't want to feel it in his body. He doesn't need it. He doesn't need to loosen up a little bit. He doesn't want any of that.

[43:21] The new man has the spirit of God in him. He needs his tongue loosened by God's power. To proclaim Jesus Christ. So we'll stop there. And next week we'll pick it up.

[43:32] With what Paul describes. Being filled with the spirit looks like. And we'll see that in a few verses following. So let's take a break there. And Lord willing we'll be back to this next week.