Ephesians 4: 17-32

Ephesians 4:17-32 deals with "how we walk. " To walk is a choice.

We have been studying the Letter to the Ephesians for the past few weeks. All the lessons are good…this week the lesson is very applicable to our daily lives so I decided to blog a lesson.

Review of Ephesians.

A letter written to believers, not ‘the world.’ By Paul. Ephesis was on of the greatest cities in the area at that time. Rich. Greedy. Worldly. Sinful. Can you think of any cities that you know of today that might fit that description? As a believer how would you feel today if God suddenly moved to you a very worldly city to live? There are devoted Christians that live in New Orleans, San Francisco, and Las Vegas…go figure!!! How would you ‘walk’ if you had to move to one of those cities and live in the downtown area. (I have lived in San Francisco and Las Vegas and loved it. There is nothing sinful about San Francisco, Las Vegas, San Diego, and Boston, except the people and their life choices.)



Here Paul is encouraging and teaching the believers about how to live day to day in the world. We can all learn much from this particular section of Scripture.



STOP!
Read the verses slowly and intentionally, marking any words you do not fully understand. Mark the words, ‘but,’ ‘because,’ and ‘for,’ (when it means because). Another phrase that is important is ‘so that’….this is giving a direction, or a result in something.



LOOK!

This section begins with ‘therefore.’ In Seminary we learned to stop at the word ‘therefore’ and ask – “What is that therefore there for?” Paul is saying – “Because of what I just told you….do this….” The beginning chapters of Ephesians speak of Gods love and salvation…..because of Gods love and salvation…do this….WALK this way.
( Go to Romans 12:1 a well known verse, and see the ‘therefore’ )



What is ‘walk?’ Our walk is our movement through life. Our lifestyle. How the world sees us operate. It is a choice, an action.

We say that we are different from the world, from non-believers, but are we really? Is the only outward appearance to your neighbors and family that you are a Christian, the fact that you go to church every week? How many times in the last month have you said ‘no’ to something they are doing, or might do, that would make you ‘different’ from them. Lets see….how we talk. What we watch on TV. How we spend our money. My neighbors watch all those vampire and paranormal programs on TV. Do I? Should I?

Being a Christian is not a matter of all the don’ts in live, despite the list in the above paragraph. Or Christian life is all about our relationship with God, and how it makes us different from the world. Its not that we ‘don’t’ do things the world does. It is that the world does things that, because we have the Holy Spirit in our lives, we chose not to do.
Ephesians 4:19 speaks of ‘giving themselves over to lewdness’. As Christians, with the Holy Spirit directing our lives we should be choosing the things in life that are pleasing to God. We are obedient, not disobedient. We are submissive, not rebellious to the Word of God. We do it all in love, and in the power of the Holy Spirit.

LISTEN! How to we apply what we have studied to our life?


I never want to seem like I am preaching to you. Every word is directed at my own heart. I know that my style of writing sounds preachy….I do not mean to point the finger at my readers. It is for me too.

I spend hours, literally hours, studying some of these topics. I have to ask each question of myself, and have it ruminate around in my head and spirit…I have hours to think about some of these questions. Whey I say “you” I am saying ‘me’ foremost.



Much of Chapter 4 of Ephesians is about believers being different from the world around them.


Be different – how? Why? To whom?


Being different from the word is not easy but is a natural flow from our change of heart, from our love and devotion to God, from the empowering of the Holy Spirit. Scripture says that are born again, and that we take off the old, and put on the new. Scripture says that the Holy Spirit is living in us to guide and teach us.


I have to ask myself….do I let the Holy Spirit direct my life? Do I listen to that inner prompting .. to that “little voice”


Does your relationship with the Lord of Creation make your lifestyle different than the world around you?


How do we act/decide/choose to be different? To me more Christ-like?
1. Accept Jesus and not only our Savior, but our Lord. He is our boss. Are we obedient to His directions for life?
2. Act. Choose. Do.
3. Plan….yes plan. We have to decide how we will respond ahead of time to those things that we know will come into our life that are not pleasing to God. Plan how to respond.

I have a wonderful young nephew that I love dearly, who is about to go on active duty in the Navy. Because I spent 20 years in the Navy myself, I am aware that for many young people, away from home for the first time, and feeling that testosterone soar when they put on the uniform and feel like a man….many temptations come up. The world says to be manly…you will participate in alcohol, swearing, pornography,….in other words… Sex, Drugs, Rock and Roll. It will all be presented to my nephew.


“Aunt Jeanne” has given him this lecture: Decide beforehand how you will respond to all of this. Decide beforehand what your level of integrity will be. I am not telling you what to do…but know that these temptations and your choices will sometimes have life long effects – and decide how you will handle it now.


That is the same advice we need every day in our Christian life. What is going to come before you in your life today that will not be pleasing to God? Perhaps your family or friends go to movies, or watch certain TV programs that you know are now pleasing to God. What will your response be? ( In my life, it seems like more and more I am changing the channel on the t.v. when I see something that is not pleasing to God. I am convicted that even watching sex, drugs, rock and roll, on tv is something that I need to avoid. Some of what used to be my most favorite programs…are no more to grace the screen in front of me.)

Perhaps your friends are wearing clothing styles that you know are not pleasing to God, or caught up in the vampire-craze. What do you do? How will you face criticism if you will not wear that style, or get caught up in the vampire/paranormal programs?

The holidays are approaching. How will you respond to meals, activities, social situations that may involve worldly pleasures”? Plan ahead. It all probably can be summarized in these questions…will we be obedient or God? Is what we are doing pleasing to God?

I am asking that of myself.