Let's take our Bibles and turn
with me to the book of Ephesians chapter 5. Ephesians chapter
5. Let's ask our Lord's blessing. Our Father, we thank you for
another time that you've given us to be able to meet. Lord,
may we be ever so careful in remembering, Lord, the seriousness
of what is going on here. Lord, this is the only way that
you've been pleased to send faith through the hearing of the gospel.
Lord, may the gospel be preached. May Christ be honored. May your
sheep be called out of darkness. May your people be comforted
for Christ's sake. Amen. I'd like to look at verses 11
to 17. Ephesians chapter 5. We're going
to look at 11 to 17, but I want you to look at verses 15 and
16. See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools,
but as wise, redeeming the time because the days are evil." Now,
tonight we've come to hear from the Lord. Now that's a pretty
serious thought. We're here to hear from God. This is the way that the Lord
speaks. He speaks through His Word and
He speaks to His people. Now this message tonight is not
for everybody. This is for God's people. This
is for the Lord's people. This Bible is written for instruction
in righteousness, for exhortation to God's people. Now, it's a
book of judgment to those that refuse to believe, but I'm telling
you, this book is written to God's people. Now, look at chapter
5, verse 1 and 2. Be ye therefore followers of
God as dear children, and walk in love as Christ also hath loved
us, and hath given himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice
to God for a sweet-smelling savour." Is this message written to? Well, it's written to those that
Christ has loved and has given Himself for. Well, who did the Lord give Himself
for? Well, He said, in John 10, 15,
He said, I lay down my life for the sheep." Whenever he came into this world
made flesh, made of a woman, made under the law, the angels
crying, the shepherds, you know, call his name Jesus, for he shall
save his people from their sins. This message is written to those
that the Lord prays for. Now, who is He praying for? Well,
John 17.9 says, and this is the Lord speaking, He said, I pray
not for the world. Not praying for the world. John
17.9. Not praying for the world. He said, I'm praying for those
that you've given me out of the world." So now this is pretty
specific on who this book and who this passage, who this message
tonight is concerning. It's written to God's people,
those for whom He praised, those for whom He died, those for whom
He came to save. And the Lord It gives instruction. This book was penned by the Apostle
Paul. But these scriptures were dictated. It was the Spirit of God that
moved upon holy men to write these scriptures. And so these
are the words of Almighty God. These words of instruction. And these words are given to
give us some instruction concerning our walk in this world. Now,
we know, no doubt, I don't even need to say this, but I'm going
to say it anyway. We all know that we're not saved by our works,
by our walk. We know that. Not by works of
righteousness that we've done. What does that mean? That means
that there's nothing that you or I could do or did do to begin
God showing us mercy. Not by our works, not by works
of righteousness that we've done, but according to His mercy He
saved us. But though a believer is not
saved by works, by his walk, He certainly does have a consistent
walk before God. Not for salvation, but because
of. It's the evidence. Like I said,
I mean, does a baby cry in order to be alive? Or does he cry because
he is alive? Well, life had to come first,
or the baby couldn't cry. I can tell you this. A believer
has to be given life before he can walk consistently. And even in his walk, he puts
no confidence in it. Not a believer. Not a believer. There's no confidence in the
flesh. He didn't start this and he knows by revelation from God
he can't maintain it. But by the grace of God, he does
walk. It does have a consistency of
walk. Now let's just look and just
see what God has to say. Look at verse 11. The apostle
under the inspiration of God's Spirit says, "...and have no
fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather
reprove them." Now, let me tell you what it didn't say. It didn't
say that believers can never have any communication or any
kind of interaction with unbelievers. Now that's just ridiculous. There's
no possible way. You know many that... you're
around unbelievers. Believers are around unbelievers
every day. I mean, not only are they around
believers at work, and they have civil dealings with them, but
we have unbelievers in my family. I've got believers and unbelievers
in my family. And we have to be around each
other. But the Scripture is setting
forth here, it doesn't say don't have any fellowship with the
unbelievers themselves, and have no fellowship with the unfruitful
works of darkness, but rather reprove them. What
he's saying is, we're going to be around, folks in this world
that don't love the God that we love. The sovereign, electing,
redeeming, regenerating God of all grace. We believe that God
Almighty chose before the foundation of the world to whom He was going
to show mercy. That's Ephesians 1.4. You know that's so. God
chose. 2 Thessalonians 2.13. We're bound
to give thanks all the way to God for you, brethren, Beloved
of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you
to salvation through sanctification of the spirit and belief of the
truth. So we know that Almighty God has elected a people. We
know that. God says He did. So it's not
even up for debate. God has elected a people. And
I know that in this world there's a remnant right now according
to the election of grace. Paul said that in Romans. But
we're in this world, and I don't know who God's people are, but
before they're called out of darkness, I can tell you what
they are. They're unbelievers. They don't believe. They don't
believe God. But the Scripture is setting forth that it's not
that we are to shun being around unbelievers, but these unfruitful
works of darkness, what they consider to be Okay. No big deal. It doesn't matter. Yes, it does matter. Yes, it
does matter. A believer's walk is to be consistent
before God. It is damaging. It's damaging. It's horribly
damaging for a believer to think it a light thing to not walk
with consistency. And that which he knows is right.
Now, he doesn't even name what these unfruitful works are. A
believer knows. He knows. He knows. I want you
to hold your place right there, and I want you to turn with me
to 2 Samuel 12. 2 Samuel 12. There was a man named David,
and this is what Scripture says about King David. He was a man
after God's own heart. He was the sweet psalmist of
Israel. David was the one by whom the
Lord gave deliverance to Israel. Remember when they were out there
in the battlefield and there was one side that was Israel,
the other side was the Philistines. Remember how David went out there?
The Lord used that little shepherd, took a sling, put a rock and
a sling through that rock and just buried it right in the forehead
of Goliath and killed him, cut his head off. Remember that?
David, David. Well, David one night saw a woman
named Bathsheba. And David lusted after her, sent
for her, came over, you know what happened. Tried to cover
it up. Got her husband in from the battlefield,
took him in, told him, said, you need to go on home, get you
some rest, get you some R&R, spend the night with your wife.
And wasn't going to do it. Wasn't going to do it. No. Not
while my men are out there. Not while they're on the battlefield.
I'm not going to do that. Well, it didn't work, so David
sent him out there and said, you put him up in the forefront.
Make sure he gets killed. And he did get killed. But after
he was killed, I mean, you know, David comes, he takes Bathsheba
as his wife. This is a man after God's own
heart. You say, I'd never do that. 2 Samuel 12. Verse 12, God sent a prophet
to David. David pretty well thought this
thing smoothed over. This thing was, you know, I got
away with it. And this is what the prophet
told David. 2 Samuel 12, 12, For thou didst
it secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel. And
before the Son, God told him, he said, the sword's never going
to leave your house. You're going to go the rest of
your life. And David said unto Nathan, I've sinned against the
Lord. And Nathan said unto David, the Lord also hath put away thy
sin. Thou shalt not die. Now that's
normally where most people would stop, right there. Boy, the mercy
of God, and God is merciful. God showed mercy to that man
right there. He did, had no doubt about it.
Look at verse 14, how be it? Because by this deed thou hast
given great occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme the
child also that is born unto thee shall surely die. David was a man beloved of God. The Scripture declares that.
David was a man that knew God. He knew that. He penned the Psalms. Oh, the beautiful, the closest
thing that you will ever come to truly praying, read the Psalms. You read those Psalms, I think
to myself, Mitch, I wish I could say that. I try to pray and I
struggle and struggle. Read the Psalms. Those were inspired
by God's Spirit. David penned those. But I'm telling
you, this man right here, what he did, the Lord told him. He
said, you've caused the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme. Don't
think it a light thing. concerning our walk before God. I'm telling you, that old heart
of ours, that old heart is still there. It doesn't have dominion
over God's people, but there's an old man that's still within. And it struggles against the
new man, always suggesting, always striving after, always trying
to insinuate. Let me tell you something. Paul
the Apostle said concerning himself, O wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from the
body of this death? Don't think it a light thing.
Look at Philippians 1.27. Philippians 1.27. Only let your conversation, your
mode and attitude of walk before God and men, Only let your conversation
be as it becometh, builds up, adorns the gospel of Christ,
that whether I come to see you or else be absent, I may hear
of your affairs, that you stand fast in one spirit, with one
mind, striving together for the faith of the gospel, and in nothing
terrified by your adversaries, which is to them an evident token
of perdition, but to you of salvation, that of God. For unto you it
is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on Him, but
also to suffer for His sake." It does matter. Somebody says,
well, it doesn't really matter. I mean, you know, you're saved,
we're saved by the grace of God and it doesn't matter. Look at
Ephesians 4. It doesn't matter. I mean, we're saved by grace,
through faith. I'm a believer. It doesn't matter
my attitude toward the gospel, my attitude toward others. My
friend, it does. Believe me. When we take these
things lightly, we cause the enemies of God to blaspheme.
Ephesians 4.1, I therefore the prisoner of the Lord beseech
you, that you walk worthy of the vocation wherewith you are
called. You are called a believer. This
is what Paul is saying. Walk like one. Walk like one. You claim to believe the grace
of God. I believe God of all grace. Well, then walk like one. Act
like one. Back in Ephesians chapter 5.
511, have no fellowship with the unfruitful
works of darkness, but rather reprove them, rebuke them according
to the Scriptures and by an agreeable life, an agreeable walk. This is how these unfruitful
works of darkness are reproved. A believer possesses these same
temptations, pride, lust, envy, hate, and they struggle with
them. They struggle. Don't think that
a believer doesn't struggle with these things. This is the reason,
the best reproving of these unfruitful works of darkness. Those things
that an unbeliever just thinks, and a believer is tempted to
think the same thing. We're tempted to do the same thing. Don't think
that we don't struggle with these things, because we do. But the
best way to prove them is a consistent walk. A walk that becometh the
gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul is saying here, walk as
children of light. Walk His children. Look at verse
12. For it is a shame even to speak
of those things which are done of them in secret. Things that men think nothing
of, thinking they're getting away with them. That's what Paul
is saying. Things that they're doing in secret. Paul says it's
shameful. It's shameful. You know, we think
so light. We think so light of these awful,
these just unfruitful works of darkness. Things that are not
becoming to a believer. Again, here's the thing, they're
not named. But things that just do not become
the glory of God. Men, women claiming to be believers,
and believers! and having the temptation and
succumbing to the temptation. This is right here, right here. Attitude, oh, you think you have
a bad attitude. Oh, me, just such a bad attitude. Oh, may I be reminded, don't
have fellowship. myself be found having fellowship
with these unfruitful works of darkness. Me just holding on
to them, patting them on the back and bringing them to my
bosom and holding them fast and loving them and caressing them
and just loving it, feeling bad later. Paul says, don't have
fellowship with these unfruitful works. It's a shame. even to speak of those things
which are done of them in secret. 13. But all things that are reproved
are made manifest by the light. For whatsoever doth make manifest
is light. All things that are reproved
in myself or in others, I mean, don't think now, we're going
to walk around here and it's just all those other people that
are doing these things. Buddy, let me tell you something.
Who is Paul speaking to? When he said, verse 11, and have
no fellowship with, who do you think he was talking to? He's
talking to believers. Telling them. You know, it's
a shame, believer, to even speak of those things which are done
of them in secret, but all things are reproved, are made manifest
by the light. For whatsoever doth make manifest
is light, whether it's the Word of God, or your attitude concerning
the Word of God, and your walk before others, that which reveals
sin. and these unfruitful works of
darkness is said to be light. Look at verse 8 of this chapter
5, verse 8. For ye were sometimes darkness,
but now are ye light in the Lord. Walk as children of light. Let
your walk be such before men that they see the evidence of
our profession. And then don't put any trust
in it, okay? Don't put any trust in it. Verse 14, Wherefore he saith,
Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ
shall give thee light. Now let me tell you who he's
talking to. Believers, not unbelievers. If he's talking to unbelievers
there, and would say, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from
the dead, He would be preaching free will. And he's not. He'd be saying
that a man has the ability to wake himself out of the spiritual
death in which he's born. And that's not what he's saying.
Paul is saying, he's talking to believers who have become,
and often we do, lax. Very, very lax. in our walk. You know, it's hard to have to
admit it, but we do. Wake up. Wake up, is what he's
saying. One night, I was living in Franklin, I was sitting in the living room
and all of a sudden I heard the kids had already gone to bed.
And all of a sudden, one of my kids came walking out there,
all of a sudden, out of the back bedroom and turned and looked
at me and just kept walking into the kitchen. And as soon as I
saw, looked in her eyes, it was Sarah, and as soon as I looked
in her eyes, I knew, she's sleepwalking. Her eyes just glazed over, and
about half closed, and she just looked at me and just kept walking.
And I said something, she didn't even say anything. And I thought,
she's sleepwalking. A few minutes, she walked back. Now in that state, I don't know what she knew, I
don't know what she saw. I mean, she walked down the hall
and she came back. So she was seeing something.
She was in the hall. She didn't walk into a wall.
But I know this, she wasn't cognizant of what was going on. I know
she wasn't. She was out there somewhere and
she saw something. But she went back to bed. Didn't
even remember. Asked her the next morning, Sarah,
you remember getting up? No, sir? Okay. I said, you were
sleepwalking. Wherefore he saith, Awake thou
that sleepest, and arise from the dead. What does he mean,
rise from the dead? Be separate from these unfruitful
works of darkness is what he's saying. Arise from the dead.
You know, it takes the Lord to convict us of our spiritual slackness. Look at Romans 13. Hold your
place there. Look at Romans 13. There is a desperate need of
a continual, continual, continual hearing of the gospel for a believer. Listen now. Faith cometh by hearing
and hearing by the Word of God. How many times have we heard
that Scripture? Read that Scripture? Quoted that Scripture? How many
times? Faith cometh by hearing. Let me tell you what we cannot
do without it having a dire effect on us. You cannot fail to hear
the Gospel often. Often. Someone says, well, I
don't go to church all the time. But when I go, I enjoy it. And
I go as often as I can, something is wrong. Something is desperately
wrong. Desperately wrong. And don't
think that it won't affect you. It will. Faith cometh by hearing.
Hearing by the Word of God. Make much of hearing the Gospel. When the Gospel is preached,
let that be the first thing. That's number one. That's number
one. Everything else is second fiddle. Everything. I don't care.
I don't care. The Gospel. Be much in prayer. Oh, listen. I know we're busy. I know we are. I know you've
got to get up early. But I implore all of us, listen,
all of us, listen to this. Don't have any fellowship with
the unfruitful works of darkness. Let me tell you, the unfruitful
works of darkness, let me tell you what it is. They have no
desire to talk with God. They have no desire. Why? They're
dead. They're dead. and they think
nothing of it. Don't have fellowship with that. The Lord Himself, the Lord of
glory, the scripture says He rose early, early in the morning,
when it was yet day. And He went to a place by Himself. Whenever you pray, this is what
the Lord says, and when you pray, Not if and when you pray. And believers pray. They struggle
with prayer, but they pray. When I pray, I'll tell you this.
My prayers are just about the same every time I pray. That's
what I think. That's what I think. I've told
you before. Margaret's always sitting here
at the organ in my mind, you know, and Mitch, Mitch, Christy,
baby, right down there. I'm looking at you right now,
I see you, and in my mind, this is where I remember you sitting
and praying for you, asking the Lord's blessing on you, calling
your name before the throne of God, asking, Lord, have mercy. Asking God to lead us and guide
us. Make much a prayer. Awake! Wake up! Wake up! Wake up! Seek
the Lord while He may be found. Seek Him! Seek Him! Seek Him! And read the Scriptures. Take your Bible and open the
Scriptures and do like those in Berea. Don't be like the Thessalonians. But be those that were in Berea. They searched the Scriptures
daily to see if these things were so. You hear me say Christ
died only for His people, and I give you a Scripture, go look
it up. Go look it up. Read it. If I make a statement,
if I say, Christ does not pray for the world. He doesn't pray
for the world. He said, I don't pray for the
world. I'm not praying for everybody. He didn't pray for everybody.
Why? Because the Lord didn't give
Him everybody. He gave Him those out of the
world that Christ came to save. Don, that's what He said. Go
look it up. Go look it up. Paul is saying
back in Ephesians chapter 5, verse 14, Wherefore he saith,
Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead. Make much
of hearing the Gospel. Make much of prayer. Make much
of the Scriptures. Listen to this. In Christ, He'll
give you light. He promised. Look at verse 15. See then that you walk circumspectly,
not as fools, but as wise. You know, redeeming the time
because the days are evil. See that you walk with diligence,
with diligence. Taking heed to your walk by faith on Christ, be diligent. before men in the sight of the
Lord? Do it cautiously. Walk with caution. Lord, put a watch on my mouth.
Lord, help me. Help me. If I can't say something
that's building up my brain, may I just shut my mouth. May I be silent. May I be quiet. Remember Brother Henry, I told
you what he said. Before you say anything, is it
true? Is it kind? Is it needful? I tell you what, that'd nip a
lot of it in the bud, wouldn't it? See then that you walk with
diligence, circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise. with no regard. That's what he's
saying. Don't walk in the ways of darkness. Have that fellowship with those
unfruitful. Walking after the flesh, fulfilling the lust of
the flesh. It's what I want. It's what I
want to do. Walk as wisely. Walk according
to God's Word, led by God's Spirit as it becometh the Gospel. Loving
the brethren. Redeeming the time. Buying is
what it means. You've redeemed something, you
buy it. Buy it. Make the most of it. I told you, it's becoming easier
and easier for me to think about eternity. I ain't no spring chicken. I'm
not. I know I'm not. Somebody said,
well, I'm older than you. Yeah, but hey, I'll be right
there with you. Just give me a few more days.
I mean, I've read the Scriptures. I know what the Word of God says. When we're younger, it's so easy
to put off. You know, I'll never be as old
as you are. Here I am. I told somebody the other day,
I remember years ago thinking of all the old preachers, all
the old preachers. Well, here I am. I am some of
the old preachers. Redeeming the time. Make the
most of what we have. Listen, if there's something
you want to do, do it now. If you want to go talk to somebody,
go talk to them now. If you want to give, give now.
If you want to visit somebody, go visit them now. I don't know
what's going to happen tomorrow. I have no promise whatsoever. Putting something off is fatal. You know, that's what one man... Well, I wrote it down. Acts 24.
Acts 24. Paul was preaching. Acts 24,
verse 24. And the Scripture says, after
certain days when Felix came with his wife, Drusilla, which
was a Jewish... He sent for Paul and heard him
concerning the faith in Christ. And as he reasoned of righteousness
and temperance and judgment to come, Felix trembled and answered,
Go thy way for this time. When I have a convenient season,
I will call for thee." And Scripture never records it every call,
you know. Redeeming the time. Why? The days are evil. The days are
evil. You say, well, they've always
been evil. I know they have. But I tell
you this, there's coming a time the Scripture reveals that the
restraining hand of God will be drawn back and drawn back
and more and more evident. I mean, I hear some things on
television that I thought I'd never hear that. Just, I mean,
people verbalizing disrespect toward God. Just speaking with
such disrespect. Last verse, Wherefore, be ye
not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is. Now, I'll tell you this, I know
that there is a secret will of God that only time or eternity
will ever reveal what the will of the Lord was. I know this,
that whatever is coming to pass in this world has been eternally
ordered. I know that for a fact. Whatever
has come to pass, whatever it is, was ordered before the foundation
of the world. Lord willing, I'm going to preach
on this Sunday. David said, Although my house
be not so with God, He hath made with me an everlasting covenant,
ordered in all things, and sure." Meaning, everything that Almighty
God has ever ordered to come to pass, will come to pass. The counsel of the Lord is going
to stand. Almighty God that has everlastingly
purposed to save a people has also predestinated them unto
the adoption of sons by Jesus Christ Himself. So whatever God
brings to pass right now, Mitch, he always purposed that. Because
nothing has ever come to be new with God. He's always known that. Nothing is fresh in knowledge
to the Lord. And he's ordered it this way. He's not the author of sin, but
I'm telling you, everything that comes to pass, all things work
together for good to them. So, here's the Scripture. Wherefore,
concerning our walk, be ye not unwise. Don't be unwise about
this. God has a will. God has a will. And the Lord's
will, is going to come to pass. Wherefore, be ye not unwise,
but understanding what the will of the Lord is." Now, again,
there are some things I don't know. I don't know what's going
to come to pass. The Lord knows. But I can tell
you, and I've just jotted down just a few things in closing,
I know, I know, I know. Partially what the will of the
Lord is. Look at John 6, 37-40. John 6, 37-40. I know this is
the will of the Lord. And I know that it's going to
come to pass. I know it is. John 6, 37-40. The Lord said,
All that the Father giveth me shall come to me. Now I know
this, I know this is the will of the Lord, that the Father
has given the Son a people. I know that. All that the Father
giveth me shall come to me, and him that cometh to me I will
in no wise cast out. Well, from that verse of Scripture
I know this, God has an elect, and I know they're going to be
saved. I know that the Lord's not going to cast them out. I
know that's the will of the Lord. For I came down, from heaven
not to do mine own will, but the will of Him that sent me."
What is that, Lord? What is that? And this is the
Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which He hath
given me, I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again
at the last day. And this is the will of Him that
sent me, that every one that seeth the Son, believeth on Him,
may have everlasting life, and I will raise Him up, at the last
day. I know this, God has an elect. I know they're going to be saved.
I know they are. I know they are. I know according to Romans
1, 16, I know that it's the preaching of gospel. I know this gospel
right here is the blessing, is the message that God's going
to bless. I know that. I know that. I know that. Though being
wise, God has a will. Look at John 17, verse 24. John
17, verse 24. I know this. I know this is going
to come to pass. I know two ways about it. Why? Because the Lord Jesus Christ
has willed it, and the Lord Jesus Christ is God. The counsel of
the Lord is going to stand. Father, John 17, verse 24, I
will, that they also whom thou hast given me. Boy, you know
what? To dispute that God has a people,
according to grace, electing grace, is to dispute God's Word. Father, I will that they also
whom thou hast given me be with me where I am that they may behold
my glory which thou hast given me for thou lovest me before
the foundation of the world." Understand this, the Apostle
Paul said, walk as wise, the Lord has a
will, don't have fellowship, cuddle, love, and hold to these
unfruitful works of darkness. Walk as wise. Walk as children
of light. The Lord's will is going to be
done. Don't give this world of unbelievers a reason to blaspheme
the gospel. Love one another. walk as children
of light for our good and for the glory of Almighty God.