May it please God to bless us
together this evening as we meditate in his word. Let us turn to the
Epistle of Paul to the Ephesians and the fifth chapter and we'll
read verses 14, 15, 16, and 17. The Epistle of Paul to the Ephesians,
chapter 5, and reading verses 14, 15, 16, and 17. Awake thou that sleepest, and
arise in the dead, and Christ shall give thee light. See then
that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, redeeming
the time, because the days are evil. Wherefore, be ye not unwise,
but understanding what the will of the Lord is. it is often very easy to read
parts of the Word of God and to think well of course they
don't have an application to me and I don't need words like
that being read or preached upon and yet we should remember that
the Apostle Paul wrote this epistle to the Ephesians and he tells
us in the very beginning for an apostle of Jesus Christ by
the will of God to the saints which are at Ephesus and to the
faithful in Christ Jesus so in those days it was necessary that
such words should be spoken such words should be written to the
people of God to instruct them to encourage them and to direct
them so we should consider such words as this as words of love
to our souls to realise the Lord is gracious He doesn't leave
us to just wander on aimlessly sometimes perhaps very often
we just need some correction we need some direction and we
need the Spirit of God to come upon us to confirm to us that
the Lord is dealing with us as sons and daughters of the Most
High God we're not being left to ourselves just to wander along
aimlessly in this life and then just hope everything will be
alright in the end indeed the great thrust of the Gospels the
great thrust of the Epistles is that the Church of God might
be found healthy and lively in their souls and therefore we
should always be thankful that there are such words to instruct
us such words to encourage us and such words to direct us and
so here we have tonight words perhaps that we might think we
need but it's a good thing if we realise the Lord does give
to us the realisation that these words are written as I said in
love to our souls and it's really quite an astounding statement
that he says awake thou that sleepest and arise in the dead
and Christ shall give thee light well I'm sure we wouldn't want
to think that we are asleep in the things of God I'm sure we
wouldn't want to feel that that was a judgment against us but
the Lord looks into our heart looks into each of our hearts
and no one else can look into another's heart it is that which
is revealed only to God and we might appear to be very good
outwardly and yet you see spiritually we might be very sleepy we might
be very willing to live as it were far from God and assume
that everything was going to be all right there wasn't any
difficulty and there wasn't any problem and so what a mercy then
if the Lord graciously comes and speak such words because
surely the Church of God desire to be spiritually awake and not
spiritually asleep and not spiritually dead but to be blessed with that
wonderful light of the Gospel and as we've often said that
light which shines so gloriously in the face of Jesus Christ what
a mercy therefore tonight even if perhaps we have settled down
it's quite easy sometimes to settle down in the things of
this world and what a wonderful thing it is when God comes as
it were and makes us consider our position and our situation
and speaks in such words as this awake thou that sleep is we don't
want to be left asleep, do we? at least I hope we don't I hope
we want to be spiritually awake ever seeking after the blessings
of God ever seeking after the revelation of the Lord Jesus
Christ as our Saviour ever able to know the wonderful blessing
of the sinatonic death of the Lord Jesus Christ you see we
won't have any true desire for that it might just be a statement
on our lips but there will be A true statement from our heart,
when the Holy Spirit comes and reproves us of our situation,
tells us where we are, what we're doing, how we've perhaps, as
the Lord says, my people have forgotten me, days without number. That's a tragic truth, isn't
it? And how we desire that the Lord
will not leave us in such a condition, but He will bring therefore the
sins of omission before us sometimes we tend to forget those sins
of omission when we've forgotten to worship God when we've forgotten
to pray to God when we've forgotten to earnestly seek his face and
so such a word is needful for all of us as it was for the Ephesians
as it has been and will be for the whole Church of God. Wherefore
he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise in the dead, and Christ
shall give thee light. And then he says, See then that
ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise. And again this is a gracious
word of instruction from the Lord. To each one of us, to walk
circumspectly that means to walk as Christians should walk that
means walk in accordance with the truths that are set before
us in the Word of God indeed turning away from all those things
which separate us from our God and designed to be drawn to those
things which draw us to the Savior that we might walk circumspectly
and he gives us this very clear statement not as fools the devil
will make us a fool he wants us to be a fool he wants us never
to hear the Word of God he wants us always to endanger ourselves
he wants us always to turn away from God he wants us always to
listen to his his voice to his way and don't forget the devil
is a great deceiver and what he does he puts before us things
that attract our flesh going back to Adam and Eve the things
which attracted Eve the fruit it looked very pleasant and attractive
and especially when she was told how it would be good that she
would be blessed with that knowledge of good and evil so the devil
is very cunning is very skillful and therefore we need to be very
careful and to walk circumspectly and not turning away to things
which sometimes appear to be alright perhaps we haven't studied
it carefully enough perhaps we haven't analysed it carefully
enough and perhaps we've given in to the temptation of Satan
the devil never gives up don't forget that right until our dying
breath he never gives up he always intends if possible to deceive
us and to turn us away from the things of God and as such you
see if we follow that way what are we? we're fools therefore
this word is spoken not as fools but as wise now the Lord tells
us the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom and what
a great blessing that is if God gives us that fear of the Lord
that concern to do that which is right that concern to that
which is God honouring that concern to turn away from the sins which
do so easily beset us and not make excuses for them but the
true desire the Lord to give us grace to see earnestly that
strength that we might be wise this is true wisdom wisdom from
God and how important it is and how necessary it is and so then
see then that ye walk circumspectly not as fools but as wise sometimes
we are encouraged to speak those things which are good and right
which is absolutely right but here we have these words that
the Apostle draws our attention to that we might walk and if
we walk we're moving and we are observed and how we walk and
it's a good thing therefore if you and I as we walk in the world
today which we are to do we're born in this world to walk in
the world we're not born to go and live in a monastery we're
born to walk in this world we're born to be the blessed witnesses
for the Saviour and so what a wonderful thing it is to recognise that
we are encouraged therefore to walk in this world circumspectly
not as fools but as wise well it's a great blessing isn't it
if God enables us to walk in this way it's never easy a Christian's
path the path they walk is never easy and we can be sure the devil
always endeavours to make it as difficult as he can so that
if possible we would give up but thanks be to God for the
grace of God thanks be to God for the keeping power of God
thanks be to God for the word that Peter says kept by the power
of God and it's a wonderful thing when we prove that grace and
we can look back and say yes by the grace of God the Lord
kept me and enabled me to walk circumspectly sometimes our old
nature didn't want it what a blessing it is when God graciously overcomes
our old nature enables us not to be a fool devil who want us
to be but to be wise and then these words redeeming the time
because the days are evil what does that direct us to? Directs us surely to this that
we must have wasted a lot of time in our life wasted it you
and I can never as it were recover the time which has gone we can
never bring back those minutes, those hours, those days, those
weeks, those months, perhaps years that we wasted wasted we've
gone our own way we haven't been following the blessed way the
saviour sets before us and so such a word as this is so relevant
isn't it? as it speaks to our hearts directs
us to redeem the time that really means to to buy it back to buy
it back well we haven't got any natural currency that can actually
buy it back but I believe as the Holy Spirit enables us we
will desire therefore to be kept very close to the Lord Jesus
Christ and we will be concerned to walk in His ways we won't
want to listen to the voice of Satan we will have done, we all
have done I'm sure look in our lives we realise yes we have
much to mourn over many sins to confess many things perhaps
many thoughts perhaps many words perhaps many actions and we haven't
used wisely and the time's gone and so the Lord here graciously
speaks such words as this redeeming the time well it's not the only
place of course in the Word of God where we read about this
in the Galatians we also read about redeeming and the Apostle
again writing to the church at Galatia in the fourth chapter
he says he speaks to us very very wonderfully and very clearly
really but now after that ye have known God or rather are
known of God that's a wonderful statement isn't it now after
you've known God or rather are known of God that's the spirits
work isn't it how turn you again to the weak and beggarly elements
where until you desire again to be in bondage he says you
observe days and months and times and years I'm afraid of you lest
I bestowed upon you labor in vain. The apostle was concerned,
wasn't he, about the health of the Galatians. And it's a good
thing for us today to be concerned about our spiritual health. I think that the apostle was
afraid of them, of how they were going to wander away. and so easily it is that we can
wander away especially in this day and age in which we live
because there are many, many things to tempt us and we live
in such a material age what a blessing then when the Holy Spirit directs
us to the life, to the death of the Saviour Himself and to
realise what a cost it was that he endured in order to save our
souls and when he wrote to the Colossians you see the Apostles
writing all these epistles are letters to all these churches
and they are letters of good instruction and we should not
think they are not relevant to us they are as relevant to us
today as they were all those years ago and so he tells us
in the fourth chapter of the epistle to the Colossians and
the fourth verse he says that I may make it manifest as I ought
to speak you see he was concerned that he might speak rightly walk
in wisdom toward them that are without redeeming the time wisdom
to walk to those who are without who are not within the church
of God you see it's quite easy perhaps to walk uprightly and
easily in the Church of God it's not so easy when we're walking
without those who do not believe the truth of God and those who
try to draw us onto their ground it's not so easy then you see
and so we have this good statement walking in wisdom toward them
that are without redeeming the time And then not only does the
apostle speaker walk in again, but this time he brings in speech,
talking. And the sixth verse tells us,
let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt. You may know how you ought to
answer every man. well if you and I desire us truly
to be found redeeming the time what a blessing it is if our
constant prayer is as we live in the world and walk in the
world that we may have this blessed favour of godly speech let your
speech be always it doesn't say sometimes it doesn't say when
you feel like it it doesn't say when you're moved it doesn't
say that at all always when perhaps we're not feeling too special
when perhaps we're feeling a bit hard-hearted perhaps when we're
looking down and feeling sorry for ourselves we're still here
instructed let your speech be always with grace seasoned with
salt you might say the salt of the gospel is of course that
which brings a glorious flavour to it and what that must be is
the blessed Saviour the Lord Jesus Christ so let us be found
then exalting the Saviour in perhaps difficult company because
we don't know what will prosper this or that but if we never
speak if we never say anything there will never be any blessing
what a mercy therefore if we realize the importance that we
are found redeeming the time all those weeks and perhaps years
of our life that we wasted away we've never spoken our speech
we've been silent never spoken perhaps and so here we have this
gracious word we might say that a gracious command really by
the Apostle under the influence of the Holy Spirit let your speech
be always with grace that means the unmerited favour of God speaking
of the things of God because if you and I have experienced
the Lord has come and shown us unworthy sinners that we are
Lord Jesus Christ has come and delivered us from the wrath to
come. He's come to us and shown us that he died upon that cross
at Calvary in order to redeem us from all our sins. What a debt you and I owe. What
a debt we should never be able to repay at all. But yet what
an honour it is to hear a word like this. Let your speech Be
always with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye
ought to answer every man. However we may be attacked, however
you might speak to us wrong things, what a blessing it is to have
grace to answer them lovingly, carefully, not with any proud
spirit, not in any anger, about in love to their souls desire
that they might hear the gracious words of the Lord and be eternally
blessed well that will be a wonderful encouragement as God gives us
grace so to do and I tell you this when the Lord helps us in
this way it brings peace in our hearts because we're thankful
that God has stood by us And He hasn't left us to ourselves. So let your speech be always
with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought
to answer every man. You see, we have a God who knows
exactly what words we need. Left to ourselves, we bring forth
wrong words. Don't forget the case of Nehemiah
when he was before the king and asked that question. What did
he do? He prayed to God. God gave him an answer and that
answer was acceptable to the king. First thing he did was
to pray to God. So may you and I have grace to
do that, to pray. He would help us. He will give
us right words. The Lord doesn't fail. The Lord
is faithful. The Lord does hear. The Lord
does help. And often you and I will be surprised
at the words the Lord gives to us to speak for His honour and
for His glory. And so we have these words here,
redeeming the time because The days are evil. Well, they were
evil in the days in which the Apostle wrote. And my friends,
if they were evil then, they must be far more evil now, mustn't
they? Surely we live in a dark world, a sinful world, where
sin is flaunted on every side. And here we have these words
of encouragement to redeem the time, because the days are evil. where they are they're not good
days in which we live and nor does cause us to live on this
earth as we read in Esther for such a time as this Esther didn't
have an easy course to take did she? Morikea had commanded her
to go and to testify to speak to the king of the plight that
the Jewish people were in And that was a great question for
her. And she knew that if she wasn't received, death was the
outcome. Yet God gave her faith to say
she would go, which is not according to the law. And if it was so,
if she perished, she would perish. Gracious submission to the will
of God. And it's good, therefore, in
our lives, if God gives us gracious submission to do his will. There she was before the king
and the king held out the golden scepter. What a relief to her. What a relief to us when God
gives us right words to speak and also when we are received. We think we may be rejected.
Sometimes the Lord graciously enables the words that we speak
if they're spoken in the right way in love they are received
and then we're surprised we shouldn't be but we are we can bless God
then for such a wonderful outcome because the days are evil and
then he says wherefore be ye not unwise how easy it is to
be unwise how easy it is to take out take the easy course you
see Esther could have refused she could have said no it's not
according to the law I'm not going and I don't have to but
no the Spirit of God moved her to hear the words of Mordecai
and to venture forward she ventured in faith what a good thing it
is for us today if God give us that strength to venture in faith
and therefore we're not unwise to the world it may seem to be
unwise but we go perhaps like the Apostle Paul says I will
go in the strength of the Lord God I will mention of His righteousness
even of His only you don't have to look to yourself you don't
have to portray yourself portray the Saviour, the great and glorious
One who has given His life that you and I might possess life. Wherefore be ye not unwise, but
understanding what the will of the Lord is. That doesn't mean
that God gives us understanding and then we don't follow it out.
That means when God graciously gives us understanding we do
then go in His strength. The Apostle said, I can do all
things through Christ who strengthens me. And you look at the Apostle's
life and how much opposition he had. But he was able to speak
that wonderful word to the Philippians. And of course he could speak
very powerfully to the Philippians because of the difficulty he
had faced in Philippi. And yet God was with him. And
that's why he was able to testify such a great truth as that. And
so these words we have tonight, but understanding what the will
of the Lord is, God graciously instructs us and gives us understanding. We can believe it is his will
that we speak those words. We walk that way, which is for
his honour and for his glory. However painful and difficult
it may appear to the flesh, it may not happen at all. It may
appear the flesh is often weak. Let us go. in the strength of
our God and so let us remember these words here tonight a very
wonderful really wherefore he says awake thou that sleepest
and arise from the dead and Christ shall give thee light he will
so then that you walk circumspectly not as fools but as wise redeeming
the time because the days are evil Wherefore be ye not unwise,
but understanding what the will of the Lord is. Amen.