Circumspection - Ephesians 5:15-17

Our study of Ephesians has taken us now to Ephesians 5:15. You'll recall that beginning in Ephesians 4:1, we have the believer's walk, his daily Christian life. The first 16 verses of Ephesians 4 discussed walk in unity, the unity of the members of the body of Christ, unity in the church. Then from Ephesians 4:17 to 5:17, we have walk in purity. And oh, how important this is in the lives of Christians today. God expects us to be different. God expects us to be different from the world. Walk in purity.

Now, in verses 15-17, he says this: "See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise. Redeeming the time or buying up the opportunity, because the days are evil. Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is." Walk in purity, walk circumspectly. The word "circumspectly" simply means accurately, exactly. If you take the two Latin words that make up circumspect, it means to look around. Now, there's one sense in which a Christian ought not to look around. For example, over in Proverbs, Solomon said, "Let thine eyes look right on. Turn thou neither to the right hand nor to the left." This is true. When God has sent us on a mission, when God has given us a purpose to fulfill, let's keep our eyes upon that goal. Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. Paul says, "Forgetting those things which are behind."

Some Christians are always looking behind. You remember our Lord Jesus said, "He that puteth his hand to the plow and looking back is not fit for the kingdom of God." When God delivered Lot and his family from Sodom before the city was destroyed, he said, "Look not back." But Lot's wife did. And God had to judge her. Many Christians live by looking back. And many Christians live by looking around, looking for sin. You remember in John 21, when Jesus said to the Apostle Peter, "Follow me." Peter began to follow the Lord again. He was restored to his discipleship, and he heard some footsteps behind him. And Peter said, "What shall this man do?" And Jesus said to Peter, "What is that to thee? Follow thou me."

You know, we as Christians need to get our eyes off of other Christians. It's none of our business what God does in their lives or through their lives. The chief indoor sport of many church members is criticizing the preacher or criticizing church officers. Now, preachers and church officers make mistakes. The only people who don't make mistakes are people who don't do anything. The Lord Jesus warns us, "Don't put your hand to the plow and look back." Paul warns us, "Forgetting those things which are behind."

But Paul tells us here, walk circumspectly, walk accurately. Keep your eyes open so you know where you're going. There are pitfalls in the Christian life. Satan sets traps. The world tries to allure us. Walk accurately.

Now, verses 15-17. He says, "See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise. Redeeming the time, buying up the opportunity, because the days are evil. Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is."

The devil always keeps his people in the dark. He always keeps his people in the dark. Judas was in the dark. He went out and it was night. And for Judas, it is still night. Saul was kept in the dark. Saul was living for the flesh, trying to kill David. Saul ends up in a dark witch's cave trying to have fellowship with the devil. And Saul died in the dark. Samson, Samson played right into the devil's hands. And they cut out his eyes and put him in a dungeon, grinding the wheat. He was in the dark.

Now, the devil always keeps his people in the dark. He wants them to be fools. Now, God never wants his children to be fools. Unfortunately, some of his children are fools. Saul confessed, "I have played the fool." I'm sure the prodigal son came home and said, "Oh, what a fool I have been." He said this when he confessed his sin. How foolish that my father's servants should be at home, having bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger.

If I speak to a Christian today out of the will of God, tenderly may I say this to you, you're a fool. You could be rich and you're poor. You could be happy and you're miserable. You could be free and you're in bondage. Don't walk foolishly. Walk wisely.

Now, why should we walk wisely? Well, verse 16 tells us time is running out. "Redeeming the time, buying up the opportunity." Now listen to me. You have only one life to live. If you're 5 years old, you may have 65 years ahead of you, and perhaps you can afford to waste your time a little bit. But if you're 35 years old, half of your life is gone. And you're on the downward side of the hill. If you're 50 years old, you don't have much time left. If you're 65 years old, you're almost living unborrowed time. Redeeming the time, making the use of the opportunity God wants us to make.

Now, whenever a Christian gets out of the will of God, whenever he is not walking circumspectly, carefully, accurately, he wastes time. He loses time. He loses precious years he can never get back again. If a man wrecks his automobile, he can buy a new automobile. If a man's business goes under and he goes broke, he can earn some more money. You get sick, you can call a doctor and get well. But you can't get yesterday back again. You can't reclaim the last five years. You can't get your life back again.

This is what Jesus meant when he said, "What shall it profit a man if he shall gain the whole world and lose his soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?" A man comes to his deathbed, and he knows that the death angel is just outside the door. And he would give everything he possesses for one more day of time. And so the word of God warns us that we as Christians had better not waste our lives in foolish endeavors, living for the world and the flesh and the devil. We should walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, buying up the opportunity because the days are evil.

Now, most people today don't agree that the days are evil. The days are evil. They're evil. The days are good. These are good days. Two cars in every garage, three chickens in every pot. These are good days. Well, materially speaking, they may be good days. I thank God that I drive an automobile, not a horse and buggy. Thoreau mentioned in one of his books, over 100 years ago, that "we have improved means to unimproved ends." I think this is true. We're driving faster and more comfortably, but we don't know where we're driving to. And we're living more comfortably in our homes, but our homes are not much better. The things that money can buy are more expensive and more beautiful and more elegant than ever before, but the things that money can't buy are being lost.

And Paul says the days are evil. The days are evil. The God of this world is in charge. "The world lies in the lap of the wicked one," says 1 John 5:19. The days are evil. Now, in evil days, Christians must live wise lives. Walking wisely, walking in wisdom. Making the best use of every hour, every day. When we stand before the Lord Jesus Christ, we're going to learn how many hours we wasted and how many opportunities were lost.

I'll never forget when I was pastoring in my first church up in Indiana. I was asked to visit a man in the hospital. And I went to see him and tried to talk to him about the Lord, but he just didn't want to listen. And so I said to myself, "Well, if he doesn't want to hear, I'll come back tomorrow. He might feel better." The next day I went back and I met one of my friends who was a funeral director. And I said, "Have you come to pick someone up?" And he said, "Yes." And he mentioned the name of the man on whom I'd called the day before. And that name struck a cold note in my heart. I had no more opportunity to talk to that man. The opportunities were gone.

There are pitfalls in the Christian life. There are times when our opportunities are lost. Now, I may be speaking right now to some teenagers still in high school. One of these days, your opportunity to witness to the young people in your high school will be gone. I may be speaking to a Sunday school teacher or to a pastor or to a church officer. The day is going to come when your opportunities to serve the Lord will be gone. And so Paul says, "Measure every step. Plan your lives." At the beginning of every day, ask God to take hold of your life, to guide you, to give you wisdom.

James 1:5: "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, who giveth to all men liberally." "Redeeming the time because the days are evil. Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is." Now, I like this. God wants us to know his will.

Now, first, we know his will, then we understand his will, then we do his will, and we prove his will. Romans 12:2 says, "Proving what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God." Proving by experience. Oh, I can say from several years of walking with the Lord, that it pays to obey him. To prove in your daily life what is the will of God.

Now, the will of God is not something we play with. It's not something we talk about. It's not something we study. It's something we do. "He that doeth the will of God, abideth forever." Not he that prayeth about the will of God or he that seeketh the will of God. He that doeth the will of God. "Why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things that I have commanded you?" Understanding what the will of the Lord is.

"God is not willing that any should perish." That's the will of God. "But that all should come to repentance." "God who will have all men to be saved." That's the will of God for you. The will of God is that you be saved. If you've never been saved, you are a fool. You're not walking circumspectly, wisely. You're walking on that broad, dark road that leads to destruction.

May I recommend to you today that you step into the will of God and trust Jesus Christ as your savior. It is not God's will that you die and go to hell. It is God's will that you be saved. Trust him even while I close this message. As we pray, Heavenly Father, may there be those listening now who will open their hearts to Jesus Christ and step into the will of God and be born in the family of God by trusting Jesus Christ. We pray in his name and for his sake. Amen.