Ephesians 5:15-21 (Part 1)

I. Walk in wisdom.
-be = blepo = to see, to look
-careful = akribos = accurate, careful; idea of examining and investigating
Examples of acting unwisely
1. Disobedience
2. Doubting God's word - Gal. 3:1-3
3. Focusing on wrong things - I Tim. 6:9
-Prov. 1:7
-Ps. 119:99
-Walter Liefeld "It (wisdom) is knowing God, maturing in our relationship with Him and walking close and perceptively that we are enabled to develop godly character, live thoughtfully and make proper choices in life."

II. Make the most of our time.
-making the most = exagorazo = to buy up at the marketplace
-time = kairos = time, season, age

III. Understand the will of the Lord.
-foolish = aphron = without understanding, senseless; idea of imprudence or folly
-understand = suniemi = understand, comprehend, perceive, insight into;
-"The ability to bring things together and see them in relation to one another." Exegetical Key to the New Testament
a. God's gracious plan.
b. God's gracious guidance.
What is God's will?
1. Sanctification - I Thess. 4:3
2. Submission to authorities - I Pet. 2:13-15
3. Giving thanks - I Thess. 5:18
4. May include suffering - I Pet. 4:19
5. Standing firm in God's will - Col. 4:12
6. Loving one another - John 13:34
7. Share our faith
-Ps. 37:4

Ephesians 5:8-14

I. Live as the light.
-John 8:12
a. Produce the fruit of light.
-goodness = agathosune; Moral excellence, that which is good in nature and in its effectiveness
-Rom. 15:14, II Thess. 1:11
-righteousness = dikaiosune = justice, what is right, uprightness
-truth = aletheia = truth, reality
b. Discern what pleases the Lord.
-trying to learn = dokimazo = test, examine, discern, approve, prove.
-I John 4:1, Rom. 12:2

II. Understand the incompatibility of light and darkness.
-II Cor. 6:14
a. Do not participate in the darkness.
-participate = sugkoinoneo = fellowship with, fellowship in, participate in
b. Expose the works of darkness.
-expose = elegcho = to bring to light, reveal hidden things, convince, correct, reprove

NAS- "everything that becomes visible is light"
NIV- "for it is light that makes everything visible"
-II Cor. 4:6

III. Wake up.
-Is. 26:19; 60:1-2

Ephesians 5:1-7

I. Follow the example of Christ to love
-imitators = mimetes; word from which we derive mimic
-F.F. Bruce "No higher example of the grace of forgiveness was possible: let them imitate God in this regard, the more so as they had now been adopted into His family."
-gave up = paradidomi = to deliver over
-II Cor. 2:14-16

II. Forsake the impurities of the culture.
a. Continuing to reject immorality.
-immorality = porneia = sexual immorality
-greed = pleonexia = insatiable craving
-O'Brien "Thinking and talking about sexual sins 'creates an atmosphere in which they are tolerated and which can...even promote their practices."
b. Continuing to reject unwholesome speech.
-Luke 6:45
-silly talk = morologia = foolish talk
-course jesting = eutrapelia = wit (usually in an obscene way) course jesting
-MacArthur "It is the filthy talk of a person who uses every word and circumstance to display his immoral wit."
-Prov. 17:22, Ecc. 3:4

III. Exhibit an attitude of thankfulness.

IV. Do not allow deceptive words mislead.
-deceive = apatao = to lead astray, mislead, deceive
-empty = kenos = without substance, no kernel of truth.
-Col. 2:4, Rom. 16:18
-partakers = summetochos = fellow partaker

Ephesians 4:25-32

I. Speak the truth and forsake lying.
-Zech. 8:16

II. Be careful with anger.
-F.F. Bruce "There is no doubt a proper place for righteous indignation; but there is a subtle temptation to regard my anger as righteous indignation and other people's anger as sheer bad temper."
-Ps. 4:4
-tremble = ragaz = agitate, quiver, quake, perturbed
a. Do not habor anger.
b. Do not give opportunity for Satan to have influence.
-opportunity = topos = place
-Rom. 12:17-21

III. Work and do not steal.
a. Hands that worked evil will now do good.
b. Hands that took from others will now give to other.

IV. Use wholesome speech.
-unwholesome = sapros = rank, foul, putrid, rotten
-Ps. 141:3
a. What is good for building up.
-edification = oikodme = building, buidling up
b. What is appropriate for the momben
c. What is giving of grace.
-Col. 4:6

V. Do not bring grief upon the Holy Spirit.
-grieve = lupeo = to cause sorrow, pain, injure, grieve
-Is. 63:10

VI. Display supernatural virtues not natural vices.
-bitterness = pikria = bitterness, spite; "It is a figurative term denoting that fretted and irritable state of mind that keeps a man in perpetual animosity; that inclines him to harsh and uncharitable opinions of men and things; that makes him sour, crabby, and repulsive in his general demeanor; that brings a scowl over his face and infuses the words of his tongue with venom." Linguistic and Exegetical Key to the Greek New Testament.
-wrath = thumos = outburst of rage
-anger = orge = steady festering or seething
-clamor = krauge = shout, outcry, angry shouting
-slander = blasphemia = speaking against, slander
-put away = airo = to pick up and carry away, to make a clean sweep
-kind = chrestos = kind, merciful, loving
-Jer. 33:11
-forgiving = charizomai = to exercise grace in freely forgiving

Ephesians 4:17-24

I. Don't walk in the way of the world.
a. Their way of thinking is empty.
-futility = mataiotes = vanity, empty
-Eccl. 1:2
-mind = noos = thinking faculty, reasoning capacity, the mindset
-Col. 3:2
b. They accept no knowledge of God.
c. They harden their heart.
-hardness = porosis = stubborn, hardness, lack of feeling; idea of being rock hard
-callous = apalgeo = to cease to feel pain or grief, become callous, insensitive to pain
-Rom. 1:32
d. Their living is unrestrained.
-sensuality = aselgeia = indecency, vice, idea of unrestrained living
-greediness = pleonexia = covetousness, greed; idea of insatiable craving

II. Walk in the way of Christ.
a. Being shaped by Jesus.
-learn = manthano = to learn
-Deut. 5:1
b. Becoming what we are.
-MacArthur "We are new, but not yet all new. We are righteous and holy but not yet perfectly righteous and holy."
-Col. 1:3, 9, Rom. 6:6, 7
-II Cor. 5:17