Bible Text: Ephesians 5:15-21 | Preacher: Pastor Joe Ricchuiti | Series: Ephesians, Urgency in the Christian Life

1.  If Christians are to be light in a world of darkness we must live wisely.  That’s Paul’s exhortation to Christians.  To live unwisely is to live: in disunity (4:1-16); sin (4:17-32); selfishly (5:1-6); and in darkness (5:7-14).  A wise walk is a walk which reflects our dependence upon God, not drifting through life but setting a proper course (the example being how we plan our professional and personal lives but seem to have no direction for our spiritual lives.  Time in the Word and prayer, church attendance, and service must be priorities for us, not just if I feel like it or if I haven’t had too hard a week.  Spiritual life can too easily be seen as secondary to our recreational life, our professional life, etc.; Paul classes this as unwise.

2.  Warren Wiersbe has said: “It is sad to see many professed Christians ‘drift’ through life, like sleep walkers, who never really make the most of opportunities to live for Christ and serve Him.”

3.  We must be live wisely (“Biblical wisdom is not an intellectual achievement, but an attitude to life which begins with a knowledge of God and an avoidance of all that displeases Him.” –Ralph P. Martin) because:

-we don’t have any more time to waste on the “old life,” the old way of living

-the days are evil (morally corrupt, hostile to Christian values, and desperately needs the light we can bring)

-God has a purpose and plan for us that must take precedence in our lives.