Ephesians 5:6-15

A1 Scripture

B1 Ephesians 5:6-15 WEL Don't let anyone deceive you with empty words, for because of these things God's hot anger comes on the children of disobedience. 7 Therefore, don't be partakers with them. 8 For at one time you were darkness, but now light in the Lord, so live as children of light. 9 For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth. 10 Testing things [to see if] they are acceptable to the Lord. 11 Do not have fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness rather reprove them. 12 For it is shameful even to talk about those things, which are done by them in secret. 13 Everything when exposed is revealed by the light, for whatever reveals is light. 14 Therefore, he says, "Awake you sleeper and rise up from the dead, and Christ will shine on you." 15 See to it that you walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise.

B2 Ephesians 5:6-15 GNB  Do not let anyone deceive you with foolish words; it is because of these very things that God's anger will come upon those who do not obey him.  7 So have nothing at all to do with such people. 8 You yourselves used to be in the darkness, but since you have become the Lord's people, you are in the light. So you must live like people who belong to the light,  9 for it is the light that brings a rich harvest of every kind of goodness, righteousness, and truth. 10 Try to learn what pleases the Lord. 11 Have nothing to do with the worthless things that people do, things that belong to the darkness. Instead, bring them out to the light.  12 (It is really too shameful even to talk about the things they do in secret.) 13 And when all things are brought out to the light, then their true nature is clearly revealed; 14 for anything that is clearly revealed becomes light. That is why it is said, "Wake up, sleeper, and rise from death, and Christ will shine on you."  15 So be careful how you live. Don't live like ignorant people, but like wise people.

A2 Outline

B1 Deception

C1 Through empty words

C2 Leads to God's wrath

C3 Empty words listened and acted upon show a life as a son of disobedience

C4 A warning to not be like or with them

C5 Your past. You were at one time in darkness, thinking darkness, and living darkness. Darkness is the opposite of light: John 3:19-20 NRSV  And this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil.  20 For all who do evil hate the light and do not come to the light, so that their deeds may not be exposed.

B2 Children of light (in the Lord).

C1 To walk as children of light

C2 Evidences

D1 Goodness

D2 Righteousness

D3 Truth

D4 Seeking and finding what is acceptable to the Lord

D5 No fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness

D6 Exposing darkness

E1 Shameful acts

E2 Light manifests these shameful acts

D7 Wake up

D8 Messiah is the one who gives light

A3 Notes

B1 Empty words = something without success or empty of any purpose or meaning

B2 These things = the evil mentioned in the previous verses. We are to avoid:

C1 Sexual immorality

C2 Impurity

C3 Greed

C4 Irreligious talk

C5 Crude jokes

B3 Sons of disobedience =

C1 Sons of disobedience = this is the default position of every human. The disobedience is disobedience to God’s ways in thoughts, desires, words, and deeds.

C2 Disobedience

D1 Have no regard for authority =

E1 (Nehemiah 9:26 ESV)  "Nevertheless, they were disobedient and rebelled against you and cast your law behind their back and killed your prophets, who had warned them in order to turn them back to you, and they committed great blasphemies."

E2 (Titus 1:16 WPNT) "They profess to know God, but by their actions they deny Him, being detestable, disobedient and disqualified for any good work."

D2 Rebellion

D3 Stubbornness

A4 Applications

B1 We are not to associate with those who live rebellious lives. Rebellion is understood as those who will not believe and live God’s ways. God’s ways are not what some church defines but what the New Testament defines. So be wary of church standards and don’t sign Church Covenants; often they are used to control and abuse.

B2 Our former life (our life before repenting and putting our faith into Jesus Christ) was just as described. It was rebellious in thoughts, words, desires, and deeds.

B3 God’s ways are seen in the Bible especially the New Testament. We read things we must do and believe, things we must NOT do and believe, principles, and examples of success and failure.

B4 We must not live our lives in lies. If we sin, confess it. We must not cover it up. Those who cover up their sins as most likely not true believers in Jesus Christ.

B5 Since the day we live in is evil, we must do what we can to live honestly as Christians in private and public. Time is fleeting.