Memory Text: Ephesians 5:8 NIV “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light”

Sunday, November 27 Walk In Love
Ephesians 5:1-2 NKJV “1 ¶ Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. 2 And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.”

Monday, November 28 Walk In View of Judgment
Ephesians 5:3-7 KJ21 “3 ¶ But fornication and all uncleanness or covetousness, let them not once be named among you, as becometh saints; 4 neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not befitting, but rather giving of thanks. 5 For this ye know: that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the Kingdom of Christ and of God. 6 Let no man deceive you with vain words, for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience. 7 Be ye not therefore partakers with them.”
Ephesians 5:3 COMMENTARY BY ALBERT BARNES What was Paul's estimate, then, of covetousness? He considered it as an odious and abominable vice; a vice to be regarded in the same light as the most gross sin, and as wholly to be abhorred by all who bore the Christian name.
Ephesians 5:4 COMMENTARY BY WILLIAM BURKITT Here our apostle advises Christians to guard against the sins of the tongue, to avoid all filthy discourse, and all foolish discourse, all scurrilous and obscene jesting, all excess in drollery, which is nothing but the foam of a frothy wit. Moderate mirth, by innocent and inoffensive jesting, is not here forbidden: but when we jest by tart reflections upon the way, gesture, or natural imperfections of others, especially when we furnish out a jest in scripture attire, and in a jovular humour make light and irreverent application of scripture phrases!
Exodus 20:3-17 KJ21 “3 "Thou shalt have no other gods before Me. 4 "Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. 5 Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them; for I, the LORD thy God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate Me, 6 and showing mercy unto thousands of them that love Me and keep My commandments. 7 "Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh His name in vain. 8 "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 Six days shalt thou labor and do all thy work; 10 but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD thy God. In it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates. 11 For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it. 12 ¶ "Honor thy father and thy mother, that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee. 13 "Thou shalt not kill. 14 "Thou shalt not commit adultery. 15 "Thou shalt not steal. 16 "Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor. 17 "Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s house; thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor anything that is thy neighbor’s."”
Nehemiah 1:5 MKJV “And I said, I pray You, O LORD God of Heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps covenant and mercy for those who love Him and keep His commandments;”
Daniel 9:4 MKJV “And I prayed to the LORD my God, and made my confession, and said, O Lord, the great and awesome God, keeping the covenant and mercy to those who love Him, and to those who keep His commandments,”
John 15:10 MKJV “If you keep My commandments, you shall abide in My love, even as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.”
1 John 5:2-3 ESV “2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. 3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome.”
2 John 1:6 ESV “And this is love, that we walk according to his commandments; this is the commandment, just as you have heard from the beginning, so that you should walk in it.”
1 John 3:7 KJ21 “Little children, let no man deceive you. He that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as He is righteous.”

Tuesday, November 29 Walk In Light
Ephesians 5:8-14 NRSV “8 For once you were darkness, but now in the Lord you are light. Live as children of light— 9 for the fruit of the light is found in all that is good and right and true. 10 Try to find out what is pleasing to the Lord. 11 Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. 12 For it is shameful even to mention what such people do secretly; 13 but everything exposed by the light becomes visible, 14 for everything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says, "Sleeper, awake! Rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you."”
Ephesians 5:12 COMMENTARY BY BARNES There are some vices which, from the corruptions of the human heart, cannot be safely described; and it is to be feared that, under the plea of faithfulness, many have done evil by exciting improper feelings, where they should only have alluded to the crime, and then spoken in thunder. Paul did not describe these vices, he denounced them; he did not dwell upon them long enough for the imagination to find employment, and to corrupt the soul.
John 3:20 NKJV “"For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.”
John 3:20 COMMENTARY BY BARNES Hateth the light. This is true of all wicked men. They choose to practise their deeds of wickedness in darkness. They are afraid of the light, because they could be easily detected. Hence most crimes are committed in the night. So with the sinner against God. He hates the gospel, for it condemns his conduct, and his conscience would trouble him if it were enlightened.

Wednesday, November 30 Walk In Wisdom
Ephesians 5:15-17 NRSV “15 Be careful then how you live, not as unwise people but as wise, 16 making the most of the time, because the days are evil. 17 So do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.”
Ephesians 5:16 COMMENTARY BY WILLIAM BURKITT Buying up those moments which others seem to throw away; steadily improving every present moment, that ye may, in some measure, regain the time ye have lost. Let time be your chief commodity; deal in that alone; buy it all up, and use every portion of it yourselves. Time is that on which eternity depends; in time ye are to get a preparation for the kingdom of God; if you get not this in time, your ruin is inevitable; therefore, buy up the time.
1 Corinthians 1:20-21 20th Century NT “20 Where is the Philosopher? where the Teacher of the Law? where the Disputant of to-day? Has not God shown the world’s philosophy to be folly? 21 For since the world, in God’s wisdom, did not by its philosophy learn to know God, God saw fit, by the ‘folly’ of our proclamation, to save those who believe in Christ!”
1 Corinthians 3:19 20th Century NT “For in God’s sight this world’s wisdom is folly. Scripture tells of-’One who catches the wise in their own craftiness,’”
2 Corinthians 1:12 20th Century NT “Indeed, our main ground for satisfaction is this—Our conscience tells us that our conduct in the world, and still more in our relations with you, was marked by a purity of motive and a sincerity that were inspired by God, and was based, not on worldly policy, but on the help of God.”
Psalm 111:10 MKJV “The fear of the LORD [is] the beginning of wisdom; all practicing them [have] good understanding; His praise stands forever.”
Proverbs 1:7 MKJV “The fear of the LORD [is] the beginning of knowledge; but fools despise wisdom and instruction.”
Proverbs 1:7 COMMENTARY BY MATTHEW HENRY Fools are persons who have no true wisdom, who follow their own devices, without regard to reason, or reverence for God.
Isaiah 33:6 MKJV “And He will be the security of your times, [and] strength of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge; the fear of the LORD [is] his treasure.”

Thursday, December 1 Walk With the Fullness of the Spirit
Ephesians 5:18-20 ESV “18 And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, 19 addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with all your heart, 20 giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,”
Ephesians 5:18 COMMENTARY BY BARNES It is not improbable that in this verse there is an allusion to the orgies of Bacchus, or to the festivals celebrated in honour of that heathen god. He was "the god of wine," and, during those festivals, men and women regarded it as an acceptable act of worship to become intoxicated, and with wild songs and cries to run through streets, and fields, and vineyards. To these things the apostle opposes psalms, and hymns, and spiritual songs, as much more appropriate modes of devotion, and would have the Christian worship stand out in strong contrast with the wild and dissolute habits of the heathen. Plato says, that while those abominable ceremonies in the worship of Bacchus continued, it was difficult to find in all Attica a single sober man.
Romans 6:16 KJ21 “Know ye not that to whomever ye yield yourselves as servants to obey, his servants ye become whom ye obey, whether of sin which leads unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?”
Ephesians 5:19-21 NKJV “19 speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, 20 giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, 21 ¶ submitting to one another in the fear of God.”
Ephesians 5:19 COMMENTARY BY BARNES Speaking among yourselves, that is, endeavouring to edify one another, and to promote purity of heart by songs of praise. This has the force of a command, and it is a matter of obligation on Christians. From the beginning, praise was an important part of public worship, and is designed to be to the end of the world.
Ephesians 5:21 COMMENTARY FAMILY BIBLE NOTES Submitting yourselves; yielding cheerful obedience to proper authority, from regard to God, who established it…The only security from the most debasing crimes is, in being habitually under the influences of the Holy Spirit, actively engaged in the service of God, and in the conscientious discharge of duty.