Ephesians 5:15-21 "Living Wisely In A Foolish Age"

 

Ephesians 5: 15 – 20  is essentially a summary statement of all that we have previously read and considered as we have  thought about practical Christian living  from  Ephesians 4 &5. 

Practical living (ethics, morality and behaviour) is defined not by what we think, but by what God thinks. I trust that you are clear on what God thinks about lying, stealing, corrupt language, bitterness, wrath, anger, clamour, slander, sexual immorality, covetousness etc.  We cannot be indifferent to these issues, because God isn’t. Also, our love for  Jesus is measured  by our obedience to these things:   ”If you love me you will keep  my commandments.” (John 14:15)

We are not going to say much about  5:6-14  which is a strong exhortation  to let no one persuade us or deceive us  to think that  these  things are not really serious in God’s eyes.   The Bible calls us not to listen to the sons of disobedience (5:6). We must have no partnership with such people (5:7). Their endorsement of a lifestyle which is contrary to  God’s word, belongs to the darkness. “It is shameful even to speak of the things that they do in secret.” (5:12). If you are a Christian you belong to the light (5:8). Christians must not participate in the darkness but expose it (5:11,13). When you are a Christian you can have   no part in dark stuff  (5:11-14).

Our passage in 5:15-21 follows the typical pattern of Paul’s teaching. 

Remember? He teaches Christians what to avoid in this world, but he does not end there. He is not just a moralist who says, “Don’t do this …”.  He shows us not just what to avoid, but how to live positively in a God-centred way. He shows us how to replace negative lifestyles with God’s thoughts. The Bible never takes something away, without exchanging it for something better. The Christian life is the exchange of our old, downward spiralling life for a new God-focused, heaven (upward) directed life. Christians are not imitators of the ways of this world. They are imitators of the life of God (Eph. 5:1). Christians focus on that which is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent and praiseworthy in God’s sight (Phil. 4:8). Christians live wisely and discerningly and above all, Christians are committed and submitted to a Spirit –filled lifestyle.

This is all very important. We are about to enter into a very important practical section of our studies in practical Christianity, Ephesians 5:21-6:4 - God willing,  in October, when  we aim to deal with the matter of practical Christian living in the home. Nowhere is our Christianity more crucial and more tested than in our homes. In this regard, it is significant  to take note that that the suitability of a church elder is judged by the way in which he conducts his domestic affairs - by how he relates to his wife and his children (1 Tim 3).

And now with regard to our text, we  shall  consider four vital  aspects of  Christian thinking  and behaviour  before we apply  practical Christian thinking to the marriage,the family and the workplace 

1.      5:15-16 Living wisely  in respect to our use of time

2.      5:17 Living wisely in respect to seeking the will of God

3.      5:18 Living wisely in living a Spirit-filled life 

4.      5: 19,20 Living wisely in living a life of joyfulness and thankfulness

1. 5:15-16  The wise use of time

15 Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, 16 making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.”   Dear people, let us not be naïve about our world. Let us not be naïve about the times in which we live.  In Gal. 1:4  we read   that Christ “gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age…".  No matter what you think at times and what you may have been led to believe - this world is not good. There are aspects, by God’s grace and intervention that are good, but this is a fallen world! It is always mixed with evil, which makes the good unreliable. When the apostle Paul writes to the Ephesians he isn’t writing as an armchair theologian. He had experienced much evil in his own day. He often had been at the receiving end of evil, such as when he was stoned and beaten and imprisoned, and when he went without food and clothes and shelter (2 Cor. 11:23-29). He even confessed that he was wrestling with his own sin (Romans 7). And besides all this he suffered  a thorn in the flesh  which God would not remove - no matter how much Paul pleaded with God (2 Cor.12:7-9). We are not living in a world in which everything is easy and healthy and holy. This requires wisdom. It requires healthy biblical realism.

How then do we live wisely in a world filled with so much evil – both, without and within? The text in 5:15 in its literal rendering says: “See to it that you walk circumspectly (peripateio)…”. Life in a fallen world demands of us that we consider all matters before us with discernment and caution. Impulsive living and giving into mere appearances and prayerless living is the mother of poor decision making. We must live carefully and circumspectly. Everything in this life requires effort and care. We may put much effort  into our jobs, our education,  and our outward  appearance, but  we need to be careful  that we do not neglect  the foundational  disciplines of  training for godliness (1 Tim.4:7,8), so that our marriages, our families  and  every other relationship will be conducted with God given wisdom.

Wise people are called to make the most of their God-given time by making the most out of every opportunity - literally by redeeming (Gk. exagorazo – to buy back) the time. Don’t waste time or opportunities. Time can never be recovered once it is gone. You cannot turn back the clock. Yesterday’s wasted opportunities are gone forever.  I have heard it said by a good number of people who have become believers only in later years, “Oh, how I regret all the years I have wasted in living for myself and without serving God!” 

Jonathan Edwards, the great  American theologian wrote in 1722 in his journal a number of resolutions (commitments). The second resolution reads: Resolved: “Never to lose one moment of time, but to improve it in the most profitable way I possibly can”.

Incoming back to 5:15 we must remember what is said  in  the prior verse in 5:14: “Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.”  A sobering reminder! Many a time we  sleep through  golden opportunities, drifting through life, engaging in meaningless and fruitless activities, never making the most of  the opportunities that present themselves to live for Christ and in His service. Time wasting is the mark of foolish living (5:17).

2.  5:17 Seeking the will of God

“Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is”. Living in an evil age with all its temptations, requires that we need to keep one eye on the world in which we live, and one eye upon God. The great temptation is to live by our  conventional wisdom i.e.  living by what everybody else thinks and says and being saturated by the values of our culture without questioning the culture. We must learn to always question the standards of this world, by asking God, what do you say in your word? It is clear that God’s will is that we should be like Christ. Therefore, anything that comes at us should be examined in the light of God’s Word and this question,  Is this God’s will for my life?

Christians who live arbitrarily and contrary to God’s Will, will find out very soon how painful that path is. They will soon find out  that where they plan to go, God will not go with them. It is as good as walking into the devil’s den. So your happiness in this world very much depends upon your abiding in the will of God. (see Jn. 15:1-9)

3.  5:18 Living a Spirit-filled Life

“And do not get drunk (Gr.methuo) with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled (Gr.pleroō) with the Spirit.” Drunkenness is characterized by a loss of understanding and  a loss of judgment. Alcohol is a depressant, not a stimulant. It depresses the nerve-centre of the brain. It inhibits a person’s self-control, affects their wisdom and understanding, and impairs their sense of judgement, balance and co-ordination. This is why drink is the main cause of all car accidents. It is the main cause of domestic abuse and murder.  Drunken drivers kill others because they are not in control of their faculties, and therefore not in control of the car. Their faculties are possessed by the effect of alcohol. The side effects of alcohol are a ‘hangover’. The excessive intake of drink utterly exhausts a person.  It is significant then  that the apostle Paul uses this ‘spirit’ which controls a man, to compare it with the effects of the Holy Spirit upon a person: “Be filled with the Spirit!”  

I was reading Dr Lloyd Jones’ comments upon this verse, and he had the following fascinating insight to offer as he observes that the Holy Spirit is not a depressant but a stimulant. He writes: “If it were possible to put the Spirit into a textbook of Pharmacology, I would put Him under the stimulants, for that is where He belongs. He really does stimulate… He stimulates the heart, mind and the intellect … after  the Evangelical Awakening  over 200 years ago these besotted, drunken  miners  in the Midlands, in the North and round about Bristol ...were suddenly converted by the power of the Holy Spirit, and they began to clamour for schools, and wanted to be able to read. The Holy Spirit stimulates the mind and awakens one’s faculties and develops them. (Martyn Lloyd Jones: Life in the Spirit, Exposition  on Ephesians  5:18-6:9, Banner of Truth, p.20) ) 

Alcohol does the opposite. It kills brain cells and makes people stupid.The Holy Spirit, by contrast strengthens us. He gives us understanding and intelligence to see things as they really are. He helps us to understand this evil world, and He helps us to overcome the world. He helps  us to see its foolishness. And so we are commanded to “be filled with the Spirit”. 

This statement (5:18b) is written in the imperative mood - hence it is an authoritative command. 

It is written in the plural form, “all you …be filled”, therefore it applies to the whole Christian community. 

It it is written in the passive voice “be filled” i.e. do not fill yourself, but ‘let the Holy Spirit fill you’. 

It is also written in the present tense which has the force of an continuous and ongoing action i.e. keep on being filled with the Spirit. 

The positive, stimulating influence of Holy Spirit makes the difference in our lives! He is indispensable to the living of a life of happiness and true wisdom. We are called to yield to Him!

4. 5:19, 20 Living a joyful & thankful life

“19 addressing one another in psalms, hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart , 20 giving thanks always  and for everything to God the Father, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ…”. This is the result of a focussed life. It gives us freedom, and therefore it gives us real joy. What makes the Christian faith different from others? It is a singing faith! We always have music in our hearts and music on our lips!  A Buddhist temple does not resound with songs of praise. It is more occupied with keeping the evil spirits away. Muslim worshippers never sing. Their worship is never jubilant, filled  with the songs of the forgiven. The Christian has much to sing about because our God reaches into the depth of our fallen beings and sets us free by contrast is great in His love and mercy, and mighty in His power. His Grace is magnificent.

SUMMARY

In the light of what we have learned so far in the 4^th and 5^th chapter, what does the Lord  require of you?  To walk in wisdom  and to understand the world in which you live; always redeeming the time, always filled with the Holy Spirit  and always thankful  and singing God’s praises. This is the God centred life for which you were designed!