Paul is advising the church in Ephesus to “take care”
in how they live. Paul’s contrast is between wise and unwise. As believers
we should be interested in living according to the wisdom of the Lord. Paul
does not say live right and not wrong; rather, live wisely and not as unwise.
There is the temptation to view decisions that believers must make as either
right or wrong. Many of our decisions are not right or wrong, but good or
better. Therefore, in light of this fact, there exists the need for living
wisely.
Paul tells the Ephesians to “make the most of every opportunity.”
Making the most of every opportunity is an idea that we will need to expound
on as we preach from this text. Listening to the text means we must interpret
this not only as the Ephesians received it, but keep in mind how we 21st century
inhabitants hear it as well.
Paul moves from a wise and unwise contrast to the word “foolish.”
To not understand God’s will is a foolish way to live and order one’s
life. As we listen to the text, make note of the contrasts that are sprinkled
throughout these verses.
The last contrast in this passage is found in verse eighteen:
being filled with wine, or being filled with the Holy Spirit.
There is a choice to make, and Paul gives us a clear picture
that the power of choice is a tremendous power that each of us possesses.
Let us choose to serve the Lord in a manner that is both pleasing to him,
and spiritually fulfilling for us as well.
“Take care” is a statement that is made by many of
us as a benedictory remark at the conclusion of a meeting or conversation.
Paul reminds each of us to take care. His statement has to do with our lives,
our Christian witness. Paul reminds us in
1 Tim 4:16: “Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere
in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers.”
(NIV)
There is in Paul’s mind a close relationship between what
we believe and how we live. Our living is predicated upon our believing. This
is a message that needs to be heard today. Our world seems to have developed
a dichotomy between what we believe and how we live. In the Bible, the two
are related and tied together. To not have our lives match our profession
is incongruous with the biblical mandate.
Ephesians 5:15 tells us that care is to be given to how we live.
Christians are to be a careful people. We are not seeking to create hypersensitive
parishioners, but to examine and evaluate our lives is an exercise in which
all Christians should participate.
Opportunistic Christianity is one way of describing what Paul
is saying in verse seventeen. Making the most of our opportunities is what
Paul is communicating. Opportunities are those God-given moments that are
sent by God to all of us; it has something to do with redeeming our time.
We all have the same allotment of time, and how we use it says something about
our discipleship. Making the most of every opportunity is like we might say
today “seize the moment.” We are not to passively let life pass
us by. Rather, we are to seize the moments that God gives to us and make them
count for His Kingdom.
Paul tells us that it is foolish to not understand God’s
will. As you engage the text, seek to understand this verse and to communicate
it to the people. Many in our churches think it is impossible to find God’s
will for their lives. They think that is a mystery to be solved and a pointless
quest that will lead to defeat and discouragement. Paul tells us to understand
God’s will, which it is something that we can both find and understand.
In verse 18 Paul contrasts being filled with wine and being
filled with the Holy Spirit. When someone is “under the influence”
of alcohol, they do things they would never do without that assistance. These
are usually things not thought of as positive. Folks under the influence of
the Holy Spirit, likewise, do things they would never do except for the influence
of the Holy Spirit in their lives.
(For the full manuscript
of this sermon go to www.preachermagazine.org and click on “Sermons”)
One way of preaching from this text is to concentrate on the
contrasts presented. The first contrast is the contrast between wise and unwise.
To live an examined life is a wise way in which to live.
The need to seize the moment and take hold of the opportunities
from the Lord is contrasted with the evil days. Opportunities must be taken
hold of; because we live in an evil world and we do not know what other opportunities
will come our way. Everything we do must be held in the tension of an eternal
continuum.
The third contrast is between understanding God’s will and being foolish.
We can and we must seek to understand God’s will and guidance for our
lives.
The fourth contrast is between being drunk on wine and being filled with the Holy Spirit. The context and the language help us to see that being filled with the Holy Spirit is to be a continuous, ongoing filling. We need the constant filling of the Holy Spirit in order to live effective Christian lives.
