LOOKOUT LIVING: IMITATING GOD EPHESIANS 5:15-21

Introduction

I suppose every boy tries to imitate his dad. I know that I did as I was growing up. Wherever he was, there I was sure to be. However, when it comes to the issues of others imitating us, we need to be careful. We do not want to be like the dad in this account I heard about. One day a mother overheard her son speaking a type of language that was not acceptable. Here in the South we calling “cussing.” Anyway, this mother decided that her boy needed to be punished for his inappropriate language. So she sent him upstairs to his room for the day to think about what he had done. When the boy’s father returned home from work that evening, his mother told his dad what had happened that day. The father became furious and exclaimed, “I will teach that boy a lesson about cussing!” He proceeded to storm up the stairs to his son’s room. About halfway up the steps, the father stepped in a roller state that had been left on the stairs. The father subsequently began to tumble down the steps. He proceeded to pronounce his own expletives for every step he hit all the way down to the bottom of the stairs. At the bottom of the steps his wife was waiting. She said, “Honey, I think that’s enough for his first lesson.”

The point is that we need to be very careful where we step and we need to be very careful what we say because others are watching. We might call this “Lookout Living.” The apostle Paul is going to remind us that our respon”sibility as believers is to imitate Him. The issue is wisdom and we are given five truths to secure to our hearts and minds as we seek to be people a people who experience this Lookout the Living as we seek to imitate God.

I. Secure Wisdom (5:15)

The walk of wisdom begins with the holy calling believers have been called. We have been called to a worthy walk in Christ (4:1). That is the beginning point, but it does not stop there. The calling to a worthy walk in Christ demands a threefold focus of a new life that believers have in Christ. First, we are called to walk in holy love (5:2). Second, as we walk in holy love, we are to walk in the light of the Lord Jesus Christ (5:8-14). Now, in the text at hand, we are called to walk in wisdom (5:15-21). You see, walking in holy love means not only walking in the light of Christ, but as Jesus Himself said, it also means being the light of Christ. Being and walking in the light of Christ means walking in the wisdom that can only come from Christ.

I am reminded of the story of the man who bought a yacht. This purchase made his wife nervous because she knew that he did not know the first thing about sailing. Yet, in his mind, he knew that he could handle it. He even practiced for weeks before taking it out to sea. Finally, he was able to talk his wife into going on the yacht with him. Very carefully and nervously she stepped on board. They then headed out into the harbor and continued to put out to sea. So far, so good as the wife grew more at ease. The husband continued to try to comfort his wife. He said, “Honey, look, I have practiced enough in this harbor to know where every rock, reef, and sandbar is.” No sooner had he uttered those words when a rock beneath the surface made a large crunching sound from stem to stern. He said with a sheepish grin, “There is one of them going by now.”

Here is the point. Wisdom is more than knowledge, even Bible knowledge. Wisdom is knowing God and experiencing Him as we mature in our relationship with him. It is walking so close with Him to such an extent that we are able to develop a godly character, live thoughtfully, and make proper choices in this life. That is wisdom and it only comes by walking in the wisdom that comes from Christ.

The first truth important for Lookout Living is the securing of wisdom.

II. Seize Opportunities (5:16)

We are to seize opportunities because the days in which we live are evil. The phrase “making the best use” literally is the word redeem and it originally meant “to buy out.” It was used of buying back a slave out of bondage. Here it carries the idea of buying up for oneself. Thus, it means making the most of every opportunity. Believers are to make the optimal use of their time, using it for the will of the Lord. Today, this present time, this precious moment, is the time of great opportunity for the kingdom.

The French leader Napoleon once said, “There is in the midst of every great battle a ten to fifteen minute period that is the crucial point. Take that period and you win the battle; lose it and you will be defeated.”

We must take advantage of every opportunity to serve God and redeem the time to use for God’s glory. We must take every opportunity to shun sin and follow after righteousness. We must walk wisely so that those who are watching us will do the same.

The second truth important for Lookout Living is the seizing of opportunities.

III.SEARCH FOR UNDERSTANDING (5:17)

It is because the days are evil that we must not be unwise. The word used for unwise in this verse is actually a stronger word than the word used in verse fifteen. Thus, it literally reads, “stop becoming foolish.” It carries the idea of being nonsensical and foolish. It is the attitude of being proud of being arrogantly stupid or senseless, especially as it concerns the things of God. As Christians we are not to be willingly stupid (nonsensical), but wise by understanding what the will of the Lord is. The word for understand in this verse means “to perceive clearly.” To perceive the will of the Lord clearly we must look for the will of Christ in every situation and consider every occasion what it is that God would have us do. To do this, we must be submitted to Christ’s lordship and the Word of God.

The point to be made here is simple. Understanding the will of the Lord Jesus is at the heart of wisdom. That is why Colossians 1:9 states:

Colossians 1:9 CSB

For this reason also, since the day we heard this, we haven’t stopped praying for you. We are asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding,

Just as we are to walk in the holy love of Christ and be the children of light, so also those who would walk in wisdom will seek to understand what the will of the Lord Jesus is in everything. The question is, “How do we do this?” We do this by filling up our minds with the Word of God. We do this by daily Bible reading and study, daily Bible memorization and meditation and guarding a fervent and growing prayer life.

The third truth of Lookout Living is an intense search for understanding.

IV. Submission to Christ (5:18-21)

Because there is a need to be wise, there is also the need to be filled. We are to be filled with the Holy Spirit (18). The command here is a Greek passive imperative, thus it carries the force of a command. Since it is a passive verb, it means that we are not to allow ourselves to become intoxicated. Alcohol consumption as well as other addictive substances, especially to the degree of intoxication, are not to be part of the believer’s life. We are not to submit ourselves to such things. Why? The principle behind this verse is simple. Drunkenness is a prime characteristic of darkness and foolishness.

On the other hand, being filled with the Spirit is a prerequisite for wisdom. This command is also a passive imperative. Thus, we are commanded to be constantly filled with the Holy Spirit. Yet, this command to be filled is much more than a command we are called upon to obey. It is also a command for us to allow God to do this for us. Further, because believers are to be filled by the Spirit, we are also to be filled with the Spirit. If we are walking in love and walking in light, will be filled both by and with the Holy Spirit.

How does this happen? How are we filled by and with the Holy Spirit? I tell you today that it has nothing to do with a second filling or a second helping that causes us to be slain in the spirit and start talking in jibberish. We will leave that to others. How are we filled with the Holy Spirit.

It is evidenced through the presence of spiritual communication (19).

Many Bible scholars and students make a clear distinction between psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. Those who have done so have not convinced me of the correctness of that thinking. I see these as complimenting each other. These three terms are not so much dictating how we worship as much as how we communicate with each other. The believers addressed each other with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs through speaking rather than singing. It was a means of edification, instruction, and exhortation.

As the believers speak these three sources of encouragement and exhortation to each other, worship is not left out. Worship is demonstrated in the last part of this verse: “singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart.” The phrase, “making melody” literally means “to strike the strings of an instrument.” Thus, it means to sing to the accompaniment of a harp or some other instrument (like a piano). Hear is the overarching point of this entire verse. Alcohol consumption leading to intoxication leads to destructive behavior. However, being filled with the Spirit leads to worship of the one who deserves our worship.

2. It is evidenced through the fullness of thanksgiving/gratitude (20).

Not only does being filled with the Holy Spirit evidence proper spiritual communication and worship, it also evidence an attitude of gratitude. It not is the evidence of mere gratitude, it is the evidence of a radical spirit of gratitude and thanksgiving.

3. It is evidenced by the fullness of submission (21).

Now here is the term that our world loves to hate- submission. The world hates this word because the world misunderstands this word. It is the Greek term “hupatasso” which carries the meaning of “lining oneself up under.” It is a military term and it refers to the reverence a junior officer gives to a senior officer. In the verse at hand, it is a Greek passive which carries the force of the middle voice. This means that it not something that is done by force or compulsion. It is something that the one being asked to submit to of their own accord. In the New Testament, this term almost always carries the force of the middle voice- something that one must choose to do and in this context, something that a person allows God to do through them. With that understanding in mind, let us read verse twenty-one again. [read 5:21]

The key to understanding submission is profound and reverent submission to Christ. With that being stated, I want to leave us with a few thoughts to consider implementing into our lives concerning submission:

Submission means thinking more of others than yourself.

Submission means that individual preferences (what I want) are to be left outside the assembly of the church.

Submission means that all self-seeking must be cast aside.

Submission means being happy for the success of others. In other words, there is no place for jealousy in the church.

Submission means being there. You can’t hold the spirit of submission is you are never around or involved. You also cannot hold this attitude if you are in such a big rush to get out the door.

Conclusion

We have been called to a life of lookout living by imitating God. Such a life is characterized by the truths of securing wisdom, seizing opportunities, searching for understanding, and submitting to Christ.

The story is told of the captain of a ship many years ago who one night was looking out into the dark night and saw faint lights in the distance. Immediately he alerted his signalman to send a message: “Alter you course ten degrees south.” Quickly a return message was received: “Alter your course ten degrees north.” The captain of the vessel became angry because his command had been ignored. So he sent a second message: “Alter your course ten degrees south- I am the captain!” Soon came the response, “Alter your course ten degrees north- I am seaman third class Jones.” Immediately the captain sent a third message, knowing the fear it would evoke: “Alter your course ten degrees south- I am a battleship!” Then came the reply again: “Alter your course ten degrees north- I am a lighthouse.”

Lookout living means to lookout from a perspective that believes our intellect, our opinions, and our preferences ought to rule the day. However, there are dangers in holding such man-focused perspectives. Our focus should be on following God by walking in His love, walking in His light, and walking in His wisdom. Our focus should be on lookout living by imitating God.