Wake up and walk in wisdom and in the Spirit! Ephesians 5:15-21

Ephesians 5:14 (ESV)

14 for anything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says, “Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.”

Wake up and walk in wisdom and in step with the Spirit!

Wake Up! We need a wake-up call from the deception of sin… and deception is coming from within and without.

Ephesians 5:6, “Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.”

What are these empty words?

What are these things that earn and deserve the wrath of God?

The empty words are the ones that justify, excuse, and affirm sin in the name of Jesus.

The empty words are the ones that overlook character for the sake of charisma. They are the words that tell others to look the other way and ignore the sin that is in the life of pastors. They are the ones that tell others to look the other way and ignore the sin that is in the life of church members. They are the words that convince others that sin in the church (or camp) is acceptable as long as we keep things moving and keep things growing.

But, the truth us that we need a wake up call… and I don’t mean a wake up call in our country…I mean a wake up call in our churches…

We need a wake up call that causes us to confess our own sins, repent of our own actions, and get on our knees before a holy God asking for forgiveness and trusting in Christ as our own personal hope.

We need to hear the words “Awake, O Sleeper!”

Like Ephesians 5:3–5 (ESV) says, 3 But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints. 4 Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving. 5 For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.

And again in Ephesians 5:7–12 (ESV), 7 Therefore do not become partners with them; 8 for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light 9 (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), 10 and try to discern 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 speak of the things that they do in secret.

We need to wake up to the truth that the kingdom of God is filled with those who have experienced a seismic salvation that causes in a dramatic transformation that results in a radical reorientation of our entire lives.

Our entire worldview changes with the reorientation of all that is good, right, and true according to Jesus.

Chart?

The new life we have been giving in Christ is followed with an entirely new way of living… or as Paul refers to it in Ephesians- our walk.

Paul has already told us in Ephesians 2 that we no longer walk according to the devil. In Ephesians 4 he told us that we don’t walk like the pagans… Jesus transforms us when He saves us…

So Paul says in Ephesians 4 we are to walk worthy of the calling to which we have been called… in the same passage he tells us we are to walk in love with God and one another… in Ephesians 5:8 we are to walk as children of light…

As children of light… so he says wake up! Arise from the dead and Christ will shine on you!

Wake up, and live in the darkness of this evil world as children of light who live with the light of Christ on them…

To live as children of the light is to live like reflections of the light of Christ.

Wake Up! The wake up call we need is the one that calls us to draw near to Christ and walk or live in this evil world as lights… not as participators in the darkness.

God calls each and every Christian to live in this dark and evil world without living like we belong to the dark and evil world.

Ephesians 5:15–21 (ESV)

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. 17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. 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 your heart, 20 giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, 21 submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.

John Piper said “Don’t let evil days make you stupid.” - John Piper

Don’t be foolish… don’t be unwise. Or as he said earlier… don’t let anyone deceive you. The days are evil… we don’t really need an expert to tell us that. But, the days have always been evil. Paul wrote this thousands of years ago. And God gave it to Paul so that we would read it today and be reminded to wake up!

Wake up the days are evil!

The Christian or biblical worldview is that the whole world has been plunged into sin since the Garden of Eden and as a result everyone is condemned and no one is righteous… not even one. A biblical view of the world recognizes that they world is filled and led by an agenda that is against God, against the church, and against each individual who is trying to walk worthy of the name of Jesus Christ.

The days are not good… the days are not neutral… the days are evil and we need to Wake up, shake the sleepy off and get back to walking in love and in the light of God. But How do we navigate these evil days?

How do we navigate the temptation of the world?

How do we know what to do watch or what not to watch?

How do we know who we can trust or we can’t trust?

How do we know what to say or not to say?

What should do vs what shouldn’t we do?

Who should I marry? What job should I apply for? How should I respond to the situation or person at work? What should I do with the financial situation in front of me?

How do know what to do when the world rejects Jesus openly? Should I do what it takes to fit in with people in the neighborhood? Should I do what it takes to fit in with people at school? Is it really a big deal if I act less Christian with some people?

The days are evil… so wake up sleeper and arise from the dead… it’s time to walk again. And Paul tells us that walking worthy, in love, and in the light require that we are careful with what we do… don’t be foolish he says, instead look carefully then how you walk.

We navigate these evil days by walking in wisdom and in step with the Spirit.

Navigating the days…

Pay careful attention to the details of your life.

Look carefully, pay attention, be intentional… Walking in wisdom means we think.

We think… this alone is monumental because the world doesn’t operate by its thoughts it works on it’s feelings. This is why we tell our girls we don’t live by our feelings. Our feelings can be way wrong… Instead we set our minds on Christ, we build our lives on the truth. And building requires listening, understanding, remembering, and then doing.

Way before we do, speak, react, or move we think… and we think about Jesus, what He said, what he did, and then pattern the details of our lives around him. Like Paul said in Ephesians 5:1, we imitate him.

We think about what we do, what we say, where we go, where we don’t go, what we don’t say, what we don’t do.

Wisdom is contrasted with foolishness… the fool lives according to his own judgment, his own wisdom… his words are no good, they have no substance or weight to build a life on.

The fool says in his heart there is no God… and then lives like there is no God.

But, not the Christian, the Christian walks in wisdom by setting his mind on Christ.

The Christian walks in wisdom by paying careful attention to the whole of his life… not just a few big moments each week, but the little things. Relationships, time, etc.

Make the best use of time by doing the next thing

What does it mean to make the best use of time? Is this the productivity verse of the Bible? Yes!

Making the best use of time means to focus your life on the things that are intangible, but that have eternal value.

Matt Perman writes: "We often think of productivity as getting concrete things done—e-mails sent, widgets made, and assignments completed. These things are important, but they do not exhaust the scope of our productivity. More and more, productivity is about intangibles—relationships developed, connections made, and things learned.” - Matt Perman, What’s Best Next?

The best use of time is spent on your relationship with God and people…

If you want to make the best use of your time- you have to spend it with the Lord. (Rooted Journal plug- D-Group plug connected to people)

Making the best use of your time is to look at your job differently- the job you have is to be a light to the people you work with.

The marriage you have is to love the wife you have been given.

The children are there to love and lead.

Your neighbors are there to serve and share the gospel with.

Our church is here in Tupelo to make the best use of time… and the best use of that time is to focus our efforts on building one another up in our faith, growing in our relationships with one another, serving other and sharing the gospel.

Walking in wisdom involves discerning God’s will… and what is that? Well on one hand it’s right here in the Bible- We are to glorify Him, love Him, follow Him, love one another etc.

As Paul has already written- put of sin and put on the righteous living that imitates Christ.

But, on a more individual and personal level- it also means understanding and following God’s will in the details of your life. And, to help know what that looks like I think a poem that Elizabeth Eliott made popular is a huge help..

EE is the wife of Jim Elliot. Jim Elliot is the missionary pilot who was killed by the very people he went to share the gospel with. Years later Elizabeth was used to lead the very man who drive a spear through her husband to faith in Christ.

Her writings are an incredible wealth of wisdom and perspective. And she made this poem popular during her life.

Do the next thing (Old Poem popularized by Elizabeth Elliot)

From an old English parsonage down by the sea

There came in the twilight a message to me;

Its quaint Saxon legend, deeply engraven,

Hath, it seems to me, teaching from Heaven.

And on through the doors the quiet words ring

Like a low inspiration: “DO THE NEXT THING.”

Many a questioning, many a fear,

Many a doubt, hath its quieting here.

Moment by moment, let down from Heaven,

Time, opportunity, and guidance are given.

Fear not tomorrows, child of the King,

Trust them with Jesus, do the next thing

Do it immediately, do it with prayer;

Do it reliantly, casting all care;

Do it with reverence, tracing His hand

Who placed it before thee with earnest command.

Stayed on Omnipotence, safe ‘neath His wing,

Leave all results, do the next thing.

Looking for Jesus, ever serener,

Working or suffering, be thy demeanor;

In His dear presence, the rest of His calm,

The light of His countenance be thy psalm,

Strong in His faithfulness, praise and sing.

Then, as He beckons thee, do the next thing.

Walking in wisdom and in step with the Spirit means doing the next thing until there are no more things to do.

You may be looking for God to tell you what the next 10 years are going to look like… and the truth is the path to 10 years is to simply do the next thing.

Walking in wisdom and in step with the Spirit means that most of the time we simply do the next thing.

The next thing that pleases the Lord. The next thing that serves another. The next thing that he puts in front of us.

The next thing that is holy, saying no to temptation and yes to what pleases Jesus.

We navigate these evil days by walking in wisdom and in step with the Spirit.

Pay careful attention to the details of your life Make the best use of your time by doing the next thing Filled with the Holy Spirit and under control

Depending..

Paul draws on the contrast between being drunk vs being filled with the Spirit

First, this doesn’t mean that being filled with the Spirit is some kind of spiritual inebriation or high… In no way is being filled with the Spirit anything like being out of control…

(Via John Stott) The first chapter of Dr Martyn Lloyd-Jones’ exposition of Ephesians 5:18–6:9, Life in the Spirit in Marriage, Home and Work, is entitled ‘The Stimulus of the Spirit’. Writing as both a physician and a pastor, he helpfully compares and contrasts the two states of drunkenness and the Spirit’s fullness. He says: ‘Wine—alcohol—… pharmacologically speaking is not a stimulant—it is a depressant. Take up any book on pharmacology and look up ‘alcohol’, and you will find, always, that it is classified among the depressants. It is not a stimulant’.4 Further, ‘it depresses first and foremost the highest centres of all in the brain … They control everything that gives a man self-control, wisdom, understanding, discrimination, judgment, balance, the power to assess everything; in other words everything that makes a man behave at his very best and highest’.5 What the Holy Spirit does, however, is the exact opposite. ‘If it were possible to put the Holy 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 our every faculty … the mind and the intellect … the heart … and the will … “ - Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Life in the Spirit, p. 19

John Stott writes:

People who are drunk give way to wild, dissolute and uncontrolled actions. They behave like animals, indeed worse than animals. The results of being filled with the Spirit are totally different. If excessive alcohol dehumanizes, turning a human being into a beast, the fullness of the Spirit makes us more human, for he makes us like Christ.

Stott, John R. W. 1979. God’s New Society: The Message of Ephesians. The Bible Speaks Today. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.

Filled with the Spirit and under control means that where the Spirit is at work we are sober-minded , surrendered, and pursuing holiness.

1 Peter 1:13 (ESV), 13 Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

We are sober-minded not filled with the passions or libations of the world. Our minds are focused on Christ, our hearts are growing in love for Christ, our hands are serving Christ, and our feet are following his paths and going where he sends us.

Christians navigate these evil days by walking in wisdom and in step with the Spirit by keeping Jesus at the center of our lives and our relationships.

We sing to one another

We sing to Jesus

We are in a constant state of gratitude and grace because of Jesus Christ

We are in a posture of submission to God… and it’s demonstrated by counting others more important than ourselves.

As Paul wrote in Philippians 2:1–4 (ESV), “So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, 2 complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. 3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. 4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.”

Or as Jesus said in Luke 9:23–24 (ESV)

23 And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. 24 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.

Following Jesus is a life of surrender… a life of surrender means Jesus is at the center and everyone else is important… and we are content in our surrender and submission because we are in a posture of gratitude and grace…

So we live our lives worshipping Jesus and point one another to Jesus.

So, as your brother in Christ- I want to remind you today of all that Jesus has done for you

As someone who loves you and cares deeply for you let me tell you how much God loves you and proves it through Jesus…

And because of God’s love, because of God’s grace, because of His mercy… because of what Christ has done for you

Wake up and walk in wisdom and in step with the Spirit!

Put the sin away- it doesn’t have a place in our lives

Put on the way of Christ- this requires paying careful attention to your life- you won’t stumble accidentally into a life that is worthy of the calling to which you have been called

So wake up Christian, arise and let the light of Christ shine of you.

Come into the light, come be warmed, be known, be loved… and be a reflection of Him to those around you…

Next week- marriage, then kids, then others…