Enduring in Wisdom

Introduction

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The Wise Life is an Active Life

Ephesians 5:15–16 (ESV)

Ephesians 5:15–16 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.

· “Then”—Introduces something new but maintains a connection to the last part of the passage (vv. 3-14).

o This passage had to do with how we walk as new people in Christ. The conduct of our lives ought to reflect Christ more than it reflects the world.

o Last week, our focus was on a pure life, untainted by an ongoing practice of sinfulness, and marked by the light. Holy lives lived before a holy God.

· In light of the fact that we should be holy in our conduct, we should “look carefully” at the conduct of our lives.

o Last week ended with a command to “Awake! Arise!”

§ Don’t live an unexamined life.

· This week we will focus on what Paul says an examined life looks like through three contrasting statements.

First, walk “not as unwise but as wise.”

· Our lives should be marked by wisdom.

· Paul previously told the Ephesians that they have been given the Spirit of wisdom in Christ.

· Ephesians 1:17 (ESV)

Ephesians 1:17 ESV

17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him,

· The Holy Spirit has been poured out on us so that we would be able to examine our lives according to God’s standard and to walk accordingly.

· Wisdom—practical wisdom gained by insight into God’s will and workings.

o Last week, I told you that this has to do with asking the question “what is good, right, and true?”

· So, we should walk wisely. How do we do that?

o Paul says, “by making the best use of the time.”

§ This seems like something counter-intuitive—is it really as simple as being economical in your actions?

· That’s the kind of thing that it seems like anyone could do.

o But this is rooted in godliness. God never acts in an arbitrary or purposeless manner. He never makes a misstep or backtracks on what He has purposed to do.

· We make the best use of the time we have been given but seizing every opportunity the Lord gives us to be of service to the Kingdom, to grow in the knowledge of Christ, and to walk in obedience to Him.

Christians must be active in pursuing Christlikeness.

· There is great need for us to be active in living a Christlike life.

· “Because the days are evil”—

· The Ephesians were not particularly evil; what Paul is pointing out is that evil is characteristic of every age of human history since the fall.

o The coming of Jesus made it clear that we are living in the last days.

§ There is a meeting of two ages—the age of the world and the age of the Kingdom of God.

· The world is passing away…but it has not yet passed away; and it is not going quietly.

o Because the world is in active rebellion against God, it has hatred for both Jesus Christ and those who have been called by His Name.

o There is an urgency that accompanies the opportunities we have been afforded.

We can easily become complacent in our walk—Too long in pleasantness can cause us to lose our edge; to become unwatchful over our lives. And this puts us in a dangerous place.

· Matthew 26:41 (ESV)

Matthew 26:41 ESV

41 Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

· Even King David became subject to temptation when he was not walking as he should in 2 Samuel 11, and he fell to temptation with Bathsheba.

o He was not where he should have been and doing what he should have been.

· We need to be alert to the enemy’s schemes and to our own weakness by taking the Lord’s wisdom to heart.

o The unholy trinity of the world, the flesh, and the devil are united in seeking our downfall. (Eph. 2:2-3; 1 Peter 5:8)

For the sake of the lost, we must see to it that we are not wasting our lives by not opposing the sinful powers in the world and guarding our walk wisely.

The Wise Life is a Moral Life

Ephesians 5:17 (ESV)

Ephesians 5:17 ESV

17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.

· Paul’s next contrast is that we must not be foolish. How is this different from being unwise?

o Foolishness is often contrasted with wisdom in the OT wisdom literature.

o This is a deeper examination of our motivation, that we would put to practice the insights we have gained.

· “Understand what the will of the Lord is.” This has to do with God’s moral purpose.

o Two things become apparent from what Paul has already taught us.

· First, God has already graciously made known to us His divine will.

· Ephesians 1:9 (ESV)

Ephesians 1:9 ESV

9 making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ

o His purpose is to unite all things in Christ Jesus, His Son.

o The revelation of God’s will is already done, what is left to us is to grow in our understanding of it.

Wisdom compels us to be diligent at discovering God’s will and applying it in our lives.

o The Word of God is of such importance to us at every stage because it helps us to increasingly root ourselves in the will and purposes of God for our lives.

· Second, we need to take what God has given us and think on it.

o Knowledge of Christ is not just an intellectual pursuit (filling our heads with knowledge about Jesus).

§ It is about putting to work what we have come to know.

o Understanding the Lord’s will is Christological. (Christ-focused)

o Paul has told us that knowing Christ is central.

· Ephesians 4:20 (ESV)

Ephesians 4:20 ESV

20 But that is not the way you learned Christ!—

o Our new lives began when we came to know Jesus Christ in a saving way.

o We are new people in Christ.

· Ephesians 5:8 (ESV)

Ephesians 5:8 ESV

8 for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light

o We are now Gospel people for Christ.

· Ephesians 5:20 (ESV)

Ephesians 5:20 ESV

20 giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,

o We are now worshiping people to Christ.

· Don’t live thoughtlessly, for we are supposed to be blameless but not naïve about evil.

· Matthew 10:16 (ESV)

Matthew 10:16 ESV

16 “Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.

o Jesus’s warning means that we must be ready for evil because it will be coming for us.

· 1 Peter 2:17 (ESV)

1 Peter 2:17 ESV

17 Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor.

o Peter’s command is that we remember that we are not revolutionaries, but ambassadors.

We don’t walk wisely by being erratically, but by living as responsible citizens.

The Wise Life is a Spirit-filled Life

Ephesians 5:18–21 (ESV)

Ephesians 5:18–21 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 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.

· The third contrast is given the most detail because it provides a blueprint for what the wise life looks like.

· The contrast is made to drunkenness. Drunkenness was as big a problem then as it is now.

o It was even a part of the religious practices of the Mediterranean world.

Bacchanalia—ostensibly the worship of Bacchus (Dionysus), the god of wine. Was a common occurrence in Ephesus.

To be fair, it has the same kind of attraction that fertility god worship did—a chance for people to engage in excess under religiously approved circumstances.

· Drunkenness is a moral evil because it inevitably leads to debauchery.

o Behavior that shows a lack of concern or thought given to the consequences of an action.

· Drunkenness is used here, not because it is uniquely bad, but because it is the ultimate representation of foolishness.

o It is the epitome of excessive self-indulgence, which is opposed to God.

o Consequential thinking is wise and self-controlled, debauched thinking is foolish and self-destructive.

Nowhere is our self-control more clearly seen than in our worship, where Spirit and truth come together.

· The phrase “be filled with the Spirit” has two possible interpretations.

o The content that we are filled with (that we are filled up withthe presence of the Holy Spirit).

o The means by which we are filled (that the indwelling presence of God in us fills our lives).

o This is the preferred interpretation because of what Paul has already taught about the God’s purpose for us.

· Ephesians 3:16–19 (ESV)

Ephesians 3:16–19 ESV

16 that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19 and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

· God fills up the believer with the fullness of life that is found in Him.

o When contrasted with drunkenness, which leads to destruction, we are to be filled with the presence of God, which leads to life.

· Paul’s command is not a suggestion; it is a command.

o Being filled is to be a priority for us in order for us to live a life that pleases God.

· It’s a command to the whole church.

o There are no spiritual elites. The one and same Spirit unites us all with Christ and gives us gifts for service.

· Paul then offers four phrases which constitute the evidences of a Spirit-filled life.

· The first has a horizontal and corporate scope—The way we are to live toward one another in the church.

“Addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs”

· When the church sings in worship, we praise God, yes; but we also encourage one another in our faith by proclaiming what is good and right and true.

That is why our choices in worship matter so much. What message are we telling one another? Is it about what we feel, or what we know?

· Alister Begg once told a story about this so poignant, I have to let him speak for himself.

I was at a church in California just a few weeks ago now—back in August I think it was, time flies—and I went there. I had a Sunday free and I was staying with friends, and I went down to the church and I was excited because I get to go now, and I don't have to do anything at all except do whatever they tell me to do. And so, I sat there and I waited for it to begin. And it was quite fascinating actually. They had big screens, and they had a clock on the screens. And when I got in it said "5 Minutes" and I had only been in about 2 seconds, and you won't be surprised, it said "4 Minutes, 58 Seconds." And then it counted down, and eventually it counted down, "10, 9, 8, 7, 6...". And just right on the moment of time, the band began...and I was waiting for David Letterman at that point. I didn't know what was going to happen next. And then eventually the band did what it did, and then the person who was to lead the praise, his opening gambit was this, "Hey! How do y'all feel this morning?" Well, that was enough for me. We could have had the benediction right there that was so good. I thought, what kind of New Testament question is that? How do y'all feel this morning?

If I told you how I feel, especially in light of the last 5 minutes, you would question whether I was even a Christian at all. So don't ask me that question. Ask me what I know. Ask me what I know. Don't ask me what I feel about myself. Ask me what I know about God. Ask me what I know about His Word. Ask me what I know to be of verity that can deal with my soul. That's what I need. Don't make me sing songs about how I feel. Don't! These silly repetitive songs again and again, 'I just want to praise you, lift my hands and say I love you, you are everything to me'. Goodness, at half past eight on a Sunday morning I'm barely ambulatory. I can't start there. And you want me to say that? I just kicked the dog. I don't even have a dog. I got in an argument with someone because they took my parking space. I spilled my coffee, I didn't read my Bible, I'm a miserable wretch, and now you want me to start here—'how do you feel?' I feel rotten, that's how I feel! What do you got for me? The answer, nothing. I got nothing for you.

That's why you have to get yourself under the control of the Scriptures. That's why it is what we know—the verities of the Scriptures which fuel our hearts and our emotions and lead us on. Hence, 'praise my soul the King of heaven, to His feet thy tribute bring. Ransomed, healed, restored, forgiven. Who like thee His praise should sing?'

Okay, now we've got something to sing about, for we have been reminded of truth. You have been ransomed; you have been healed; you have been restored; you have been forgiven. You're looking away from yourself now. You're looking out and to Christ. And it is in this that we have something that fuels our praise.

· Feeling or knowing? Which one is going to preserve you? When all of life is seemingly falling apart? Is singing about how I feel going to hold me firm in the storm?

Whatever we sing; psalms, hymns, or spiritual songs; let them be aimed at strengthening the brethren in the truth.

“Singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart”

· Now we move from the horizontal and corporate to the vertical and individual.

o Our own worship to the Lord should be marked by a whole-hearted effort toward Him.

· The Spirit-filled person loves to extol the glory and grace of Jesus Christ.

The point of worship is Him, not us.

The gospel produces in us a heart that delights to praise him.

We must take care not to let our worship become formal/mechanical/routine. The gospel brings life.

“Giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ”

It’s fitting that we are reminded of the importance of thanksgiving to the Christian life this week. Thanksgiving is, I think, foundational to Christian living. Last week, I said thankfulness is the fountain of all good works, for it informs how we live in light of Christ.

· Paul gives four qualifies that speak to the shape and object of our thankfulness.

o “Always”— thanksgiving should be given consistently…it should be our way of life.

§ Remember that thanksgiving is what demonstrates that we are not of this world.

· Ephesians 5:4 (ESV)

Ephesians 5:4 ESV

4 Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving.

o “Everything”— thanksgiving should be given at all times and in all circumstances.

§ Paul is writing in prison.

§ Thanksgiving in times of trial points an unbelieving world to the hope we have in us.

o “To God the Father”— thanksgiving has one proper object, the God who creates and sustains all things.

· James 1:17 (ESV)

James 1:17 ESV

17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.

God’s infinite goodness means that there are an infinite number of opportunities for us to be thankful.

The innumerable benefits which we receive from God yield fresh cause of joy and thanksgiving.

o “In the name of Jesus Christ”— thanksgiving has a basis only in the light of the saving work of Jesus Christ.

§ Through faith in Him, we have assurance that our prayers are heard.

· John 16:23–24 (ESV)

John 16:23–24 ESV

23 In that day you will ask nothing of me. Truly, truly, I say to you, whatever you ask of the Father in my name, he will give it to you. 24 Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.

Remembering the great gift of salvation, we have in Christ Jesus is a wellspring of gratitude that we can draw from at any time. It fuels our thanksgiving.

· The Christian life is marked by thanksgiving, not because it is untroubled and easy, but because it lives in view of the surpassing worth of what we have received.

“Submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ”

· We will spend our weeks after Christmas examining this issue more closely.

o The Spirit-filled life leads to an others-focused service of one another.

§ This mutual submission extends to every form of relationship we are going to encounter.

· Wives and husbands.

· Children and parents.

· Slaves and masters.

· Romans 13:1–2 (ESV) — Submission recognizes God ultimate authority.

Romans 13:1–2 ESV

1 Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. 2 Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment.

· Philippians 2:5–8 (ESV) — Submission mirrors the humility of Christ.

Philippians 2:5–8 ESV

5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

· Titus 3:1 (ESV) — Through submission, we are made ready for doing real good in the world.

Titus 3:1 ESV

1 Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work,

The Christian response to authority relationships is counter-cultural because we do not groan under authority but rather flourish under it through faith in God, the ultimate authority.

· “Out of reverence for Christ” — outlines the need for a considerate service for others.

o Not to merit reward through service, but out of worshipful desire to please God and live our lives in a manner worthy of our salvation.

Spirit-filled people have servant hearts. They look to serve; they love to serve; they strive to serve.

The church’s witness is weakened when we don’t look like our Servant King.

Conclusion

The command to be filled with the Holy Spirit is not an experience to chase, but a lifestyle that we should cultivate.

· The wise and Spirit-filled lifestyle is one of submission; giving ourselves over to Jesus in worshipful service.

o Responding to His Word.

o Making room for its influence.

o Setting our minds to see the truth.

o Tuning our hearts to love His teaching.

o Training our wills to obey Him.

In bringing our whole lives over to submission to Christ by the Power of the Holy Spirit, we grow.

o The word is our root.

o The Spirit is our gardener.

· The question we must contend with this morning is, are there areas of your life that you do not allow the Word or the Spirit access to?

o Wisdom calls us to examine our lives carefully.

· The Spirit-filled life is meant to be lived in loving community.

o We have been called to be a blessing and help to each other. By this we show we are His disciples.

· 1 John 4:20 (ESV)

1 John 4:20 ESV

20 If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen.

Our relationship with Jesus Christ is not truly real apart from loving one another.