Ephesians 5:15-20

Everyone’s experience in the classroom is different growing up.

Some people struggle because they lack motivation, others because they transfer from a school and are behind.

Nobody attributes any sort of struggle to what I had to go through-

TSS- Twin Shadow Suppression.

TSS is when personal academic confidence diminishes due to being continually measured against your twin.

Don’t look up this scientific diagnosis, it is no where to be found because many parents claim it isn’t true.

If my twin sister was in her room studying, I was continually questioned why I wasn’t studying.

If she was signed up to take the PSAT, then I was scheduled to go with her.

If she aced a test, I was asked why I made an 89.

What made this incredibly difficult was that she was the class salutatorian!

She didn’t have a weakness! Listen, math never clicked for me… We all have a subject that didn’t come naturally.

I was more of a Bible class guy… as you can probably tell.

Hannah, though, was brilliant. In the 9th grade, my parents held me back in geometry because my B average wasn’t good enough.

As I watched my sister begin to take math classes that involved letters, I reported to geometry for the second year in a row…

My struggle with TSS would haunt me for the rest of my academic career.

Fast forward to college, I basically told my guidance counselor that I would pursue any degree as long as it involved the least amount of math.

That’s where I found my lane- Communications, me and the entire Samford football team.

There was one math class that was required and it was called contemporary math.

It was my kind of math- Sally had 5 apples but then Johnny ate 1 of them, how many apples did Johnny have… one…

My professor was there for the paycheck and didn’t really care about our ability to do math. I appreciated her honesty.

She would assign us homework in the book, only requiring us to do the even numbers and would say, “the answers to your questions are in the back of the book, be sure to check them before you turned your homework in.”

Unfortunately, as a stubborn and prideful young man in my first year of college, all I heard was “The answers are in the back of your book.”

This was the day I thought I would overcome my twin shadow suppression.

Not only was this math easy, but the answers were also given to me!

Listen, I made straight A’s without having to solve one problem in the first two months! I was rolling.

That is until the first test came.

Up until this point, I was aware of what we were learning, but because I knew the answers to the test, I thought I’d be able to do the simple math to win.

So here I go, first question on the test… It went something like this.

Sally had 5 apples, Johnny ate one. What is the diameter of the apple tree and the density of the lunch box the apples came out of plus the desirable appetite fulfilment level in response to Johnny’s dinner the night before. And then…

Divide this by the average number of chips in a chip bag his friend, Tony shared with him.

When the day came to apply what I thought I knew, I learned I really didn’t know anything at all.

Have you ever felt this way when it comes to your relationship with God?

When you read His word and serve in the life of the church, you feel like when the rubber meets the road, something is still missing?

I think some of us feel this way about the role of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

We know how His presence operates, to guide, convict, comfort, and empower.

We hear the lessons taught and the stories told.

We have even sensed His presence before in times of need.

But when the day comes and we engage in one of life’s tests or trials, everything we thought we knew about Him doesn’t seem to make sense any more.

I would like to contend that we rarely give the attention needed to the active presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

We know He exists. We believe He is real.

But our measurement of His activity is experienced based.

And although we can experience the presence of the Spirit in our life, if we become a people who are experienced based, the less truth established we will be.

In our wondering and in our suffering, when the experience of the Spirit is defined not by the will of God but by the experiential victory we desire, we no longer hold firm to blessed gift of being filled with the Holy Spirit.

Then begs the question…

Are you living like you are full of the Spirit?

Some of us have come into this room with our spiritual tanks on empty.

We are lacking conviction, true worship, and a deep longing for God.

Because we feel like God isn’t working, we come to believe that it is true.

And although we know He is present and is working in all things, we struggle to appropriate these truths.

A couple weeks ago, Pastor Chris reminded us that information doesn’t equal transformation.

We all love information-although information can be threatening, it doesn’t dictate whether we respond to it or not.

Information and knowledge is given to us and we decide what we are going to do with it- therefore it is in our control.

When it comes to the Holy Spirit, He is a hot topic in the church. Many times, He has been used and abused to cause division, create manufactured narratives, and even used to support unbiblical agendas.

Knowledge of Him is either enticing or dividing.

As Paul addresses our active participation with Him, I want to express to you that although learning about Him is good, He is surely not the source of division, but instead unification.

The backdrop of today’s passage in Ephesians 5, is Ephesians 1-4- the explanation of our new position in Christ as followers of Jesus and it’s unifying power.

When we are saved by our faith in the person and work of Jesus, we are adopted into His family as sons and duaghters.

The gift we receive from our father on our day of adoption is the Holy Spirit.

This is why he says in chapter one-

Ephesians 1:13–14 ESV

13 In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.

We know that the Holy Spirit is real. We have seen His presence in the Bible and have recognized His ministry to us when we look in our past.

So if you have been sealed with the Spirit, why then do you need to be filled?

Gifts are only enjoyed when they are not just given, but received.

In other words, Being sealed with the Holy Spirit is the extension of what is needed to walk in the way of Jesus.

But seeking to be filled with the Spirit is activity receiving through submitting yourself to His guidance and presence.

As Adrian Rogers, once said,

When you got saved, you got all of Jesus, but He didn’t necessarily get all of you! (Adrian Rogers)

Would you honor the reading of God’s Word by standing as we read Ephesians 5:15-20 this morning.

Ephesians 5:15–20 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,

There is nothing more sobering than time- we often talk about how it flies by but rarely live as if that is a reality.

We have become accustomed to this. Twenty years ago, we were all watching the same shows at the same time.

A lot of what we did was shared. But now, our culture is fragmented.

Everything is personal, algorithms are designed for you.

Information is given and received at lightening speed.

Life has never been more accelerated.

And when life is moving at rapid speed in every area of our life, the blink of an eye comes at a cost, especially when our pace is a sprint.

Of course, I am not talking about a physical sprint. I’m not in as nearly as good of shape as some of you. If I sprinted everywhere, I’d miss a lot because I’d die.

I’m referring to the pace of our life and it’s commitments.

We tend to run fast to ensure we are extracting everything we can from this world.

Ladder climbing is the path to success.

Exposure is rewarded for hurry.

But this life, much like the man who begins the marathon in a dead sprint, will end in a loss.

Paul’s words are purposeful when he defines the pace of a believer as walking.

Walking is communal pace. Since our life is now wrapped up in our access with God, we are charged to walk, no alone, but with Him.

Walking enables us to discern, to take in what is happening around us, and to slow down what is our natural tendency- to hurry.

This type of walking means to walk with accuracy and precision.

This is a stark contrast to the way we operate- we run and run recklessly.

Sometimes, even leaving life to chance.

But if we are honest, our pursuit to gain what we want always leaves us filling like we need more.

There is a lady that has been in my life since I was a pre-schooler.

She is faithfully present wherever I have gone in life. Her name is Debbie.

She has been with me in my ups and downs and never fails to meet a need. A close family friend for sure.

Every week she would show up at my house growing up. She always came with treats.

Fast forward to college, I was walking in Target on my first weekend there and I ran into her.

It was crazy! What are the odds that I would see her in Birmingham, 4 hours away from home!

It was what I needed because it eased my home sick feelings.

Just this week, I was walking around at Walmart and low a behold, I ran into Debbie… I walked quickly over to grab her while thinking about all the moments she was with me throughout my childhood.

I took this selfie with her to always remember her faithful presence.

*Cue picture of Little Debbie Cakes

Debbie’s swiss rolls are dangerous. When I am craving food on an empty stomach, and I have these in the pantry, there is no decision to make.

The problem is, it’s not filling.

I can eat two of them and within the hour, I am still wondering when the next meal is.

We fill our lives up with everything we think will sustain us only to find out that we are left empty time and time again.

Remember, God’s will is to redeem you in order that you may be used to redeem the world, all for the sake of His glory.

Our life is a life of recovering from sin and pursuing God’s design.

Walking is the pace of recovery.

In 2021, I tore both ligaments on my right ankle playing basketball.

What would have been foolish was to disregard the physicians process of recovery by immediately trying to run.

Instead, I was to walk, making the best use of time by trusting the recovery process.

Walking requires patience and patience doesn’t come naturally.

But a truth we need to remember regarding the work of God in our lives is that…

God is not in a hurry.

Although our time on earth is short, it is best used with eternity in mind.

This is why Charles Spurgeon said,

“Time is short. Eternity is long. It is only reasonable that this short life is lived in light of eternity.” (Charles Spurgeon)

Paul’s example of our attempt to be filled with something that doesn’t result in satisfaction is the indulgence of alcohol.

Quite honestly, it is a perfect illustration.

Ephesians 5:18 ESV

18 And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit,

The greek word for debauchery is the word asotia which describes the action of being wasteful.

It is the negative formation of the greek word for salvation, soteria.

Paul is communicating a literal demand that sheds light on a deeper reality-

We naturally waste our hope in things that seemingly offer us an escape or sense of salvation.

During this time, pagan worship was fueled by efforts to approach God through ecstatic experiences.

Music and dancing, combined with intoxication, was the formula to produce their ecstasy.

Greek religion expressed this style of worship especially in the worship of the greek god, Dionysus, who was worshiped at entertainment festivals within many of the Asia Minor cities.

This passage runs in two lanes- one is a literal commandment to abstain from drunkeness.

Paul’s warning regarding drunkeness is centered around selfcontrol.

Shelby Abbott says it best.

“When someone moves from being sober to being drunk, we see three steps: choice, control, and change.

A person makes a choice to consume alcohol. And as he does, he gives control of his life to the influence of the alcohol. Consequently, he is changed in his behavior, his speech, even his thoughts—which Paul tells us is debauchery, or immoral self-indulgence.” (Shelby Abbott)

Although there is a literal commandment, it also points to a great explanation of the life we have been called to.

As Ephesians one reminds us, when we placed our faith in Jesus’ life, death, and ressurection we were sealed with the Holy Spirit- a gift given from the Father to walk in His ways.

With the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives, we then have to choose to follow His guidance, respond to His convictions, and receive His comfort.

In choosing to respond to the presence of the Spirit, we submit ourselves to Him and give Him control of our lives.

As a result our lives our changes…

Evidence of a life changed by and filled with the Holy Spirit is summarized in the posture of thankfulness.

Ephesians 5:19–21 ESV

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.

Paul gives us a an expression of thankfulness to partake it- worshipping through singing!

It is through praise and worship we not only express our thankfulness, but position ourselves to extend it too.

Here we see a circular invitation for anyone and everyone…

Those filled with the Spirit respond in praise to the Lord.

Those desiring live full of the Spirit should praise the Lord.

*Cue Circle Graph

The Spirit filled life isn’t overly complicated or only for smarter or more experienced Christians…

To walk Spirit-filled is to choose to submit yourself to His guidance and work in and through your life.

And you know the type of person God loves to fill with His Spirit?

A broken one.

God desires to save the one who has constantly spent their life filling themselves up with everything in this world only to find out it never brought fulfillment at all.

And if we respond to what Jesus, the Son of God, did for us-

Leaving His throne in heaven to walk among us, taking to punishment for our sin and dying the death we deserve

Yet defeating death by being raised from the dead-

Trusting that his sacrifice and victory is sufficient for us to experience the same-

we too, bringing every broken area of our life, can be filled with the Spirit resulting in a fulfilled life.

The Holy Spirit does in us what Jesus did for us.

As we consider what it means, in our brokenness, to be filled with the Spirit, turn your attention to the screen as we hear an encouraging word from one of our pastors, Pastor David Joseph.

*Cue Video

This morning, there is one invitation for everyone.

If you have not been living as if you have been filled with the Holy Spirit, today is the day respond and to live the way God created us to live.

To my fellow followers of Jesus, it’s time we identify what we have been filling our life with that hindering us from walking filled with the Spirit.

Repent this morning, turn from those things, and trust the presence of the Spirit in your life.

From now until we sing, take this moment to do business with the Lord and find freedom and joy in Him.

Maybe for some of you, you have never walked in this way before.

I want you to hear this good news- God, who created the world and everything in it, created you.

In this world of brokenness, He has a design for you.

But our broken state can never be redeemed unless we turn from pursuing the things of the world and choose to trust in the person and work of Jesus.

In placing our faith in Jesus, we can be saved from our own sin, and pursue the life that He created us for and be redeemed in that pursuit.

If you desire to make that decision for the first time today,

While others seek the Lord and return to Him, trusting in the presence and empowerment of the Spirit,

Would you, in the sincerity of your heart, pray with me.

You aren’t praying to me, the church, but to the God who created you and loves you. This prayer doesn’t save you, your faith does.

Let’s pray something like this in your heart.

God, today I see my need for you.

Thank you for sending Jesus to save me from my sins.

I believe in who He was, and who He is.

I know I am only forgiven because of His sacrifice.

I choose today to stop living for myself,

to turn from pursuing the things of this world,

and choose to follow you.

I trust that your design for my life is better than any and all things.

Thank you, God.

Amen.

*PAUSE

If you made that decision today, tell someone. let us walk with you in this journey as you learn about the life God has created for you to live!

Right now, we are going to put into practice what we have learned this morning-

Let us seek the Lord in worship- this is when we are living filled, praising the God of our salvation!

Would you stand as we sing this song, united in one voice, and praise the Lord for the work He has done in gifting us with the presence of His Son in our lives!