Walking With Wisdom (Ephesians 5:15-21)

How much does God love you? He loves you so much that he gave his son to bless you with every spiritual blessing. In Ephesians, we have seen so many spiritual blessings in Christ. Those who put their faith in Christ are God's children. They have been brought from death to life. We who are in Christ have been added to the body of Christ, and we are sharing in every spiritual blessing Jesus has. We are seated with him at the right hand of God. So, in the first three Chapters, Paul tells us all about the blessings we have.

Then, at the end of those chapters, we read that Paul bows his knees before God and prays that these Ephesians will be filled with strength through His Spirit in their inner man. He wants them to be filled with the Spirit and find inner strength. Today we are going to learn what that means.

To start this section off, we learned that those given every spiritual blessing should walk worthy of their blessings. We are not worthy of the blessings God has given us, but we ought to live like someone who is worthy. The last verse we looked at last week tells us to wake up and rise from the dead. I think that is a perfect explanation of what God is wanting to see. He has made us alive in Christ, and now he wants us to get up and start walking. We should be humble, united, and building up the body with an equipped ministry. Then, he says we should not be walking as everyone else in the world. Knowing God's love for us should renew our thinking. We want to imitate God by following Jesus. That means we walk in love, walk in light, and walk in wisdom. We've talked about walking in love and walking in light. Now, let's talk about walking in wisdom.

Walk In Wisdom

What does wisdom look like? Many might say gray hair. Some might say going along with the majority is wise and safe. When we think about wisdom in this way, we are ascribing wisdom to those who are successful. That may or may not be true. But wisdom may not appear successful. Think of Christ and his punishment. He was not successful in the eyes of men. So, we want to open up our minds to God's wisdom. We are trying to please God and appear wise to him, not the world. How do we do that?

Be Careful

Ephesians 5:15 (ESV) --- 15 Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise,

First, Paul says for us to look carefully at how we walk. We do not want to walk like a fool. Those who are wise walk like God. They emulate the life of Jesus. We have been studying Jesus' life in Matthew's gospel. I encourage you to go back and listen to some of the things that we have seen from Jesus. Jesus was the wisest man to live. How much care is needed for us to walk like him? That kind of life doesn't just happen. He is the Micheal Jordan of righteousness. He devoted his life to it and became the greatest ever to live. This was his passion. We must care about what is wise like he cares about what is wise.

Proverbs is an amazing book that confirms our need to be careful. Solomon writes that the person who doesn't open their ears and care about wisdom will never find it.

Proverbs 1:20--33 (ESV) --- 20 Wisdom cries aloud in the street, in the markets she raises her voice; 21 at the head of the noisy streets she cries out; at the entrance of the city gates she speaks: 22 “How long, O simple ones, will you love being simple? How long will scoffers delight in their scoffing and fools hate knowledge? 23 If you turn at my reproof, behold, I will pour out my spirit to you; I will make my words known to you. 24 Because I have called and you refused to listen, have stretched out my hand and no one has heeded, 25 because you have ignored all my counsel and would have none of my reproof, 26 I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when terror strikes you, 27 when terror strikes you like a storm and your calamity comes like a whirlwind, when distress and anguish come upon you. 28 Then they will call upon me, but I will not answer; they will seek me diligently but will not find me. 29 Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the Lord, 30 would have none of my counsel and despised all my reproof, 31 therefore they shall eat the fruit of their way, and have their fill of their own devices. 32 For the simple are killed by their turning away, and the complacency of fools destroys them; 33 but whoever listens to me will dwell secure and will be at ease, without dread of disaster.”

Then, he tells us that finding wisdom takes some amount of work. We need to seek it like we would seek great riches, but it is more valuable than great riches.

Proverbs 2:1--10 (ESV) --- 1 My son, if you receive my words and treasure up my commandments with you, 2 making your ear attentive to wisdom and inclining your heart to understanding; 3 yes, if you call out for insight and raise your voice for understanding, 4 if you seek it like silver and search for it as for hidden treasures, 5 then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God. 6 For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding; 7 he stores up sound wisdom for the upright; he is a shield to those who walk in integrity, 8 guarding the paths of justice and watching over the way of his saints. 9 Then you will understand righteousness and justice and equity, every good path; 10 for wisdom will come into your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul;

Proverbs 3:5--8 (ESV) --- 5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. 6 In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. 7 Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and turn away from evil. 8 It will be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones.

Finally, he tells us that we need to look our for decievers who are trying to pull us back into foolishness. There are foolish friends and foolish adulterers or adulteresses.

Proverbs 1:11--19 (ESV) --- 11 If they say, “Come with us, let us lie in wait for blood; let us ambush the innocent without reason; 12 like Sheol let us swallow them alive, and whole, like those who go down to the pit; 13 we shall find all precious goods, we shall fill our houses with plunder; 14 throw in your lot among us; we will all have one purse”--- 15 my son, do not walk in the way with them; hold back your foot from their paths, 16 for their feet run to evil, and they make haste to shed blood. 17 For in vain is a net spread in the sight of any bird, 18 but these men lie in wait for their own blood; they set an ambush for their own lives. 19 Such are the ways of everyone who is greedy for unjust gain; it takes away the life of its possessors.

Proverbs 7:1--27 (ESV) --- 1 My son, keep my words and treasure up my commandments with you; 2 keep my commandments and live; keep my teaching as the apple of your eye; 3 bind them on your fingers; write them on the tablet of your heart. 4 Say to wisdom, “You are my sister,” and call insight your intimate friend, 5 to keep you from the forbidden woman, from the adulteress with her smooth words. 6 For at the window of my house I have looked out through my lattice, 7 and I have seen among the simple, I have perceived among the youths, a young man lacking sense, 8 passing along the street near her corner, taking the road to her house 9 in the twilight, in the evening, at the time of night and darkness. 10 And behold, the woman meets him, dressed as a prostitute, wily of heart. 11 She is loud and wayward; her feet do not stay at home; 12 now in the street, now in the market, and at every corner she lies in wait. 13 She seizes him and kisses him, and with bold face she says to him, 14 “I had to offer sacrifices, and today I have paid my vows; 15 so now I have come out to meet you, to seek you eagerly, and I have found you. 16 I have spread my couch with coverings, colored linens from Egyptian linen; 17 I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon. 18 Come, let us take our fill of love till morning; let us delight ourselves with love. 19 For my husband is not at home; he has gone on a long journey; 20 he took a bag of money with him; at full moon he will come home.” 21 With much seductive speech she persuades him; with her smooth talk she compels him. 22 All at once he follows her, as an ox goes to the slaughter, or as a stag is caught fast 23 till an arrow pierces its liver; as a bird rushes into a snare; he does not know that it will cost him his life. 24 And now, O sons, listen to me, and be attentive to the words of my mouth. 25 Let not your heart turn aside to her ways; do not stray into her paths, 26 for many a victim has she laid low, and all her slain are a mighty throng. 27 Her house is the way to Sheol, going down to the chambers of death.

Be Responsible

Ephesians 5:16 (ESV) --- 16 making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.

Second, Paul says that the wise are "making the best use of their time." Our generations are incredibly lazy. I was just thinking about how tempting it is for us to automate everything. I can tell Alexa good night, and she will turn off all the lights for me. If I had an extra smart house, she would lock all my doors and set my temperature. All of this happens by speaking a word. There would be no getting up or moving around. This is fantastic. We save so much time through technology. But what do we do with that extra time? Machines make it easy for us to do complicated things. I was talking to Tommie Sue Bishop about life on the farm. She describes a time where there was so much work to do the kids had to help. They ran a farm, and they didn't have to buy anything. She told me that they still made time to build a church up and be hospitable to strangers or travelers.

What are we doing with our time? The more time we have, the more time we want, and the only reason we want it is to use it for ourselves. That's not wise. Wise people don't spend all their free time. They invest it. I see so many people spending all their time going with the flow. They just do whatever comes to them on that day. It's like living paycheck to paycheck. There is no setting aside time for what's most important. Do we think about what would be the best use of our time?

Paul says, "The days are evil." Maybe you don't feel that. These days seem pretty good to you. You get to do what you want to do. What does Paul mean when he says that? In their days, there was a push to worship the government and worship the almighty dollar. The world was full of a deceptive belief that they needed to enjoy the world and everything in it while they can. Does that sound familiar? The world pulls us to focus on the world. We are tempted every day to believe that we don't need to do anything for God. That is foolish. Be wise and serve God with your life. The investment will result in eternal joy and peace beyond comparison.

Understand God

Ephesians 5:17 (ESV) --- 17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.

The third part of walking in wisdom tells us how to make the best use of our time. We need to understand the will of God. He talked about this back in verse 10, saying, "Try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord." Our goal in life is to please him because of all that he has done for us. We need to know him and accept all that he has done for us. Then, we need to study to learn his will. It would be foolish to accept his blessings and live without trying to please him. Can you imagine a child taking everything the parent gives and refusing to listen or do anything the parent asks? How much should that child expect?

The wise use of time is spent carefully studying and obeying all that God says. We can understand God. His word is not too hard to understand. Those who want to know will know. Those who spend the time seeking will find. It is wise for those who receive God's blessings to seek and find God's will.

Be Filled With The Spirit

Ephesians 5:18 (ESV) --- 18 And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit,

The fourth aspect of walking wisely is different than what we are used to. We don't usually talk like this, but Paul says to be filled with the Spirit. What does that mean? Notice the contrast. He says, "Don't be drunk with wine." Instead of drinking our fill of wine and becoming drunk, he wants us to be filled with the Spirit. What does drinking alcohol have to do with all of this? Paul makes it clear that being drunk is a foolish use of our time. We know that, don't we? Why do people get drunk? Drinking alcohol depresses the nervous system. That means it keeps us from feeling things and slows our reactions. So those who drink are usually happier. They are also way bolder to say what's on their minds. The problem is that what is on their minds is typically foolishness. Alcohol is the way many people deal with the reality they are facing. They suppress it because they can't handle it.

Do we see the contrast with the filling of the Spirit? Those who are filled with the Spirit. Being filled with alcohol makes us foolish, but being filled with the Spirit makes us wise. He's not talking about some loss of control. That's what drunks do. Some of your translations call drunkenness debauchery. What is that? Debauchery is all about losing self-control and excessively enjoying the pleasures of this world. The filling of the Spirit doesn't result in a loss of control. It's the opposite. We have more control. The filling of the Spirit also makes us happy and bold, but it doesn't do that by suppressing reality. It does that by revealing the actual reality that we couldn't see.

You may be wondering, "What does it mean to be filled with the Spirit? How do we do that?" Those are great questions. The Holy Spirit is the revealer of all truth (John 14:15-17, 26). That's what he does. Notice again what Paul says back in Chapter 3.

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.

The strengthening of the Holy Spirit is all about giving a greater comprehension and knowledge of God and his love. It's really quite simple when we look at the immediate context. He said in verse 10 that he wants us to try to discern the will of the Lord. Then, he says he wants us to understand what the will of the Lord is. How are we filled with the Spirit? Being filled with the Spirit is all about understanding who God is and what God has done. That greater understanding of reality helps us walk as wise children of God. We can glorify God if we stay focused on and carefully do what God has revealed.

Make A Melody With Thankfulness

It is fascinating to me that the following words of Paul explain how the filling of the Spirit affects us. When we are filled with the Spirit, filled with the revealed knowledge of who God is, the result is singing. We overflow with songs of praise, admiration, and thanksgiving.

Ephesians 5:19 (ESV) --- 19 addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart,

The wise don't sing happily in drunkenness. They sing happily about all that God has done for them. There should be a thankfulness inside of us for everything. There should be a melody in our hearts because we know and believe in the promises of our God. We sing these words repeatedly because we are seeking to please God.

Notice that there are no musical instruments here. Many people think that it pleases God to play their musical instruments for God. Next Sunday night, we will talk about that in more detail, but tonight consider how the words of our mouths should reflect what is in our hearts. We shouldn't be singing empty words to God. Our goal is to sing with a melody in our hearts. Have you ever sung in this way? Song leaders consider how to stimulate people's hearts so that a melody comes out. We have great song leaders who do this all the time! But I fear that sometimes we fail to catch the melody.

Giving Thanks

Ephesians 5:20 (ESV) --- 20 giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,

Notice that he explains the kind of thankful hearts we should have. We should always be thankful. Every prayer should begin with a recognition of the blessings God has given me in my life. That makes our suffering prayers better. Even as we see the tremendous pain and suffering, we are walking through. We know that God has blessed us. He also says, "For everything." We are supposed to be thankful for everything we enjoy and hate in life. This reminds me of Job, who lost everything and said, "Naked I came out of my mother's womb, naked I will return. Blessed be the name of the Lord." We must be grateful for every moment of life because they are all a gift from God. God can work out even the suffering for our good.

Submitting With Reverence

Ephesians 5:21 (ESV) --- 21 submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.

The final words of Paul don't seem like they fit. How are we walking in wisdom when we submit to one another? Submitting to one another often seems like a foolish thing to do. Sometimes, we are faced with a weaker brother who is trying to force his opinion on me. Should I submit to him? Sometimes we are faced with a stronger brother who is trying to do something I'm uncomfortable doing. Should I submit to him? All kinds of "what ifs" run through our heads. We have worldly wisdom that is limited to what we see, and what we see is not going to be pretty. But Paul says we are walking in wisdom when we submit to one another.

Wives, submit to your husbands. Husbands, submit to your wives. Children, submit to your parents. Parents, submit to your children. Slaves, submit to your masters. Masters, submit to your slaves. Some of these don't seem appropriate but notice that he brings up these specific examples in the rest of the book. We are going to explore this more fully.

Why does he say to submit like this? The last words of the verse say it all, "Out of reverence for Christ." We don't oppress or force our opinions on others because we revere Christ. We need fear and awe of Jesus that humbles us and makes us want to submit to others. Jesus died for us, and he is the only reason we have hope of eternal life with God. He submitted to us in an amazing act of love even though we didn't deserve it. We will talk more about this next week.

Conclusion

God's blessings should result in a transformed life. This all starts with a greater understanding of who God is and what he wants from us. If you struggle to study your Bible regularly, please consider joining and sticking with our Bible classes. Listen to podcasts while you drive. Find someone to get together at a coffee shop and study with. Also, join one of our monthly Bible studies. This is how we are filled with the Spirit. This is the key to happiness, boldness, and greater self-control. The older we get, the more understanding we need to stay fueled up. If you are going through dark and difficult times, God's true reality will help you to sing with a melody in your heart. If you aren't in touch with that reality, will you let us know?