Lesson 13 – Ephesians Chapter 5:14-18

I ended last week by saying if we do our part as believers by imitating God, we will have all our “bases covered,” as they say. It would go without saying, if we imitate God and have the “mind of Christ,” we will most assuredly be loving those around us. As we’re living this way, we won’t be entertaining evil in any way.

In verse 13 we saw that shinning God’s light will expose darkness for the evil it is. Darkness hates when it is exposed to light. Kind of like turning on the light in a dark room and seeing the cockroaches scatter. Satan hates God’s light because it shows what truth is, that satan is a murderer and a liar.

Eph. 5:14
Therefore He says: “Awake, you who sleep, arise from the dead, and Christ will give you light.”

Paul says, “Wake up.” He doesn’t say, “Be woke.” Paul has his spiritual megaphone out, and he’s calling to sinners and believers alike who are not “walking in the light of God” to wake up.

This comes from…

Isaiah 60:1
“Arise, shine; For your light has come! And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you.”

Paul is extending an invitation to all those who have yet come to Christ. This verse could also be a reference to…

Isaiah 26:19
“Your dead shall live; Together with my dead body they shall arise. Awake and sing, you who dwell in dust; For your dew is like the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out the dead.”

Isaiah is talking about being resurrected to new life, and in the church age which we’re living, if a person wants to be part of Christ’s resurrection, they must come to Him with repentant hearts.

Again, a paraphrase from Paul saying, “Wake up! Stop sleeping, and smell the coffee.” He could also be addressing the believer who has been falling prey to the lures of darkness, and perhaps has started to backslide. Christ is the only One who can bring His light into your life, meaning that His light is our salvation.

A Bible commentary says, “Like a spiritual Rip Van Winkle, he will sleep through God’s time of grace unless someone awakens him to his predicament and need.”

Do any of you have a friend or family member who is in a spiritual deep sleep? At the very least, you must be praying for them. Don’t stop!

Jesus says don’t stop praying.

Matt. 7:7-8
“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.”

Is this a guarantee that your loved one will be saved? No, because everyone still has “free will.” God will never force anyone to spend eternity with Him in heaven.

So we pray for them continually… that Christ will give them light.

There’s a story about a great fire that took place in Edinburgh, Scottland, in which people hurried to get to the exit of the building through a passage-way that led down to the street. They almost made it to safety when a rush of smoke hit them head on, blowing into the entire passage from the outside. Instead of running through the smoke, they entered a door into a room that seemed to be safe. But soon all the oxygen was exhausted and they all suffocated and died. If only they had seen the light they might have been saved.

Proverbs 4:19-18:
“The way of the wicked is like darkness; they do not know what makes them stumble. But the path of the just is like the shining sun, that shines ever brighter unto the perfect day.”

Jesus is the Light of the world. The only way to escape the darkness of death is to reach out to Jesus and give Him your heart.

Eph. 5:15 – Again with the walking, Walk in wisdom…
“See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise,”

NASB says, “Therefore be careful how you walk.”

Circumspectly – The Greek ak-ree-boce’ means that we walk exactly, accurately, and diligently. One commentary suggests the idea of a circle. That Paul is saying in effect, “Be sure to look around, and see to it that you’re being vigilant. Don’t allow yourself to be blind-sided or tricked.” To be vigilant means to be careful to notice things, what’s going on in the circle of your life, especially possible danger, or trouble. Clearly this is a warning to us from Paul.

I used to say to my mother that she needed to walk circumspectly… No I didn’t… but I did tell her that she needed to walk on purpose, meaning that she would be careful so she wouldn’t fall. The same is true for us spiritually, we need to walk on purpose as Christians. Or, we could also say that we need to walk with purpose. Why? You’ve heard this many times…

I Peter 5:8
“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.”

We would be foolish not to heed Peter’s warning. Not as fools but as wise… Paul warns us.

Psalm 14:1a
“The fool has said in his heart, there is no God.”

We can say from our experience of walking in the light that the fool is a person who lives intentionally apart from God in darkness, denying that He even exists.

So then, believers are to walk in faith without stopping, being careful, and to do it in a skillful manner.

• How would we do this skillfully?

One way to describe it would be, like I said before, be living on purpose for God, that He has the number One position in our life, and that He is truly at the center of your very existence.

Mark 12:30
“And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment.”

If we’re honest with ourselves, we know that this isn’t an easy thing to do, even for the most mature Christian. But, if we go about it skillfully, we will see to it that we always “make” time for God. The moment we decide to walk in God’s direction is the moment distractions are going to come, satan and his demons will make sure of this. They will try every trick in the book to derail you.

I John 4:4
“But you belong to God, my dear children. You have already won a victory over those people, because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world.” (NLT)

When it comes to our walk with God, there’s really no such thing as being hyper-vigilant (being overly vigilant), because the unseen world around us is relentless in its attack. This segues nicely into our next verse…

Eph. 5:16
“Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.

Wouldn’t it be nice if we could turn the clock back sometimes? Redeeming the time… means taking advantage of opportunities for service. NASB says, “making the most of your time.” This brings us back to the believer’s real purpose in life. Are we really living for God or are we mostly satisfying our own needs and just giving God the left-overs? Sometimes this involves buying back the missed opportunities we’ve had.

We can’t live in regret. We’re not to let lost opportunities make us feel disappointed or discouraged. Our God is bigger than any lost opportunities we’ve ever had. God can still get you where you need to go in life, despite making some bad choices and decisions along the way.

If we allow Him, God is constantly giving us direction, speaking to our hearts, and leading us by granting us peace or unrest in our spirit.

Yes, I said peace or unrest, both are valuable.

When we have peace or unrest, this is one of the ways the Holy Spirit moves within us… to help guide us. Even when we miss His instructions or guidance, God’s grace is sufficient to carry us through any circumstance.

Col. 4:5
“Live wisely among those who are not believers, and make the most of every opportunity.” (NLT)

Sometimes, when we think of missed opportunities, we think about the times we should have shared Christ with someone, and for some reason we didn’t. The thing to do is learn from it, and then pray for another opportunity to come your way.

One thing I want to look at here is the phrase “making the most of” (NASB) which has the basic meaning of buying, especially of buying back (not of time) but “buying out.” “Buying out” was a term used for buying a slave in order to set them free. Thus, we have here the idea of redemption. We are to redeem, buy up, all the time we have and then devote it to the Lord, using it for His kingdom and His glory.

Time… as far as redeeming time, time is God’s commodity and His alone. Sometimes a person’s time on this earth is only the time they have in their mother’s womb, and for others, their time goes on so long you can’t count all the wrinkles. Therefore, whatever time God blesses us with, we should never take it for granted, but use it wisely and for God’s glory.

Psalm 39:4
“Lord, remind me how brief my time on earth will be. Remind me that my days are numbered… how fleeting my life is. You have made my life no longer than the width of my hand. My entire lifetime is just a moment to you; at best, each of us is but a breath.” (NLT)

John 9:4
“We must work the works of Him who sent Me as long as it is day; night is coming when no one can work.”

You’ve heard these phrases… the time is coming, you’re running out of time, you only have just so much time! The big question for each of is, how are we using the time God is giving us? Jesus said, “night is coming when no one can work.” We must be good stewards of the time God gives us.

Because the days are evil…

I wonder how many generations have said, the days are evil, the end is near? Do you think they said it when Hitler was in control capturing and killing millions of Jews during WWII?

During the Reign of Terror in France (1793–1794), an estimated 40,000 people were executed or murdered. While the guillotine was invented as a humane method of execution, its efficiency meant more people could be executed. Certainly these were evil days.

When the people of Rome began turning against Nero, he used the Christians as scapegoats to get the heat off himself. Christians were blamed for the fires in Rome and were slaughtered in masse, but the really terrifying part was how they were killed. Slaughtering Christians was a spectacle that people would attend and cheer on. During these parties, Nero would nail Christians to crosses and then burn them alive as a source of light for when the sun went down. While his victims screamed and suffered, Nero would walk about in a chariot rider’s uniform making small talk with his guests. Truly evil times.

We are to make the most of our opportunities not only because our days are numbered, but because the world continually opposes us and seeks to hinder our work for the Lord. The days are evil… Paul may have had specifically in mind the corrupt and evil lifestyles that characterized Ephesus at the time he wrote this. But, many times throughout history, when the church is surrounded by numerous corruptions and persecutions, it would make the church stronger, not weaker. So in our time, let’s do our part to make the church stronger!

Eph. 5:17
“Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.”

NASB – “So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.”

Don’t behave thoughtlessly, don’t be foolish, and don’t be unwise… this is how God wants us to act, plain and simple. Then when we do the opposite of these things, like living wisely before the Lord, we will get “tuned in” you might say, to how God wants you to live.

Knowing that the days are evil, some people might be tempted to become a little anxious, or even overwhelmed at times. This isn’t the wise or prudent way to go forward with the Lord.

But understand what the will of the Lord is…

I’ve heard people say, “I wonder what God’s will is for my life?” or “I wish I knew God’s will for my life.”

Mark 3:35
“Anyone who does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother.”

We understand that knowing God’s will is important. At its most basic, the will of God is for us to repent of our sins and then trust in Jesus.

Rom. 12:2
“Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.” (NLT)

I Thess. 4:3
“God’s will is for you to be holy, so stay away from all sexual sin.” (NLT)

I Thess. 5:18
“Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.” (NLT)

Heb. 10:10
“For God’s will was for us to be made holy by the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ, once for all time. (NLT)

Heb. 10:36
“Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God’s will. Then you will receive all that he has promised.” (NLT)

I Peter 2:15
“It is God’s will that your honorable lives should silence those ignorant people who make foolish accusations against you.”

Knowing God’s will is sometimes difficult for us because it requires patience on our part. It’s natural for us to want to know all of God’s will all at once, but that’s not how He usually works. Many times God reveals to us one step at a time, then each move for us becomes a step of faith, this allows us to continue to trust Him.

As we walk with the Lord (walking in the light), obeying His Word and relying on His Holy Spirit, we find that we are given the mind of Christ.

I Corinthians 2:16
“For who has known the mind of the Lord, that He will instruct Him? But we have the mind of Christ.”

Allowing God’s Word to transform the way we think (Rom 12:2) is paramount for the believer… then we will come to know Him more intimately, and that helps us to know His will.

Eph. 5:18
“And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit,”

“Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit,” (NLT)

This comes right off the heels of Paul telling to us not to be foolish. To get drunk with any mind-altering substance is foolishness. Even our secular society has laws against driving a vehicle while under the influence alcohol.

John MacArthur, “Paul’s point here is that getting drunk is a mark of darkness and foolishness and that being filled with the Spirit is the source of a believer’s being able to walk in light and wisdom.”

A key word regarding this verse to focus in on is the word “influence.” Being “under the influence” means that you are being affected or controlled by something or someone.

From Northwestern Medicine – pertaining to alcohol: “During the early stages of drinking, your brain releases more dopamine. This chemical is linked with pleasure. During euphoria, you may feel relaxed and confident. But, your reasoning and memory may be slightly impaired. Often referred to as “tipsy,”

This little article brings up a very good point, your reasoning becomes impaired. The alcohol influences your reasoning, and with that, it controls your decision making as well. This opens the door to sinful behavior for the believer.

Why do people turn to alcohol? Many do so in hopes of finding happiness. For others, it’s to forget some kind of grief in their life, or a problem that is too overwhelming. Doing this is looking for answers in all the wrong places.

We all know that the three major battle fronts for the believer are our flesh, the influence of the world around us, and satan… add alcohol into the mix and we have a “toxic” combination (pun intended).

The question is to be filled with wine or the Holy Spirit…

Chuck Smith, “They are closer than a person would expect on the surface. What is a person searching for who turns to wine? The man who turns to alcohol, what is he seeking? What is he searching for? There is an emptiness deep inside. I am trying to find something that will fill that void in my life. I am reaching out for something that will satisfy; I am looking, I am searching. Some people search in alcohol to find a peace, a contentment, a relaxation or whatever. What does a person experience who is filled with the Spirit? A peace, a relaxation, a contentment, a fulfillment. The one man is looking in the wrong place; he is looking in a place where he will never discover it. The other man has come to the answer, being filled with the Spirit, that spiritual void in my life is now complete and full and I am no longer searching and seeking after something to satisfy. I am satisfied through my relationship with God in the Spirit. Rather than being entirely separate things, there is a real tie-in behind the injunction, “be not drunk with wine wherein is excess, but be ye continually filled with the Spirit.”

We can see that getting drunk with wine is not only a hindrance to us, but it also is another counterfeit from satan to push us away from being filled with Spirit.

Proverbs 23:19-21a
“Listen, my son, and be wise, and direct your heart in the way. Do not be with heavy drinkers of wine, or with gluttonous eaters of meat; For the heavy drinker and the glutton will come to poverty,” (NASB)

Isaiah 5:11
“Woe to those who rise early in the morning, that they may follow intoxicating drink; who continue until night, till wine inflames them!”

Each person is to be responsible before the Lord, and when it comes to dinking, you should ask yourself; can you do it before God in total faith and have confidence that it is right?

But be filled with the Spirit…

This I think is one of Paul’s key commands in all of his writings. If living the Christian life was all about following a list of do’s and don’ts, then why did Jesus need to send to us His Holy Spirit?

John 16:7
“But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you.”

As you know or should know, the Helper is the Holy Spirit. Jesus promised that when the Holy Spirit came, He would give eternal life, He would indwell and empower us, and that He would teach us.

One very important fact is the Holy Spirit is not an “it” or a “something,” but the Holy Spirit is a “He.” He is the third person in the Trinity.

I Cor. 3:16
“Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?”

The Holy Spirit “dwells” in us, (oy-keh’-o). The significance of the Greek term oy-keh’-o is that it speaks of a permanency. He’s never going to leave you.

Heb. 13:5b
“For He Himself has said, “I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you.”

Charles Stanley: “The Holy Spirit is doing His work in your life day in and day out. He doesn’t need to change a thing. What needs to change is your awareness of His presence and activity. When you know what to look for and when you look for it, you will be amazed at how real the Holy Spirt will become to you.”

Let’s remember that our coming to Christ was an act of faith, and the relying on the filling of the Holy Spirit also takes faith.

Eph. 2:8
“For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;”

We hold on to our gift of salvation through faith and not our feelings.

II Cor. 5:7
“For we walk by faith, not by sight.”

Jesus said to us…

John 20:29b
“Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed.”

The Spirit filled life is a life of faith! For the Christian, being filled with the Spirit is a matter of believing and then moving out in faith.

There is much more to be said about being filled with Spirit, tune-in next week to find out.