Sunday LinkUp – 18August2024 – Ephesians 5:15-20

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OPENING COMMENTS

  • The theme for today is wisdom and understanding come from the Lord.
  • Our focus today will be on Ephesians 5:15-20, where Paul admonishes the church to be wise in understanding how they should conduct their lives in this world.

 

OPENING SONG

 

FIRST MESSAGE

  • The Comfort and Connection of Bread
  • Michelle Fleming 

From the TRANSCRIPT …

During the early days of the pandemic last year, one surprising trend was the number of people who turned to breadmaking—to the point that yeast and flour were in short supply. Some news organizations asked people why they chose breadmaking, and some responded that since they were working from home, not only did they now have the time, but it was also something they always wanted to try. Others said it gave them a sense of control in a seemingly out-of-control situation.

For some people, breaking bread during the pandemic was a way to comfort themselves and others. Research documents how breadmaking offers stress relief and a means of self-expression, and when the final product is shared, it becomes a way to connect with others, even at a distance. Some say that making bread connects them to past generations, and they bake to honor the memory of grandmothers and great-grandmothers who also faced challenges.

Bread has also played an important part in Christianity.  Most are familiar with the symbols of the wine and the bread and their connection with Jesus, but Jesus introduced himself as the bread of life before he instituted the Lord’s Supper.  Let’s look at what Jesus said in John 6.

 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh… Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him. As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever feeds on me, he also will live because of me.  This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like the bread the fathers ate, and died.  Whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.  
John 6:51, 53-58 (ESV)

This was a hard saying for some, who initially did not understand the down-to-earth metaphor Jesus was giving helping us understand our need for him for a sustained life.  Just like our need for food and drink to live physically, we need Jesus to live spiritually and in relationship with the Father, Son and Spirit.  In the same way we consume food, making it part of our body and bones, so we must take and consume Jesus.  By “making a meal” of Jesus, we join him in our pathway through the world, knowing we are always in him, just as he is in us.  We recognize that we are filled with the Holy Spirit, and we can live joyously even in the most difficult circumstances.  Consuming “living bread” brings us comfort by reminding us of our connection with God and other human beings.

Bread and bread-making comfort, nourish, and connect us, and Jesus knew this when he said he was the “living bread.”  Human activities like bread-making remind us of our need for a nourishing connection with God and each other.

May you take in the “living bread” and live fully alive, knowing Jesus is always with you.

I’m Michelle Fleming, Speaking of Life.

 

Any thoughts?

(Cf. Matthew 4:4, Deuteronomy 8:3, John 14:6, Colossians 3:1-3)

 

BIBLE READING

Ephesians 5:15-20

15 See then that you walk [a]circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, 16 redeeming the time, because the days are evil.  

17 Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.  18 And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, 19 speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, 20 giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,    

 

SPECIAL MUSIC 

 

 

 

Ephesians 5:15-20  NKJV Ephesians 5:15-20  ESV 
15 See then that you walk [a] circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, 16 redeeming the time, because the days are evil.   

17 Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is. 18 And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, 19 speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, 20 giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,   

 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,   

 

Ephesians 5:15-20

15 See then* that you walk [a] circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, 16 redeeming the time**, because the days are evil.   

* based on what had been written in Ephesians 5:8-14.

** See Ephesians 4:17.

What does it mean to walk circumspectly?

        • Walk carefully (as in other versions)
        • Walk in light (See Ephesians 5:8-14) … because light has been given to us.  Notice, also, the word “then” in the verse.  It points back to the fact that we have been given “light” and thereby enabled to walk wisely.
        • Walk in wisdom (not as fools) … to live like wise men (William Barclay).

What does “redeeming the time” mean?

        •  There were two ancient Greek words used for time.
            • One had the idea simply of day upon day and hour upon hour … chronos = exact time; quantitative time (as on a watch)
            • The other had the idea of a definite portion of time, a time where something should happen … kairos = the right time; an opportune time (as in Romans 5:6)
        • It is the difference between the exact time and a right time.  The idea here is of an opportune time; it is a definite season of opportunity that Christians must redeem.  This same word is translated opportunity in Galatians 6:10.
        • Paul isn’t telling us to make the most of every moment, even though that is good advice. He tells us to seize opportunity for the glory of Jesus. It isn’t to make the most of time, but to make the most of the time. (Enduring Word Commentary)
        • The idea behind redeeming the time is that you buy up opportunities like a shrewd businessman. You make the most of every opportunity for Jesus Christ. (Enduring Word Commentary).

What do you understand “the days are evil” to mean?

        • This is another reason why it is important to walk wisely.
        • Jesus spoke of a time when, many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold (Matthew 24:11-12).
        • The times present more opportunities for evil men to do evil.

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

How can one avoid being unwise?

        • By understanding what the will of the Lord is … this is real wisdom

How can one understand the will of the Lord?

        • By knowing God’s word … through Bible study

What is the will of the Lord?

        • To reflect the love that we have received from God back to the world (GCI Equipper).

 

 18 And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit,   

contrast between a pagan gathering and a Christian gathering. The pagan gathering is apt to be a debauch. It is significant that we still use the word symposium for a discussion of a subject by a number of people; the Greek word sumposion literally means a drinking-party.  Once, A. C. Welch was preaching on this text: “Be filled with the Spirit.”  He began with one sudden sentence: “You’ve got to fill a man with something.”  The heathen found his happiness in filling himself with wine and with worldly pleasures; the Christian found his happiness in being filled with the Spirit.  

      • Walking in the light means constant filling with the Holy Spirit (David Guzik, EWC).
      • And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation (debauchery); but be filled with the Spirit,
          • What is debauchery?
          • extreme indulgence in bodily pleasures and especially sexual pleasures :
          • behavior involving sex, drugs, alcohol, etc. that is often considered immoral.
      •  do not be drunk with wine: In contrast with the conduct of the world (being drunk with wine), we are to be filled with the Spirit.
      • Paul’s grammar here clearly says, “be constantly being filled with the Holy Spirit.”
      • The filling of the Holy Spirit is not a one-time event that we live off of the rest of our days. It is a constant filling, asking to be filled, and receiving the filling by faith.   Much of the weakness, defeat and lethargy in our spiritual life can be attributed to the fact that we are not constantly being filled with the Holy Spirit.
      • The ancient Greek grammar for be filled also indicates two other important things.
            • First, the verb is passive, so this is not a manufactured experience.
            • Second, it is imperative, so this is not an optional experience.

c. Do not be drunk with wine: The carnal contrast to being filled with the Holy Spirit is being drunk. The Bible condemns drunkenness without reservation.

Paul says that drunkenness is dissipation (debauchery).   This means that drunkenness is a waste of resources that should be submitted to Jesus. John Trapp writes of drinking “all the three outs” – “That is, ale out of the pot, money out of the purse, and wit out of the head.” (Trapp’s commentary on Galatians 5:21)

We should listen to what Proverbs tells us about drunkenness in passages such as Proverbs 20:1 and 23:29-33.

We must not think that only the state of “falling down drunk” qualifies as sin. Being impaired in any way by drink is sin, as well as drinking with the intention of becoming impaired.

But be filled with the Spirit: Paul contrasts the effect of the Holy Spirit with the state of drunkenness. Alcohol is a depressant; it “loosens” people because it depresses their self-control, their wisdom, their balance and judgment. The Holy Spirit has an exactly opposite effect. He is a stimulant; He moves every aspect of our being to better and more perfect performance.

“We find it here imbedded amongst precepts laying down the great laws of self-control, and it comes just before the special directions which the Apostle gives for the quiet sanctities of the Christian home… But then, all the while, it is a thing supernatural. It is a state of man wholly unattainable by training, by reasoning, by human wish and will. It is nothing less than – God in command and control of man’s whole life, flowing everywhere into it, that He may flow fully and freely out of it in effects around.” (Moule)

 

19 speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord,

The Spirit-filled life is marked by worship and gratitude.

When we are filled with the Spirit, we will have a desire to worship God and to encourage others in their worship of God.

The connection with being filled with the Spirit and praise is significant. Those who are filled with the Spirit will naturally praise, and praise is a way that we are filled with the Spirit.

Psalms and hymns and spiritual songs: This variety suggests that God delights in creative, spontaneous worship.  The most important place for us to have a melody unto God is in our heart.  Many who can’t sing a beautiful melody with the voice can have beautiful melodies in their heart.

The emphasis is more on variety than on strict categories. “We can scarcely say what is the exact difference between these three expressions.” (Clarke)

Giving thanks always for all things to God: The one who is filled with the Spirit will also be filled with thanksgiving. A complaining heart and the Holy Spirit just don’t go together.

Paul recommends the same pattern for our thanksgiving as he practiced in prayer in Ephesians 3:14 – giving thanks to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

“Every hour, yea, every moment has brought a favor upon its wings. Look downward and give thanks, for you are saved from hell; look on the right hand and give thanks, for you are enriched with gracious gifts; look on the left hand and give thanks, for you are shielded from deadly ills; look above you and give thanks, for heaven awaits you.” (Spurgeon)

According to William Barclay … From this passage we can gather that … 

(i) The early Church was a singing Church. It had a happiness which made men sing.

(ii) The early Church was a thankful Church.   

 

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

The early Church was a thankful Church … because its members were still dazzled with the wonder that God’s love had stooped to save them … ; and because its members had such a consciousness that they were in the hands of God.   The instinct was to give thanks for all things and in all places and at all times. (William Barclay). 

 

 

CLOSING SONG

 

 

 

 

 

Lectionary Notes

 

The Wisdom of Life Well Lived

Ephesians 5:15-20 (NIV)

 

In our pericope today, Paul is challenging the Ephesian church to live lives that are wise and not foolish. He will address what a foolish life may look like as well as point towards what a wise, Spirit-led life can and should be — a life well lived.

Throughout the letter to the Ephesians, Paul had been admonishing the believers to live out their lives according to their new identities in Christ.  It is one of the key lessons of Ephesians; the foundation for moral living is understanding what God has done for us in Christ Jesus.

Much of Paul’s audience came out of the pagan Greek culture. In his letter to the Corinthians, Paul mentions that while the Jews sought a sign, the Greeks seek after wisdom. On their list of values, wisdom would have been at the top of that list.

Paul makes an appeal here to their sensibilities. He posits the idea that not living the lives we were meant to live in Christ was an act of foolishness.  And that anyone who seeks to be wise would alter their behaviors accordingly.

Speaking of Greek, verse 15 says, “Being very careful, then, how you live …” The Greek renders this idea as keeping your eyes peeled, to be alert, so that you can live carefully (wisely).

Our pericope today may not be popular to some. Criticizing or denouncing the morals of the world can make the church seem polarized against society. The world often has a hard time not seeing the church as hostile and judgmental towards them already.

As a church, we are to find ways to build bridges to our communities and not barricades.  We should be very sensitive to how we might be making it difficult for our neighbors to see the love of Christ. But we also must not allow the ever-changing winds of our cultures to determine what our beliefs and practices should be.  Otherwise, we are sacrificing the truth at the expense of accommodation.

 these are desperate times!  What is being indicated here is that we are to be on mission, and there is so much for us to do.  The opportunities abound for us to be of service to this world. In fact, the idea here is one of “buying back” our time. 

The way that we are to live is to be carried out with wisdom, knowing that our time is short. As disciples of Christ, we submit to the one who leads us to live out our faith with wisdom.   

In our lives and in our churches, let us keep our eyes open to what is happening around us in our world.  To be innocent as doves but wise as serpents, as the Bible says.  Let us not put obstacles in the world’s path to seeing Christ.  But let us also be joyful witnesses to others of how a wise, Spirit-led life can be.  

what is God’s will?  What does he desire?  And how are we to participate in that?  These are important questions to consider when we look at the state of the world around us.  God’s will is for our lives to reflect back to the world the same love that we have received from the Father.   We are to make good use of our opportunities for the sake of others.

why was drunkenness singled out?

In a Spirit-directed life, we are under the influence of God.  In Christ, our perception of things has completely changed.  We are not the same people who we once were.  We now do and say things that reflect the love of Christ, and we stop doing those things that are not reflective of embracing the love of Christ.

Drunkenness is a counterfeit.  It gives the illusion of joy and peace but leads to all sorts of bad behavior and negative consequences.  Contrast that with being under the Spirit’s influence where we exhibit true peace and joy.

Those who live wisely are filled with joy that overflows into song.  When we live under the Spirit’s direction, we are able to sing, and make music from our hearts.  Even our speech, the way that we speak to one another, should sound as pleasing as music to our ears.

When we live wisely, we are led towards gratitude.  We are able to thank God for all good things and recognize him as our constant source of blessing.  We aren’t accomplishing anything by our own will or resources, rather, His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness. (2 Peter 1:3).

Now, we have the opportunity to really live.  A wisely lived life awaits us.  A life that is of utmost importance where our time can be spent recognizing the opportunities in front of us to show how beautiful and fulfilling Christ’s life is. It is a life that others need to see.  It is a life where our time can be spent recognizing the opportunities in front of us to show how beautiful and fulfilling Christ’s life is.

We leave behind foolish ways that don’t have their place in our lives. We sacrifice certain behaviors that hold no redeeming value as they can lead only to foolishness.  Our lives are to exhibit the wisdom of a loving Savior. One who has redeemed us of that former way of life.

Finally, we celebrate this life together with fellow believers. So much so that it flows into worship and gratitude. And as we lift each other up in the body, the church starts to resemble a musical celebration that catches the attention of a world that is dying to witness true joy and peace. Let us exhibit the wisdom of a life well lived.

 

 

 

 

 

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