Text: “Be very careful, then, how you live – not as unwise but as wise” (v. 15).
Introduction:
I wonder how many people ever think along these lines.
Many people take life for granted and do what other people do. They never stop to consider how to live.
Children are influenced by their parents. If the parents are loving, understanding, do things for each other and exhibit role models like Beaver and Wally’s parents, there is a very good chance the children will follow their parent’s example and follow in their footsteps.
On the other hand, if the parents are always arguing, fighting, calling each other names and ignoring the wishes of the other, then the children will probably think that this is the way life is suppose to be.
Furthermore, if children are brought up in a broken home, there is a good chance they will think this is normal. In some families children are from different fathers. We had one family in our neighborhood that consisted of 4 children from three different fathers. Is there any wonder why our children are confused as to what is right and what is wrong? Society or the world has a tendency to accept these as normal, but I believe this is not the way God intended families to be.
I am convinced that we teach by example. If we do not want our children to drink, then we as parents do not drink. If we do not want our children to smoke, then we as parents do not smoke. If we don’t want our children to do drugs, then we don’t do drugs.
In our Scripture Reading, Paul specifies a number of things that project an image to others concerning our relationship with our God.
These important traits or characteristics are:
1. How you live or walk through life
2. How you use the valuable asset of time
3. Your understanding of God’s will – serious or foolish
4. Your use of alcohol to produce a high
5. Your relationship with the Holy Spirit
6. Your ability to praise
7. Your thankfulness
Let’s take a look at these items.
Paul tells the Ephesians to be careful how they live. In other words, watch how they walk the Christian life.
Would you say that the Christian lifestyle is different from Jewish lifestyle, the Moslem lifestyle, the Quaker lifestyle, the Mormon lifestyle and the Jehovah’s Witness lifestyle?
Paul understood that the Christian lifestyle was different that other lifestyles. The first Christians came from a number of religious groups. Many of they people were Jewish, Roman, Greek, and some had no known religion.
Paul preached and taught Christianity as he journeyed from one place to another. He was a missionary and he invited many people to accept Christ and become Christians. Paul realized that people were accustomed to doing things a certain way, believing what they had been taught, and reluctant to changing their standards.
The same applies today. When we witness to someone of a non-Christian faith, we must understand they will not be thinking like we are thinking. They have a certain lifestyle, a certain way of thinking, and rules and regulations they have been taught.
Our life must exhibit or project the Christian lifestyle if we are to convince others that Jesus Christ is the “Way, the Truth, and the Life.”
Story: “The Best Way”
Not long ago, a Hindu woman was converted, chiefly by hearing the word of God read. She suffered very much persecution from her husband. One day a missionary asked her, “When your husband is angry and persecutes you, what do you do?”
She replied: “Well, sir, I cook his food better; when he complains, I sweep the floor cleaner; and when he speaks unkindly, I answer him mildly. I try, sir, to show him that when I became a Christian I became a better wife and a better mother.”
The consequence of this was that, while the husband could withstand all the preaching of the missionary, he could not stand the practical preaching of his wife, and gave his heart to God with her. (Evangelical Visitor)
The best way to witness is to walk the talk.
I heard this little poem one time. It goes like this:
“We are living a Gospel
A chapter each day,
By deed that we do,
By word that we say;
Men read what we live,
Whether faithless or true,
Say, what is the Gospel
According to you?”
If we follow in the footsteps of our Lord and Savior others will see that we practice what we preach or we walk the talk.
It is the responsibility of every Christian to spread the Good News that Jesus is “the Way, the Truth, and the Life.”
Paul went on to tell the Ephesians that time is very important. All of us have been allotted a certain amount of time, but we don’t know how much. The only time we know we have is the present time. Yesterday is gone and tomorrow has not come. We can’t relive yesterday and we don’t know if tomorrow will come. The time we have is at hand and that time is today.
In today’s world, there is much stress. Workers have appointments to keep, deadlines to meet, budgets to prepare, people to manage, complaints to handle, home life to manage, bills to pay and a host of other obligations and duties. There are pressures from all angles. Accompanying stress and pressure is temptation. Satan is just standing by ready to put in a thought or two that will steer the stressed person off the straight and narrow road of righteousness onto the broad smooth paved highway of unrighteousness.
When Paul was talking to the Ephesians he was aware of the problems, pressures and temptations they were encountering. He followed the examples set forth by Jesus to show the love and compassion of God the Father.
Paul knew the importance of time and tried to witness to as many people as he could. He wanted people to have what he had and that was a right relationship with his Lord and Savior.
Paul continued his words to the Ephesians emphasizing the word “foolishness”. Many people over the years have expressed the thought that God does not exist. This was true in Paul’s time.
Paul said to the people, “Do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is” (v. 17).
You might ask the question, “How do I know God’s will?”
The best way to know God’s will for your life is to read and study His Word. You see, God created you, so he knows all about you. Everything God wants you to know, he revealed to you in His Word. God’s will is that we follow in the footsteps of His Son by showing the love, compassion, understanding, and caring for his children.
Also, God wants us to keep in touch with him through our daily prayers. When we talk to Him through prayer and listen to Him talk to us, He will reveal his will for us.
Colossians 3:15 tells us to “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace.”
If we have the “peace of God” within us, we will be able to get along with people regardless of our differences in culture, attitude, or ideas. We will be more understanding toward other people.
Communicating with God through prayer and listening to his response will enable His peace to rule our hearts.
Listen to this little story by F.W. Troy as written in the Alliance Weekly.
Story: “The Will of God”
There are peculiar storms in the Indian Ocean – Typhoons and monsoons. They are peculiar in that they do not move very rapidly. They do not move practically at all from east to west, or north to south; instead, they play around in a circle.
I was told by a sea captain that before the navigators understood the characteristics of these storms, if they tried to come out of them, they foundered.
“Now,” he said, “when we run into a monsoon, we locate its center, and we go around it. By and by we narrow the circle; when we get into the center, we are in a dead calm.”
This is like God’s will. Try to get out of it, and you will find it a destructive force. Get into it, and you are in calm, and you find it is good, and acceptable, and perfect, as it is so graphically described by the apostle Paul in the Twelfth chapter of the Epistle to the Romans.
In order to do the will of God, we must be in tune with his Word. We must be committed to following whatever he tells us. Jesus said, “…not My will, but Yours, be done” (Luke 2242). We must say the same thing to God. Every one of our prayers should end with “Thy will be done!”
Paul said to the Ephesians, “Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery (wickedness, sin). When people drink and get drunk with wine or any other alcoholic beverage, they feel different than normal. They act differently than they normally act. Their language becomes unacceptable and foul. All this is because they are on a temporary “high”. Drugs are known to give people a false sense of superiority.
Drugs cause people to do strange things. Sometimes people under the influence will see snakes and monsters. Other times they will be depressed and to the point of committing suicide by shooting themselves, cutting themselves, jumping off a bridge, etc. Drunk drivers hurt and/or kill other people. Families are destroyed because of a drinking member.
One who consumes alcohol and becomes drunk is not an example of the new person found in Christ, but is indeed the old person who is not in Christ.
A member of Alcoholics Anonymous once sent Ann Landers the Following:
We drank for happiness and became unhappy.
We drank for joy and became miserable.
We drank for sociability and became argumentative.
We drank for sophistication and became obnoxious.
We drank friendship and made enemies.
We drank for sleep and awakened without rest.
We drank for strength and felt weak.
We drank “medicinally” and acquired health problems.
We drank for relaxation and got the shakes.
We drank for bravery and became afraid.
We drank for confidence and became doubtful.
We drank to make conversation easier and slurred our speech.
We drank to feel heavenly and ended up feeling like hell.
We drank to forget and were forever haunted.
We drank for freedom and became slaves.
We drank to erase problems and saw them multiply.
We drank to cope with life and invited death.
Proverbs 20:1 says, “Wine is a mocker, intoxicating drink arouses brawling, and whoever is led astray by it is not wise.”
There are a lot of reasons for drinking alcoholic beverages, but not are valid.
Paul said to the Ephesians, “Instead, be filled with the Spirit (Holy Spirit).
Being filled with the Holy Spirit brings about lasting joy, not a temporary “high”. When we are filled with the Holy Spirit, Christ in our hearts, we can overcome depression, stress, and a host of other conditions.
Stephen R. Adams wrote these words:
Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is peace;
Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is love;
There is comfort in life’s darkest hour,
There is light and life; there is help and power in the Spirit, in the Spirit of the Lord.
The Holy Spirit is within us. We must draw upon that power. We must draw that power each and every day.
Paul’s next point is that of praise. He tells the Ephesians to “Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs” (v. 19).
Praise is a wonderful word. What does it mean?
Praise means to exalt or honor.
Parents praise their children for getting good grades in school. An employer praises his workers for their increased productivity or for meeting a dead line. A husband praises his wife for the delicious dinner she prepared. Family and friends praise a graduate for attaining their career goal. Praise is showing honor to people and to God.
Everyone needs to be praised at some time in life. Praise brings about encouragement and thankfulness.
I read this little story that I want to share with you.
Story: “I’m Fed Up!”
One New Year’s Day a millionaire, whose pride it was never to offer a tip for any service, faced an unforgettable tragedy. His chief accountant committed suicide. The books were found to be in perfect order; the affairs of the dead man – a modest bachelor – were prosperous and calm.
The only letter left by the accountant was a brief note to his millionaire employer. It read: “In 30 years I have never had one word of encouragement. I’m fed up.”
In today’s world, many people never receive praise, a word of encouragement, or thanks for the work they do.
Paul is telling the Ephesians they need to gather and speak to one another. We, too, need to speak to one another and praise one another. When we gather with other people, we have a chance to share our interests, our likes, what we are doing in life, what we would like to do. We learn what others are interested in and what makes them happy. We learn the wants and needs of others and what we can do to help them. We can encourage them to continue helping themselves and one another. We can praise our God for what he has done for us.
Paul goes on to say, “Always give thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (v. 20).
We are to thank God for everything that happens to us. We need to thank God for:
1. Giving us another day
2. Giving us people who love us
3. Giving us work
4. Giving us food
5. Giving us housing
6. Giving us our senses
7. Giving us strength
8. Giving us vision
9. Giving us opportunity
10. Giving us all things
It is difficult to thank God when things are not going well for us. When we are sick or down, it is hard to thank God. It is at this time we need to thank Him for the strength he provides for getting us through these difficult times and the difficult situations. God has such a love for us that he will always see us through tough and difficult times.
God knows where we are and what we are doing at all times. He knows when we are happy and he knows when we are unhappy. He knows what we want and he knows what we need. His ears are always open to hear our praises and our thanks.
Conclusion:
As Christians, we need to listen and heed what Paul told the Ephesians.
Be careful how you live – walk the talk
Use time wisely – earthly time is limited
Do not be foolish – follow the Lord’s will
Do not get drunk – wine is a mocker – temporary “high”
Be filled with the Holy Spirit – long lasting joy
Praise God and one another – result is encouragement
Be thankful for everything – thank God in Jesus’
name.
I want to close with this poem by Ida A.Guirey.
Poem: “Praise the Lord”
Praise Him when the sun is shining,
When the winds of trouble blow,
When you see no silver lining
On the clouds that hang so low.
Praise illumines clouds of sorrow,
Turns the gray skies into gold
Giving promise of a morrow
Bright with blessings manifold.
Praise Him when your load is heavy
And the day no comfort brings,
Then your burden God will carry,
Bear you as on eagles’ wings.
God delights to have us praise Him,
And believe His holy Word;
And He knoweth them that trust Him,
For they always praise the Lord.
Amen.
