Ephesians 5:15-20, “Paul Admonishes The Ephesians To Be Wise And
To Be Filled With The Spirit”
By
1.
INTRO:
1.1.
In our last study, we looked
at verses 1-14 of chapter 5.
1.1.1. In that
study, we saw that the apostle Paul began to admonish the Ephesians to begin to
imitate the Lord in their lives, to learn of His ways, and then to allow those
same ways to encapsulate their lives.
Since believers are children of God, Paul admonished us in this study to
behave like our heavenly Father in all of the things that we do.
1.2.
In our study today, we are going to look at verses
15-20 of chapter 5.
1.2.1. We
Christians are those who are wise and Paul tells us in this study that we are
to act as wise men and women. We are
going to look at what characterizes both wisdom and foolishness.
1.2.2. We are going
to see that the Lord commands us to be filled with the Holy Spirit
1.2.3. One day a
dear old saint met the pastor at the back of the church after the service. This man asked the pastor, “Pastor you are
always telling us how we ought to live, when are you going to tell us how to do
it?” In this study, we are going to
discuss how to be filled with the Holy Spirit for the filling of the Holy
Spirit is a prerequisite that is necessary to applying any of the exhortations
of this book.
2. VS
5:15-16 - “15 Therefore
be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, 16 making
the most of your time, because the days are evil.”
- Paul admonishes the Ephesians
to walk as wise men and make the most of their time
2.1.
As a background for this verse, we must realize that Paul
has already explained to the Ephesians the fact that since coming to Christ
that many things are now true of their lives, things which are also true of
us. They are now new creatures in Christ
and therefore completely new principles apply to their lives, and they have new
capabilities. They are now beloved
children of God and through the Holy Spirit are given the ability to walk in a
manner worthy of their new family and parent, their Father in heaven. They have gone from being children of
darkness to being children of light and now they have the ability and desire to
walk as children of light in all holiness and righteousness. Because of these new realities in their life,
it can be said of these Ephesian Christians (and all Christians that now they
are ‘wise.’ We have a wisdom
which none of those who do not know the Lord have. We have the understanding of truth and
knowledge about the Lord that is not able to be understood by the natural man
since it is spiritually appraised (1 Cor. 2:14). Jesus said that it was the ‘wise’ man
who build his house upon the rock, and thus all Christians are ‘wise.’
2.2.
Though we who are true Christians are ‘wise,’
Paul admonishes us here to ‘be careful’ that we walk as one who is ‘wise.’ We are to take pains to be sure that we walk
in a ‘wise’ manner. It is
extremely important in our life that we do this.
2.3.
What is wisdom then?
Wisdom is not the mere accumulation of knowledge. There are many well educated people who have
done much study and research yet who are not ‘wise’ but are fools for
they do not believe in Bible and the God of the Bible. Even Christians may have a lot of knowledge
about God from His word and yet make foolish decisions for their lives, or they
can come to wrong conclusions based upon the knowledge of God’s word which they
have. Wisdom does depend upon knowledge,
however wisdom is defined as “the correct and appropriate application of
knowledge.” How many times have we
heard of someone getting counsel from another Christian that turned out to be
misapplied knowledge from God’s word? We
Christians are admonished to be ‘wise’ or apply knowledge of God
correctly and appropriately in our lives.
2.4.
The person who acts foolishly is basically one who
doesn’t look before he leaps. He bases a
decision upon some sort of impulse or instinct without really considering all
of the facts in the case. He thinks he
perceives the true nature of a situation based upon impulse and a limited
amount of understanding or perspective which he has and so he acts. Some Christians think that a Christian should
act impulsively or instinctually and that to do otherwise is to not have faith
or to quench the Holy Spirit. I have
known Christians who were of the Pentecostal persuasion who have made very
foolish decisions which they later regretted because of some sort of word from
the Lord that they felt they were supposed to act impulsively and immediately
upon. A pastor of a large church one day
fired all of his staff merely because someone whom he respected spiritually
received a supposed word from the Lord that he was supposed to fire them. This man later realized that had he merely
thought and prayed about this decision carefully before he acted he would have
realized that for many reasons this was a very foolish action for him to
take.
2.5.
It is never God’s will for His people to merely act
based upon some instinctual response, rather it is always wise to pray and
meditate upon scripture asking the Lord for wisdom to guide us in our
actions. James, in James 1:5-6, wrote about
the fact that if any of us Christians lack wisdom in any situation that we are
to ask God for wisdom and that He will answer us and give us the wisdom which
we request, “5 But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of
God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to
him. 6 But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one
who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind.”” When I was a young Christian I found myself
often asking God for wisdom pertaining to my life and during those times I
thought of myself as reasoning with God as I would pray and meditate upon the
scripture pertaining to my life and decisions.
2.6.
The scriptures give us some guidelines for discerning
that which is ‘wise’ from that which is foolish and one such verse that I have
often meditated upon is James 3:17, “17 But the wisdom from above
is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good
fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy.”
Before we make a decision it is good to pray and ask the Lord if our
decision matches what James wrote here.
2.7.
Paul adds to this admonishment to the Ephesians to act
wisely that they are to do so because they are to be ‘making the most of
your time.’ We Christians have been
placed here upon this earth just for a limited amount of time. There are certain things that God wants to do
through our lives, we have a calling and ministries. Just as Jesus did, we Christians are to be
about our Father’s business, making the most use of our time.
2.8.
Making the most of our time as Christians here upon
this earth relates to “opportunities” that are available to us. There are people around us all of the time
and the Lord has placed them there for specific reasons. If people around our sphere of influence do
not have a personal relationship with the Lord then this is an “opportunity”
that God has given us to reach them for Him, to help in bringing that person to
salvation through Jesus Christ. O
Christian, are you making the most of the “opportunities” that the Lord
gives you each day? If not, you need to
wise up, says Paul.
2.9.
A second reason Paul gives for being wise and making
the most of the opportunities that the Lord places in our live is ‘because
the days are evil.’ We are living in
a world that is ‘evil’ and under the influence of hosts of demons that
are ‘evil.’ This ‘evil’
world is quickly heading for judgment also, and thus it is so important that we
redeem our time and use the opportunities we are given to reach people in our
life for Christ. Merely reflecting upon
the fact that the ‘days are evil’ is a motivation for us to share our
faith with others and redeem our time wisely.
3. VS 5:17 - “17 So then do not be
foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.” - Paul
admonishes the Ephesians to know what God’s will is and not be foolish
3.1.
Paul now admonishes the Ephesians that they are to ‘understand’
God’s will, and thus not be ‘foolish.’
It is a tragedy that so many Christians today have so little true
spiritual understanding, so little knowledge of God’s word, and thus His will
for their lives. Many supposed
Christians even jest at the notion of seeking God’s will in matters related to
their life, or they assume that their desires must surely be God’s will for
their life.
3.2.
This verse emphasizes the importance for us who are
Christians of not only reading God’s word, but also studying it, memorizing it,
and meditating upon it. People growing
up today have a very small attention span, they read very little compared to
people in earlier days, and they depend upon the television for most of their
information. However, we who call
ourselves Christians must rise above living such a lazy lifestyle and read,
study, and meditate upon God’s word.
Thus, we will make the most of our time.
3.3.
The scriptures tell us in 1 Cor. 3 that there is one
day coming the “Bema Seat Judgment” of believers in which we will have to give
account for all of the things we have done in our life after coming to
Christ. The rewards that we will receive
and enjoy for eternity will be handed out based upon what is revealed at this
judgment. It will not be a judgment for
condemnation, only reward, however there will be an accounting of all we have
done. Can you imagine the Lord on that
day showing you a movie of what your Christian life and influence on earth
could have been like had you been wise and understanding of God’s will and made
the best use of your time? We will all
wish on that day of judgment that we had done some things differently and kept
more focused upon the things that are important and eternal in nature.
3.4.
Can you imagine if you happen to be present on that
day of the Great White Throne Judgment and there you are watching friends and people
that you knew on earth be condemned to an eternity in hell for not believing in
Jesus, and then one of your friends sees you and says to you, “Jim, you’re a
Christian? Why didn’t you ever tell me
about Jesus so that I could be saved?”
3.5.
We Christians need to “be intentional” in
building bridges of friendship to people so that we can be able to share the
gospel with them when the opportunity presents itself when they share some need
that they have or ask us our opinion about things.
4. VS 5:18 - “18 And do not get
drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit,” - Paul
admonishes the Ephesians to be filled with the Spirit
4.1.
Paul is now wanting to begin to give very specific
instructions for husbands, wives, children, and slaves regarding their
obedience to God and the submission that they are to give to those over them,
and, he will proceed to do that.
However, before Paul begins these admonitions notice that he places this
verse just ahead of those admonitions.
It may seem as though this verse is out of place however such a view
comes about as the result of misunderstanding of our great need in all that we
do for the empowering of the Holy Spirit, as well as a possible
misunderstanding of what the filling of the Holy Spirit is.
4.2.
It is precisely the filling of the Holy Spirit that a
person needs in his/her life in order to enable him/her to live the kind of
Christian life that God wants him/her to live, whether the person is a husband,
wife, child, slave, etc.. In and of ourselves
because we are a sinful and fallen race, we as people tend to be selfish and
self-centered and this tendency of ours will destroy any possibility that we
might have of a godly and loving marriage, home, family, church, etc. We desperately need to be filled with the
Holy Spirit in order to live victorious overcoming Christian lives.
4.3.
It is important for us to understand what the “filling
of the Holy Spirit” is, and there has been much misunderstanding in the
church throughout its history concerning this.
4.3.1. There are
two expressions of the Holy Spirit which we see functioning in the early
church.
4.3.1.1. The “baptism
of the Holy Spirit.”
4.3.1.1.1.
This experience occurred in the second chapter of the
book of Acts as well as various other places in Acts. In these instances in Acts the Holy Spirit
fell upon believers as they were gathered together, and various phenomena
usually occurred at that time including the speaking in tongues and on that day
of Pentecost tongues of fire appeared over people’s head and a mighty rushing
wind was heard.
4.3.1.1.2.
The baptism of the Holy Spirit was a more rare
experience although it occurred in
4.3.1.2. The “filling
of the Holy Spirit.”
4.3.1.2.1.
This experience is described as much more common place
in the early church and occurred in believer’s lives on a daily basis, as these
scriptures point out:
4.3.1.2.1.1.
In Luke 1:15 John the Baptist was prophesied about by the
angel as a man who was to be filled with the Holy Spirit from his mother’s
womb, in other words throughout his entire life.
4.3.1.2.1.2.
In Luke 1:41Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit
and then spoke out prophetically to Mary about the baby in Mary’s womb.
4.3.1.2.1.3.
Though Peter
and the rest of the apostles were baptized in the Holy Spirit on the day of
Pentecost we see Peter in Acts 4:8 being filled with the Spirit and then
addressing the Jewish rulers, it says, “he was filled with the Holy Spirit
and…” Peter’s sermons in Acts always
came as he was filled with the Holy Spirit.
4.3.1.2.1.4.
In Acts 4:31, the church was all together and it says
that they were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak the word of God
with boldness.
4.3.1.2.1.5.
In Acts 6:3, Stephen and the rest of the first deacons
were chosen to the position of deacon because they were already men who were “full
of the Holy Spirit.” They were not
filled with the Holy Spirit after becoming deacons but before they were made
deacons.
4.3.1.2.2.
The Holy Spirit gives us special abilities that we did
not previously have, and these abilities are used to empower and enable us to
please God and to be used by Him through the working of spiritual gifts. In each case where the filling of the Holy
Spirit is mentioned this is the case, special abilities were given. The emphasis given in Acts in reporting those
events was not that some phenomena or experience had occurred but rather that
the believers were given special abilities by the Lord to be used by Him.
4.3.1.2.3.
The concept of being ‘filled’ with the Holy
Spirit refers to being controlled and empowered by the Holy Spirit.
4.4.
It is very interesting here that Paul uses being drunk
with wine in giving this admonishment about being filled with the Holy Spirit,
and from his reference to drunkneness we can learn some interesting things
pertaining the working of the Holy Spirit.:
4.4.1. Some people
have mistakenly made a case that this verse is an attempt by Paul to
communicate that those who become drunk are supposed to instead be filled with
the Holy Spirit. Though this is true,
this is not the reason that Paul used the concept of drunkenness here.
4.4.2. During what
I refer to as the “counterfeit” Brownsville Revival of a few years ago some
preachers were saying that the Holy Spirit had come upon people causing them to
become so drunk they couldn’t drive home or speak without slurring, and they
said this occurred just as it did with the early church in the book of
Acts. One preacher in this movement was
referred to as “The Holy Spirit Bar Tender.”
However, the scriptures reveal that being filled with the Holy Spirit is
much different from being drunk with wine.
In the book of Acts those who became filled with the Holy Spirit were
infused with energy and power and enabled to speak eloquently and powerfully such
that many came to salvation. Their
abilities and sensitivities were not diminished as with one who is drunk but
rather the Holy Spirit worked for them more as a stimulant and gave them energy
and great power to be able to minister.
4.4.3. Being
filled with the Spirit has a correlation to being drunk.
4.4.3.1. The person
who is drunk is under the influence of alcohol.
It affects all that he does.
Alcohol is a depressant, not a stimulant, and as such it deadens first
the judgment center of the brain that we use to constrain ourselves, and thus
people who drink lose their inhibitions.
This feeling of the loss of inhibitions that occurs causes drunk people
to say and do many things that they wouldn’t normally do, loosening their moral
standards etc.
4.4.3.2. My parents drank
heavily all through my growing up years and they went to wild party after wild
party. Then, several years ago due to
some medication that my mom had to take they could no longer drink as they had. They told my wife and I one day how that over
the past year how their friends had all gone so far downhill lately, they were
now so crude and disgusting. We told mom
and dad that their friends hadn’t changed that it was them who had changed.
4.4.3.3. If a person
drinks a lot the alcohol affects him greatly and he is under the influence of
alcohol in all that he does. In the
same way, if a person is ‘filled’ with the Holy Spirit he is under the
influence of the Holy Spirit in all that he does. He is being “controlled by” the Holy
Spirit. This is what being filled with
the Holy Spirit means and this is one of the reasons that Paul used this
analogy.
4.4.3.4. People on
the day of Pentecost thought at first that the Christians had gotten drunk
however the church was not really acting in a drunken manner, instead the saints
were filled with joy and praised and worshipped God in unknown and known
tongues (people from various countries understood them), and a powerful sermon
preached by Peter resulted in 3,000 people being added to the church.
4.4.4. Being
filled with the Holy Spirit has a contrast to being drunk.
4.4.4.1. When a
person is drunk his inhibitions are loosed and he says and does things that he
wouldn’t do otherwise. The people of the
city of
4.4.4.2. Many kinds
of bad behavior is produced in the lives of people who are under the influence
of alcohol. Drunkenness affects the
lives of many Americans in incredible ways.
Marriage problems, home problems, teen rebellion problems, violent
crimes, traffic accidents, money problems, work problems, etc., etc. are much
more likely to result in the lives of people who get drunk or are intoxicated
with drugs.
4.4.4.3. In the
opposite sense, being filled with the Holy Spirit produces in a Christian’s
life the fruits of the Spirit: love,
joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, and self control. Being filled with the Spirit creates homes
that are a witness and testimony to God’s work, churches that have great
influence in their cities, etc.
4.5.
It is important to recognize here that Paul is “commanding”
believers to be filled with the Holy Spirit.
The fact that this is a command should make us realize that the filling
of the Holy Spirit is distinct from the baptism of the Holy Spirit, for no one
can control being baptized in the Holy Spirit.
God commands all believers to appropriate the filling of the Holy Spirit
in their lives as this is something that each of us who are Christians have
control over. We are commanded to make
sure we are filled with the Spirit at all times.
4.6.
There are several things that we can do that hinder us
from being filled with the Holy Spirit, including: grieving the Spirit through allowing known sin
to exist in our life, quenching the Holy Spirit by not listening to and
responding to the Spirit’s promptings, not staying in God’s word on a daily
basis, not praying about our daily needs, not fellowshipping and worshipping
with other believers, etc.
4.7.
How can a Christian be filled with the Holy
Spirit? When a person accepts Christ as
his Lord and Savior, he gets off of the throne of his own life and allows Jesus
to sit upon that throne and control his life.
A new Christian is filled with the Holy Spirit at his conversion. However, when he sins he kicks Jesus off of
that throne. It is sin that has caused
him to no longer be filled with the Holy Spirit. In order to be filled with the Holy Spirit,
he must now confess and repent of his sins (1 John 1:9) and allow Jesus to
again resume sitting upon the throne of his life. It is by faith also that he must believe that
Christ is sitting upon that throne in his life and controlling his life, for
the scripture tells us that whatever is not of faith is sin.
4.8.
The tense of the verb here implies a continual filling
of the Holy Spirit is admonished.
5. VS 5:19 - “19 speaking to one
another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with
your heart to the Lord;” - Paul
describes the influence of the filling of the Holy Spirit by describing
speaking and singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to the Lord
5.1.
In this verse, Paul tells the Ephesians how the
filling of the Holy Spirit ought to affect their lives. He tells them that as they are filled with
the Holy Spirit that they should be sharing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs
with each other as their hearts are led to worship the Lord. They are to continually sing and make melody
with their hearts to the Lord as the Holy Spirit leads them.
5.2.
All across the world, when people of all cultures come
to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior,
they begin to have a desire to worship the Lord and sing songs of praise to
Him. This is the natural result of God’s
working in them.
5.3.
It is interesting here how that Paul breaks up the
different types of singing that people sing to the Lord as ‘psalms,’ ‘hymns,’
and ‘spiritual songs.’
5.4.
The ‘psalms’ can be used to sing in worship to
the Lord, however when singing the ‘psalms’ it is important to keep in
mind that certain things that are written in the ‘psalms’ do not pertain
to our relationship with the Lord that we have in New Testament times. We today are not under law but rather grace
and therefore it is alright if we sing the ‘psalms’ as long as we keep
in mind that there are some of them that probably are not appropriate to sing
and others which if we sing them we must understand that they do not directly
apply to us in the same way they applied to the psalmist. An example of a ‘psalm’ that the
church sings but when we sing it we must realize that it does not completely
relate to our relationship to God is the 51st ‘psalm.’ There, David asks the Lord to create in him a
new heart. However, we who live in the
new covenant of grace have already been made new creatures in Christ and we
already have a new heart created in us by the Lord. We can ask for a new heart as long as we want
however we will not receive another one.
However, God can work in our heart as we allow Him to do so.
6. VS 5:20 - “20 always giving
thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the
Father;” - Paul admonishes the Ephesians
to always give thanks for all things to the Lord
6.1.
One of the very key things that a Christian must learn
to do is to give thanks to the Lord in every situation. God has shown His grace to us in so many ways
we must give thanks to Him in everything.
6.2.
Though we cannot understand why some bad things happen
to us when we are trying to serve the Lord, nor can we see into the future as
to how God might use something we go through in our lives, none-the-less we
have the promise in Rom. 8:28 that all things are working together for good to
those who love God, who are called for His purposes. Because of this promise, we must always give
thanks in every situation.
6.3.
When we give thanks to the Lord we are simply
acknowledging both that the Lord knows what He is doing in our lives as well
and that His promises for our lives will come true. We are exercising our faith and trust in God
when we give thanks to the Lord.
6.4.
If we do not give thanks to the Lord in the midst of
the things that are going on in our life, we will end up getting bitter, angry,
and resentful, and these types of attitudes will destroy us and cause us to be
alienated from those around us.
6.5.
CONCLUSIONS:
6.6.
Since you are wise having come to faith in Christ,
commit yourself to acting in a wise manner.
When making decisions, be sure to pray and meditate upon God’s word asking
Him to give you wisdom.
6.7.
Ask the Lord daily, even moment by moment to fill you
with the Holy Spirit, and believe that you are filled.
6.8.
If you find that you have kicked Jesus off of the
throne of your life, confess and repent of your sins, and again allow Jesus to
reign upon the throne of your life.
6.9.
Commit yourself to giving thanks to God in every
single thing that you go through in life every day.