Proper 15 (B), August 17, 2003

Ephesians 5:15-20

In his book entitled, Margin, Dr. Richard A. Swenson notes that the average American will, in his lifetime:

Spend six months at traffic lights.

Spend one year searching through desk clutter looking for misplaced objects.

Spend eight months opening junk mail.

Spend two years trying to reach people on the phone who aren't in.

Spend five years waiting in lines.

And, spend three years in meetings.

It's not surprising then that the New Testament addresses how we use this precious commodity called life. Be careful how you live! In particular, Ephesians 5:15-20 gives us three areas to watch if we are going to use this gift called life correctly.

I. Seize the Moment

Paul counsels us to make the most of every opportunity, in other words, to seize the moment. To live as one who is wise rather than unwise implies that we are viewing things as God would see them and acting accordingly. I love the phrase, "Make the most of every opportunity" because it's such a positive outlook. You will receive many opportunities to live for Christ, many opportunities to serve Him. Make the most of every opportunity.

This phrase is also translated as "redeeming the time." To redeem is to buy back for your own use. Time and the opportunities it brings are valuable commodities; don't let them slip by.

Yet the writer also notes a negative aspect to making the most of every opportunity, for "the days are evil."

At five years of age, our youngest son (now eleven) once asked, "Dad, what does it mean when it says the days are evil?"

It means that each day brings with it temptations to do evil just as it brings the opportunities for good, so be sure you seize the moment.

II. Seek His Will

Don't be unwise. Don't be foolish. Don't get drunk on wine. We could even say be sure you are filled with the right Spirit and not with other spirits. Surely Paul is noting how a pre-occupation with worldly vices will rob us of the desire to seek His will.

Proverbs 23:29-35 describes those who drink themselves into a stupor to the point that they see strange sights and imagine confusing things. How sad that some will mortgage their lives to a bottle and to strange spirits within.

Lest we belabor the prohibition almost to the exclusion of the command, we must note that Paul's injunction ultimately is that we should "Instead, be filled with the Spirit."

Don't spend your time seeking your fill of distilled spirits. Instead, be filled with His Spirit. Make the pursuit of His will your priority and troubling spirits will be turned aside.

III. Speak and Sing

The Spirit-filled life is not lived in isolation but in the community of God's people.

The New Testament contains approximately twenty-seven "one another" commands. These are commands telling us how we are to interact with "one another" in the body of Christ.

That's twenty-seven answers to the person who says they go off into the woods to worship God in their own way.

Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Much discussion is given to the task of differentiating between these three types of compositions, but I wonder if anyone truly understands exactly what the apostle Paul had in mind as he penned these words.

Psalms obviously refers to the Old Testament psalms that were set to music and intended for use in worship. Might we not recognize then, that some songs are drawn directly from Scripture (psalms) while others embody great doctrinal truths (hymns) with others reflecting on the Christian experience (spiritual songs)? However you may interpret these three categories, the primary focus is still on sharing them with one another. Speak and sing to one another. How quickly we forget that singing in public worship is not only singing praise to God but it is also a means of ministering to each other.

Be very careful, then, how you live. We spend enough time on frivolous things; let's be sure to invest in eternal matters.

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Sermon brief provided by: Dan Nicksich, Somerset, PA