Two birds fly over our nation’s deserts: One is the hummingbird and the other is the vulture. Vultures find the rotting meat of the desert, because that is what they look for. They thrive on that diet. Hummingbirds ignore the smelly flesh of dead animals. Instead, they look for the colorful blossoms of desert plants. Vultures fill themselves with things dead and gone. Hummingbirds fill themselves with freshness and life. Each bird finds what it is looking for. We all do.
That is the essence of Paul’s teaching: In life, there are two kinds of believers. One follows foolishness, the other wisdom. Some fill themselves with old habits: others with the newness of life in Christ. In the desert of this world there are scavengers who are angry and ungrateful, and those who hum grateful hymns of thanksgiving. The irony is that you always find what you are looking for.
In the fifth chapter of Ephesians Paul presents a guide to godly living for the church. In our short passage he reminds his readers that they will always find what they look for. He is brief and to the point. Three things we must do: Be wise, be sober, and be thankful. It’s a short list that, if adhered to—will transform our lives, the lives of our family and friends, and most of all, the church. OYBT Eph 5.
I. INTRODUCTION
1. To rightly understand our text (5:15-20), we must consider it in its context (4:17-5:21). Paul has been encouraging the believers at Ephesus to behave in ways that reflect the new life they have in Christ. Apparently, some of the believers in Ephesus were claiming and clinging.
2. Let me explain. There were some believers in the church who were claiming Christ as Savior and Lord, while clinging to the behaviors and influences of their life before Christ. They were compromising their new life in Christ by maintaining the lifestyles of their former life. This made it easy for them to assimilate into the pagan culture around them, but it greatly damaged relationships within the church, and, more importantly, their relationship with God.
3. Paul gives quite a laundry list of behaviors that must be changed if individuals and consequently the church are to be spiritually healthy. Mixed with his reprimands are bits of positive reinforcement, such as don’t let the sun go down on your anger (4:26), and speak only that which is helpful for building others up according to their needs (4:29).
4. Midway through his discourse, Paul reminds them to be imitators of God, living lives of love, as Christ loved us. He then continues to speak out against destructive behaviors, calling believers to live as light, the fruit of which consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth.
5. Verses 15-21 are a summary of his remarks for the church at Ephesus, and a short-list for godly living that still applies to the church. Be wise, be sober and be thankful.
[Paul teaches that “You always find what you are looking for; so be careful what you look for”.]
II. BE WISE (5:15-17)
1. Live not as unwise, but as wise. “Enlightenment” was a real buzzword in first-century Ephesus. Followers of Stoicism, Gnosticism and other ancient beliefs all claimed that enlightenment was the fuel and source of their spiritual wellbeing.
A. Each belief system had its own twist on spirituality, but the philosophies were generally the same. Salvation, nirvana or whatever understanding of God the pagans came through enlightenment: only those with special wisdom were complete and fulfilled.
B. By contrast, Paul’s ethic is built on the mercies of God (Rom. 12:1), the teachings of Christ (1 Co. 9:21 Gal. 6:2), and the guidance of the Holy Spirit (Rom. 8), not on one’s own knowledge. It is in God’s name that the saints are admonished to walk wisely.
2. Make the most of every opportunity (lit. redeem the time). Believers are wise as they use the time entrusted to them to do good works (Gal 6:10); the opposite of redeeming time then, is to lose it. 2 Peter 3:9 shows that the time left before the parousia is meant for the spread of the gospel and the repentance and salvation of men (cf. Eph. 6:18-19).
3. Understand what is the Lord’s will. The verb “to understand (comprehend)” includes learning by experience, an ongoing process. Paul is not against intellectuals. Rather, he wants the believers in Ephesus to experience God fully, not in mind alone.
[If you seek wisdom, you will find it. If you seek foolishness you will find it. You always find what you are looking for; so be careful what you look for.]
III. BE SOBER (15:18)
1. Do not be drunk; drunkenness leads to debauchery. The sudden reference to drunkenness is rather odd, suggesting either (1) an acute alcohol problem among in the private lives of the believers, or (2) their attempt to bridge the gap between their cultic practices and those of other beliefs (some believed that “cultic inebriation” brought them closer to the divine world).
2. In Stoic and similar belief systems, as well as in the Bible, the misuse of wine, not proper use of it is condemned. The abuse of alcohol, Paul (and nearly everyone else) knows, often leads to behavior inappropriate for believers.
3. In short, conduct deemed acceptable by the pagans around them was not acceptable for the church. Drinking wine was not the problem. The problem was inebriation, which, in the first century, led to sexual immorality and other sins against God. Clearly, not much has changed.
4. Be filled with the Holy Spirit. Paul’s alternative to inebriation is inspiration. Interestingly, the outward effects of both were nearly impossible to distinguish (cf. Acts 2:13).
[If you seek the Holy Spirit, you will find him; if you seek drunkenness, you will find it. You always find what you are looking for; so be careful what you look for.]
IV. BE THANKFUL (15:19-20)
1. Speak to one another . . .in song. The early church was a jubilant, singing church. That is why such emphasis is placed on singing in the 21st century. A church that sings well worships well; there is no denying it. Here, Paul suggests that believers hold one another so dear in their hearts that they sing praise to the Lord with them and to them.
A. Imagine a church so alive that people instinctively stand and sing praise to God; so intimate with God and each other they write new songs of praise together! Impossible? Of course not. Where do you think hymns, psalms and spiritual songs came from?
B. John Chrysostom, fourth century Bishop of Antioch and Constantinople, said this about thankfulness and singing: “Do you wish to be happy? Do you want to know how to spend the day truly blessed? Learn to sing psalms! Those who have learned to sing with the psalms are easily filled with the Holy Spirit. But if you sing only the devil’s songs you will soon find yourself filled with an unclean spirit.”
2. Submit to one another in Christ. Some tie this verse to the section on wives and husbands, but I believe it belongs to this section. Wise, sober and thankful believers who love others as Christ loved them will naturally submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. In this attitude the church is unified, and witness given to those around it.
[If you seek thankfulness and unity, you will find it. If you seek self-importance and control, you will find it. You always find what you are looking for; so be careful what you look for.]
V. APPLICATION
1. Isn’t it interesting that two birds flying over the same desert look for two very different kinds of things? One looks only for that which is dead and rotten, while the other looks for that which is alive and beautiful. Now consider their dispositions: which type of bird would you rather have in your house? Ever wonder if God feels that way about those in the church?
2. Paul’s lesson is simple; those who seek wisdom, sobriety and thankfulness find them. As they do, the church is strengthened. Disagreements are resolved, relationships strengthen, love abounds, and the church praises and worships in a way that is pleasing to God and effective in the community in which it serves. It’s all about what you’re looking for . . .
[You always find what you are looking for; therefore, be careful what you look for.]
