Many of you have probably seen the movie Groundhog Day where Bill Murray portrays Phil, a grumpy weatherman who got stuck living the same day, February 2, over and over again. Every morning he woke up to the same song and the same DJ announcing, “It's Groundhog Day!” The movie made us think: what if I had to live the same day over and over until I got it right?
Think about that for a moment - being able to live the same day over and over until you get it right. You probably remember some days when you made some bad choices, choices you would love to correct. If only I could do that one day over. Unfortunately, when we live our lives in our own power and by our own wisdom, we're going to have more days of failure than success.
Today I'm going to be using a passage from a letter that Paul wrote to the Ephesians. Ephesians 5. The Bible calls us to live as imitators of God. We should imitate both God's love and His purity in the way that we live. But that kind of life is only possible as we allow the Holy Spirit to fill us. PRAYER
When the apostle Paul wrote, he often used contrasting word pictures to describe what the life of a believer should be like and how it should be different from the lives of those without Christ. In Ephesians 5, Paul does that by contrasting light and darkness.
Ephesians 5: 8 – 10 – “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light— 9 for the fruit of the light consists of all goodness, righteousness, and truth— 10 testing what is pleasing to the Lord.”
Paul reminds all of us that as believers now, in the past, we were darkness. He doesn't say we are in darkness, but that we were darkness. You see, before we met Christ, our lives were completely saturated with sin so that darkness characterized our lives. Earlier in verses 3 and 5, Paul mentioned some of those sins like sexual immorality, impurity, greed, and idolatry as sins, and such sins were a part of that darkness. All of this was in the past, though. Just as the Ephesians were once darkness, but no more, so are we. And as people who belong to Christ, there should be no room left in our lives for the things of darkness.
Now the Ephesians had become light. As a newborn child of God, we, too, have become light. Our lives should now be characterized by light, and we should reveal that light to the world around us. That is what being imitators of God is. Of course, the light didn't rise from us. The light originated in the Lord. This is true of all believers. Christians are light because the Spirit of Christ indwells them.
According to Paul, as Christians, we should be distinctly different from those who don't know Christ. He said in verse 8, “for you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord.” The Holy Spirit dwells in each Christian so that our lives display the new life we're given in Christ. Paul mentioned three changes that should be evident.
In verse 8, he says we should walk in the light. Since believers have been transformed, our nature is light. So, we should live in a way that demonstrates it. Our lives should show evidence that we belong to Christ. We should walk, talk, and act differently than we did before we knew Christ.
In verse 9 Paul says we should produce the fruit of light. That fruit consists of goodness, righteousness, and truth. Of course, this list isn't complete, but these essential fruits should be evident in the way we live and interact with other people. Again, people should notice that there has been a change in our character.
In verse 10 Paul says we should discern what pleases the Lord. He used the word “testing.” That suggests to us critical thinking. Of course the goodness, righteousness, and truth are pleasing to the Lord, but day-to-day life requires us as believers to distinguish between what is good and what are the fruitless works of darkness. That means that whether you are considering a new job, or leading a group of children in a Bible study, or any act of Christian service, we definitely need to determine what will please the Lord in each situation. Before we take on that new position, whatever it is, we should spend time in prayer over that decision. Then we should consider how, “what we choose to do”, will please the Lord.
It was A. W. Tozer that said, “The spirit-filled life is not a special, deluxe edition of Christianity. It is part and parcel of the total plan of God for His people.” It's very much like the Sunday School Ministry for children that I am involved with in Pakistan. I am just a small part of that Ministry, but God takes that small part and applies it to His overall plan for what He is going to do in the future. Who knows? This Sunday school Ministry could produce some strong Christian ministers in a Muslim country and could change their whole outlook.
Ephesians 5:11 – 14 – “Don’t participate in the fruitless works of darkness, but instead expose them. 12 For it is shameful even to mention what is done by them in secret. 13 Everything exposed by the light is made visible, 14 for what makes everything visible is light. Therefore, it is said: Get up, sleeper, and rise up from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.”
What Paul is telling us is that our lives should display Christ's righteousness every day. Paul didn't just teach these Ephesian believers about their identity in Christ, he went a step further. Because they were now light, Paul warned them not to participate in the fruitless works of darkness.
That statement has been misunderstood. Some take this to mean that we are to publicly reveal and disclose our personal sins that we commit, but that doesn't seem to fit Paul's argument. Others believe we should expose works of darkness by our lives, not our words.
Paul said in verse 12 that it is shameful even to mention what is done by them in secret. So, if we aren't even to mention the works of darkness, how can we expose them? We expose them by living as light in the Lord—by being imitators of God. This is in line with Paul's statement in verse 13 where he said, “everything exposed by the light is made visible.” In other words, we are to live in a way that demonstrates an unmistakable contrast between the works of darkness and light.
That causes me to ask, “Do your words that you speak or do your posts on social media attest to Christ's presence in your life?” The Bible is telling us that we should eliminate any talk that prevents us from being an example of Jesus. Yeah, I’ve stopped preaching and gone to meddling now. That also means that foul language should not be a part of our vocabulary even when we leave the church today.
Ephesians 5:15 – 16 – “Pay careful attention, then, to how you walk—not as unwise people but as wise— 16 making the most of the time, because the days are evil.”
Paul is saying that the wise person applies God's guidance daily. Let me explain that this way. Let's say that you've been driving the same car for the last 15 years. You finally get a new car. All of a sudden you find yourself parking as far away from the other cars as you can to keep from getting any dents and dings. When you first get it, you might even go outside during the day to check on it. You pay close attention to that new car because of its value compared with the old car.
Paul told the Ephesians to pay careful attention to their lives. That new car will get old just like your last one. It will eventually get little scrapes and scratches. It is just not worth the attention that you were giving it. Your life, on the other hand, requires your attention – your careful attention.
Paul had already told the Ephesian believers not to go back to walking in darkness. Now, he switched his word choice and told them to walk not as unwise people but as wise. Wise people have more than simple knowledge. They know how to apply that knowledge to their lives so that they please God. The unwise allow poor decisions to bankrupt their lives, but the wise seek and apply God's guidance.
Here's a test for you. This week, keep track of how you're spending your hours each day. At the end of the week, look to see where you are using your time well and where you have opportunities to change your habits to redeem your time for the Lord.
Ephesians 5:17 – 18 – “So don’t be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. 18 And don’t get drunk with wine, which leads to reckless living, but be filled by the Spirit:”
As a Christian, we are called to be led by the Holy Spirit. We should yield to the Holy Spirit's guidance and direction. A person filled with the Spirit speaks the truth of God. Their actions place the focus on Jesus Christ rather than on themselves. When we allow the Holy Spirit to lead us, our lives are marked by Godly choices and wise living.
The verb used for “be filled,” shows a continuous action. That means that the wise person allows the Spirit to fill his or her life on a continuing basis. That word for “be filled” is also in the passive tense, meaning that the work of filling is something done to the person. It is not something he or she does. We do not fill ourselves. The Spirit does the filling. Can we reject the filling of the Holy Spirit? Sure, we can. We reject His filling when we intentionally get involved in sinful behavior. We reject His filling when we surround ourselves with noise and activities that distract us from His presence. The wise person is open and ready for the filling of the Spirit.
In these verses, Paul defines a life of wisdom by three actions. One is to make the most of time. The idea is that a believer sees every day as full of opportunities to serve and honor God.
He also says we should understand what the Lord's will is. We are foolish in our decision making when those decisions are based on worldly concerns and not on Godly concerns.
Then Paul says we should be filled by the spirit. Paul uses an odd contrast between getting drunk with wine and being filled by the Spirit. It's a difference related to what we allow to control our lives. And when I say “filled by the spirit,” I’m talking about the Holy Spirit, not being filled by the spirits. Alcohol, taken in excess, causes a loss of control. Being controlled by alcohol is a demonstration of foolishness. When people start getting tipsy on alcohol, they don't realize how foolish they are acting. By contrast, someone filled with the Spirit is also under the influence, but it is the control of God's Spirit. Being under the control of the Holy Spirit leads a person to walk wisely.
Ephesians 5:19-20 – “speaking to one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing and making music with your heart to the Lord, 20 giving thanks always for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,”
When the Holy Spirit begins working in us, it changes how we relate to others and how we relate to the Lord. Paul wrote what seems to be an ancient hymn about the life of a Spirit-filled person. When our lives are indwelled by the spirit, we live differently. Spirit-filled believers come together and form a spirit-filled community, a church fueled by the mutual submission to one another. The Holy Spirit leads us to grateful hearts and voices that together proclaim the truth, worship, and the glory of God.
In these last verses, Paul used several phrases to describe our actions and behavior when we are filled by the Spirit. How do we know that someone is filled with the Holy Spirit?
He uses the phrase speaking to one another. Of course, God is our primary audience for our songs of praise, but when we sing, we are actually speaking to each other – as our voices blend in harmony, it’s encouraging, reminding, inspiring, and admonishing each other.
Paul mentions singing and making music. He says in verse 19 that these actions come from your heart to the Lord. The praise of the spirit-filled believer is not merely about emotions. It’s more than that. The words of the songs also express what that person believes and lives. I noticed that when Dan Trevino brings special music, he almost always explains the words of the song, what they mean to him, and how they touched his life.
Paul says we should give thanks. Most of us find it pretty easy to be complainers. We never seem to have trouble finding something to criticize. But hear this. The Spirit does not inspire those complaints or grumbling. The Holy Spirit inspires a heart of gratitude.
Paul uses the phrase submitting to one another. Spirit-filled believers come together and form a spirit-filled community. When we are filled with the Spirit, the way we relate to other people changes. When we submit to one another we become more concerned about the needs of others than we are about our own needs and wants. Submission, instead of selfishness, will then define our relationships. All in all, when our lives are indwelt by the Spirit, we live differently. We do our best to be imitators of God.
And God is with us right now. I hope you feel His presence. In just a moment we will give you time and the opportunity to respond to how God is touching your heart right now. If you've never made the decision to accept Christ into your life, we give you that opportunity right now and invite you to do so as we pray.
