Making the Most of the Holiday Opportunities
Ephesians 5:15-20
November 27, 2005
Introduction
Well, here we are, now "officially" into the Christmas season. Although judging by what I’ve seen in the stores, I’d have guessed that the season actually began just after Labor Day.
Pictures in the newspapers showed people rushing into the stores early Friday morning. Some of the people were blurry because they were running too fast for the shutter speed of the camera. Did you see that?
But I have a question: Why was the Six Million Dollar Man supposed to be so fast, but he could be filmed in slow motion? I don’t get it... But I digress.
As I was praying and thinking about what to share today, I got to thinking: how can Christians stand out from the crowd during these busy weeks filled with shopping and fretting about whether or not your child’s going to like the present you got them?
Because I’m of the opinion that followers of Jesus should stand out from the crowd anytime, just in the way they look at and deal with life.
But what about Christmas in particular? What can we do to take the focus off the presents, as wonderful as all that is, and put it on the hope we have in Christ?
Well, I want to take a look at three ways that I found for us to do that.
Today we’re going to look at a very famous Christmas Scripture passage: Ephesians 5:15-20.
Let’s look at it together, shall we? Page 829 of the Bibles in the seats -
15 Be very careful, then, how you live--not as unwise but as wise, 16 making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. 17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. 18 Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit. 19 Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, 20 always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
I’m just sure that when we read that, thoughts of holly and mistletoe, presents, and Jim Nabors Christmas albums began flooding your memories, right? I know, me too.
That passage just ranks right up there with Joseph and Mary finding no room in the inn, Jesus in the manger, and the shepherds watching their flocks by night, doesn’t it?
Makes you just want to break out the nativity set right now!
Okay, maybe not, but I think it is applicable to how followers of Jesus can be great examples of what it really means to live for Jesus during the Christmas season.
I want us to look at these three ways to make the most of the opportunities to shine for Jesus in the midst of the hustle and bustle of the holiday.
And it’s my hope that you’ll walk out of here today determined to reflect the hope of Christ as you go through the next few weeks.
1. Live like you know the whole story.
There is a very important word in this passage. It’s in verse 15, and the word is "then."
Be very careful, then, how you live--not as unwise but as wise...
What does the "then" refer to? It refers to what God is saying through Paul in the preceding verses, and in particular, verses 8-10 -
8 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light 9 (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) 10 and find out what pleases the Lord.
Most people in our area know the background of Christmas, and are willing to give lip-service to Jesus. They often make reference to the "Christmas spirit," but if hard-pressed, I don’t think they can define it past it meaning that we should be willing to give.
But as Christians, we’re supposed to know "the rest of the story." We were once in darkness, but because of Jesus and what he came to earth to accomplish, we now live in light.
And because of that, there should be a difference in how we go about preparing for and celebrating the holiday.
Our preparation and celebrations should reflect goodness, righteousness, and truth, which pleases God, rather than the maniacal scrambles for the latest gadgets and the buying into of materialism that really defines how most people view Christmas.
Now don’t get me wrong. I like presents as much as anybody, and I like giving presents too.
(Call my daughter Olivia to the platform). Yesterday was Olivia’s birthday. How old are you again? 70? 17? 7?
Did you enjoy your birthday? Did you enjoy the gifts you got? I’m guessing you REALLY enjoyed the DVD that Daddy got for you, huh?
And I really enjoyed giving that to you. You know why? It’s because I like seeing you smile and laugh, and because I want to give you things that will make you happy, whenever I can. You can sit down now, Baby.
My point here is that Christians should reflect more than the presents under the tree. We need to reflect that because of the Divine Baby, we now walk in the light of the truth.
But if we just attack the holiday like everyone else, then what do we really have to offer? Not much. Just the same ol’ same ol’, with maybe a sprinkling of religion.
Verse 15 says to be careful how we live, not as unwise, but as wise people. Here are two hints to help you with that:
* Be ready to tell the whole story.
In other words, get beyond the clichés of Christmas and be ready to tell someone WHY Jesus came to earth.
That he came so people could have their sins forgiven and have a home in heaven, and that if they’ll take that free gift, then they’ve gotten hold of something that won’t fade or rust or break and that you don’t have to buy an extended warranty for!
Verse 17 says to understand what the Lord’s will is. You know what God’s will is? It’s that everyone will hear the Good News of Jesus.
Are you ready to tell someone what it is? I hope so!
* Demonstrate the whole story.
This is what I’ve been trying to say throughout this whole section.
Lip-service doesn’t cut it. All lip-service does is reinforce the stereotype that Christians are as shallow as the rest of the world. And that doesn’t please Jesus at all.
On the other hand, living a life that’s consistent with what you say (especially if what you’re saying is accurate!) destroys those stereotypes and pleases the Father.
Show people that we do more than talk a good talk. Show by your consistent life in Christ that you’re looking to bring goodness, righteousness, and truth.
Here’s the second way to make the most of your holiday opportunities:
2. Live by the Spirit of God, not the "spirits" of the world.
Back to verse 18 for a moment -
Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.
The obvious teaching of this passage is that getting drunk isn’t a good thing. And that we should be filled with the Spirit of God rather than the spirits that can be purchased at the liquor store and in various sections of the grocery stores.
But I want to focus on a different kind of spirit for a moment. I’m going to talk about three different spirits here, and then contrast them with how I see the Spirit-filled Christian living, okay?
Here’s the first one:
* "The spirit of the season" - giving.
You’ve probably all heard the saying, "Giving is the spirit of Christmas," or that it’s the "spirit of the season" that inspires people to give - whether to charities, or to families, or individuals, or whatever.
What’s wrong with that, PB? If the Christmas season prompts people to give to those less fortunate, then that’s great, right?
Yup. And I’m all for it, if it’s done for the right reasons and the right ways.
This is actually very good, but there can be some problems with this:
- Sometimes the people doing the giving only give the leftovers.
I’m willing to guess that just about all of us have walked past the Salvation Army ringers after buying gifts for everyone and thought, "Hey, I’ve got some spare change after getting my gifts - I’ll throw it in the bucket."
But how many of us are willing to throw money into the money BEFORE you spend inside. How many are willing to write a SUBSTANTIAL check to them BEFORE you make out the gift list?
Maybe you can’t give money, but you could give a half-hour or hour to volunteer to ring the bells?
It’s reflective of the way people give to God - the leftovers, not the "firstfruits" as God tells us to give.
Hey, if people are giving out of a true desire to bless others, and they’re willing to do it at a level that really costs something, then I’m all for it. I’ll applaud loudly and shout my praise to those who do it.
But don’t expect applause from anybody if your giving is just from the leftovers.
Let’s look at a couple more problems that come when we live by the "spirit of the season" mentality:
- Sometimes the giving is just to help deal with guilt over being self-indulgent.
Remember the Salvation Army bell-ringers I just mentioned a bit ago? How many of us are willing to admit to ourselves and God that sometimes we put money in that bucket, not because of an in-depth concern for others, but because we feel a little guilty about spending so much on ourselves?
Obviously this isn’t the case with everybody, and maybe not even most. At least that’s my hope!
Here’s what can end up being a third problem with living for the "spirit of the season," and that is...
- It’s only active during one part of the year.
Have you noticed that? Outside of times when disaster strikes, the "spirit of the season" generally only shows up for about four weeks per year.
There’s a reason the Salvation Army only sets up during the Christmas season. People are most generous then!
But those who live by the Spirit give generously (not just the leftovers), out of compassion (not guilt), as part of their lifestyle (not just this time of year).
1 Corinthians 9:13 -
Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, men will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else.
By the way, did you see the news the other day, that South Dakota ranks third in terms of its generosity in the U.S.? I though that’s pretty cool.
* The spirit of Greed and Materialism - supporting the notion of "looking out for Number 1."
This is a toughie, because let’s be honest - if given the opportunity, we’d probably all want the best and newest thing to make our lives easier and life more enjoyable, right?
The danger comes when we convince ourselves that we deserve this stuff. And set out to get it no matter what the cost.
Granted, we many want to reward ourselves once in a while for accomplishing something worthwhile, but that’s a far cry from rationalizing purchases that we don’t need and can’t afford.
On the other hand, those who live by the Spirit live to bless others before themselves, as seen in Acts 20:35 -
"It is more blessed to give than to receive."
Everything we have is a gift from God - we don’t deserve any of it. But because he loves you so much, he allows you to enjoy some of the things in life. So how about sharing some of that with someone who can’t afford that level of enjoyment? I think that would please God very much.
By the way, in the interests of helping all the husbands and boyfriends here today, I want to share with you a list of What NOT to Buy Your Wife
1. Don’t buy clothing that involves sizes. The chances are one in seven thousand that you will get her size right, and your wife will be offended the other 6999 times.
2. Avoid all things useful. The new silver polish advertised to save hundreds of hours is not going to win you any brownie points.
3. Don’t buy jewelry. The jewelry your wife wants, you can’t afford. And the jewelry you can afford, she doesn’t want.
4. Finally, don’t spend too much. "How do you think we’re going to afford that?" she’ll ask. But don’t spend too little. She won’t say anything, but she’ll think, "Is that all I’m worth?"
SOURCE: Herb Forst in Cross River, NY, Patent Trader, in Reader’s Digest, Page 69. (SermonCentral.com. Contributed by Dana Chau Contributed by: SermonCentral PRO)
And that leads me to the last "spirit" I want to discuss in this section, and that is...
* The spirit of "Economic" guilt. - pressure to "keep up with the Jones’."
For me, this finds its expression not in seeing things I want for myself, but rather in what so many parents are buying for their kids.
I don’t want my kiddos to feel like they’re behind the times or that they’re deprived because they don’t have the latest video game or music CD. Or maybe it’s a certain outfit that all the other girls are wearing at school. Whatever.
And I’ll be frank. It kinda hurts when I look at something I know they’ll enjoy and know I can’t get it for them.
Of course, part of that is the idea that the asking price for some of that stuff is just plain immoral, and I can’t see spending that kind of money when there are bills to pay or if I know of someone who could use some help over the holidays.
What I’m saying is that I don’t think many folks are immune to wanting to have what others have, and this time of year is particularly hazardous to that kind of thinking!
But then I remember the definition of status: "buying things you don’t need with money you don’t have to impress people you don’t even like."
Well, here’s the contrast: those who live by the Spirit rest in the fact that God supplies all their needs without regard to social acceptance.
1 Timothy 6:6 -
But godliness with contentment is great gain.
Let’s move on now to the third way to make the most of your holiday opportunities to shine for Jesus.
3. Live in the "Joy of the Season" all year long.
Look back at verses 19-20 -
Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, 20 always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Can you show me anywhere in this passage where it says we should be characterized as people who walk around with perpetual frowns?
If you’ve been around here for very long you’re aware that I think the term "grumpy Christian" is an oxymoron.
Not because I think you should paste a fake smile on your face, or by something I saw in a pretend catalog once - a smile-maker. It’s a piece of elastic with two small hook-like things on the end that attach to the corners of your mouth to make you smile.
You may have heard about the prayer that goes like this:
Dear God, So far today I’ve done all right. I haven’t gossiped, I haven’t lost my temper, I haven’t been greedy, grumpy, nasty, selfish or over-indulgent. I’m very thankful for that. But in a few minutes, God, I’m going to get out of bed, and from then on, I’m probably going to need a lot of help. Amen (SermonCentral.com. Contributed by: Randy Aly)
But what I’m saying here is that Christmas is a joyous time of year. And it should be, particularly for followers of Jesus. If anybody should be enjoying Christmas, it should be Christians.
And my challenge here is to take that joy with you all year long. After all, scholars are pretty sure that Jesus wasn’t born in December, so don’t limit your joy to December.
Remember, our passage here in Ephesians isn’t a Christmas passage. It’s a lifestyle passage.
And you know, as people see that your joy carries throughout the year, then people see that you’re a little different than most. In a good way, that is!
They see that you don’t wear Christmas joy like so much costume jewelry that you put back in the box after December 25th.
In other words, show them that the "joy of the season" is actually part of who you are all the time.
Conclusion
I want to finish up this morning by taking another look at the second part of verse 18 -
...be filled with the Spirit.
You know, everything I’ve talked about will be impossible to do for any real length of time or to any real degree of significance without the empowering of the Holy Spirit in your life.
Have any of you ever played, "How far?" with your vehicles? You know what I mean - it’s when your gas gauge is on "E" but you want to see just how far you can get before you run out of gas, and hopefully you can actually get to a gas station before you’re totally out.
I’ve done that a couple times - unintentionally, of course, and it’s no fun.
But think about it. You might have a majorly cool car - a Mustang, for example. It’s got a 306 horse V8, and if you weren’t the Jesus-loving person you are, you’d entertain thoughts of trying to race local law enforcement officials on the county highways.
But the problem is, you have no gas. And for all your car, you have no fuel to make it go.
That’s kinda the way it is with us. We have this majorly suped up vehicle called "the Christian life." But we don’t have the fuel we need to make it really go.
The fuel for the Christian life is the Holy Spirit. You got the Holy Spirit when you put your faith in Jesus for forgiveness of sins and a home in heaven.
But there comes a time when you need to put the pedal down and let that fuel do it’s work in you.
When you decide to sell out to Jesus completely, the Holy Spirit gives you the power to really live for Jesus. He gives you the will and the strength to do these things we’ve talked about today, as well as to live for him all year ’round.
But no one can make you do that. Even God won’t force you to. You need to come to that point on your own.
So let me ask you this: are you tired of trying to putt around town? Are you wanting to be more effective in living for Christ, but find yourself frustrated because you can’t seem to be consistent?
Boy, let me tell you I know how you feel. So let me end our time this morning by offering an invitation.
If you are wanting to take seriously what I’ve talked about today, and want to live for Jesus not just during the holiday season, but all through the year from this point on, I want you to pray with me here in just a moment.
But let me just say that we could all use some help in shining the light of Jesus this holiday season. Don’t try to go it on your own. You won’t be able to do it. Let God, through his Holy Spirit, help. And ask Him to help you take advantages of the holiday opportunities to point to Christ.
Let’s pray.
