Introduction Several years ago, there was a slogan put out by one of the shoe manufactures, which simply said – LIFE IS DIFFICULT - PLAY HARD!
There was a lot of truth in that slogan – LIFE IS HARD…Every age group has its unique set of challenges.
From the teenager navigating high school to the senior citizens dealing with an ever-changing world. LIFE IS HARD!
A generation ago we say everything in Black and White – there were absolutes – The old westerns demonstrated this – Good Guys wore white hats and the bad guys wore black hats. Today there are so many Gray Areas to deal with. Moral absolutes have given way to shifting sand. LIFE IS HARD!
Things today seemed to be out of control as we have thrown off the restraints of a previous generation and allowed a no hole bars in your face life! FRIENDS – LIFE IS HARD!
Over the next few weeks, we are going to look at God’s word in light of how to deal with LIFE!
Our first topic is that of control. Have you noticed how much the word control is in our vocabulary?
Control freaks
Remote controlled cars
Mission control
We speak of someone out of control.
And this being America, we have to mention REMOTE CONTROL TV
2000 years ago, our Lord was dealing with control issues.
The Pharisees tried to control Christ and yet they found that to be hopeless
The disciples tried to control certain events and found it pointless
Pilate tried to control the crowd by offering our savior or Barabbas, he found himself worthless
We all want to be in control do we not? One of my biggest fears is roller coasters at Amusement Parks – I love the food, the midway and the games, but I am terrified of roller coasters!
ONE REASON – I FEEL I AM OUT OF CONTROL! They strap you in and send you out into the wild blue yonder!
Question - Do you ever feel out of control?
Question - Do you feel like the world is out of control?
The Apostle Paul wrote to a group of Christians immersed in an evil culture. Pagans who lived for the moment, who rejected God and his revelation to them, surrounded the Ephesians believers.
Their whole world focused on satisfaction and pleasure. To keep these patterns of thinking from creeping into the hearts and minds of the believers, Paul urgently warned the Ephesians not to be controlled by the flesh but by the spirit.
READ TEXT EPHESIANS 5:15-21
Be very careful, then, how you live-- not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore, do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit. Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.
There is a challenge before us.
Make the most of every opportunity for doing good in these evil days.
2 types of people in this world
Those who wake up and say – Good Morning Lord, and the other who wake up and Say Good Lord it is morning.
Seriously, the two types of people are those who live life on purpose and those who simply exist.
In Ephesus the pagans simply existed, they were driven by their passions and pleasures.
That is no different then today
2 Timothy 3:1-5, But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God--having a form of godliness but denying its power.
The challenge before us is not to live that way
Paul told the Romans they were to be in the world not of the world.
Make the most of every opportunity to do Good.
Do we live that way?
Do we make the most of every opportunity?
Probably not –let me tell you how you can live making the most of every opportunity.
HAVE AN ETERNITY PERSPECTIVE!
Ask yourself, “what I am doing today which will it make a difference in eternity.
In the 1967, graduating class of the University of Southern California was a man with incredible drive. He had set his heart on being the Tennis Champion his senior year, and in spite of a grueling schedule of pre-med courses, he ended up as number one, he achieved his goal.
Or so it seemed, recently the man received a package in the mail from a janitor of the college, he was carrying out the trash, when he saw a trophy at the bottom of a dumpster. Somebody cleaning out a storage room had tossed the tennis trophy awarded many years ago to James Dobson, Tennis Champion. Today many of us know James Dobson as an authority on family issues. In 1967 Dobson made a choice would he live for personal glory becoming a professional tennis player or would he have an eternal perspective and make a difference in the lives of families around the world.
DOBSON CHOSE TO HAVE AN ETERNITY PERSPECTIVE
Proverbs 11:28 a life devoted to things is a dead life, a stump; a God shaped life is like a flourishing tree – the Message
What are you devoted to in this life?
1 Corinthians 3:10-15
By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as an expert builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should be careful how he builds. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man’s work. If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. 15 If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames.
What are you planning to do today, which will make a difference in eternity?
Whom will you talk to today, who will be prepared to face eternity?
How will your plans this week effect eternity?
"There’s only one life, it will soon be past! Only what is done for Christ will last!
Jesus said that we "must work the works of Him that has sent us while it is day, for the night cometh when no man can work." The challenge, before us is to make the most of every opportunity for the sake of Christ.
Paul offers a stunning contrast.
Be careful how you live, not as fools but as those who are wise.
Not as fools
In the Bible, a fool was one who did not believe in God, the book of Proverbs has much to say about the lifestyle and characteristics of a fool.
Proverbs 14:16, a fool is hotheaded and reckless.
Proverbs 15:5, A fool spurns his father’s discipline
Proverbs 20:3, It is to a man’s honor to avoid strife, but every fool is quick to quarrel.
Proverbs 19:1, Better a poor man whose walk is blameless than a fool whose lips are perverse.
Seeing the characteristics, you can see why the psalmist said, The fool says in his heart, "There is no God." They are corrupt, their deeds are vile; there is no one who does good. Psalm 14:1
God has always valued wisdom as a supreme attribute.
Solomon and his dream – WISDOM
Edward Thorndike “Colors fade, temples crumble, empires fall, but wise words endure”.
Where does one go for wisdom?
The first source is the word of God.
Another place we need to look for wisdom is in prayer
Jeremiah 33:3, Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.
Finally we need to go to people we perceive as wise
Mark Twain said I could not believe how foolish my father was when I was 16 and how smart he became by the time I was 25.
We do not always appreciate the wisdom of our Fathers, but truth of the matter they have a lot of wisdom.
Someone wrote…
Age 2-5: Dad knows everything
Age 6-9: Dad knows most things
Age 13-19: Dad knows nothing
Age 20-29: Dad knows some things
Age 30-39: Dad knows most things
Age 40-50: Better check with Dad
Age 50 +: Dad used to say
WISDOM COMES IN MANY FORMS; PAUL ENCOURAGES US TO SEEK OUT WISDOM.
Understanding there is a challenge before us and a contrast to be lived, Paul now gives us…
A command to which must be followed.
Don’t be drunk with wine, because this will ruin your life, Instead let the Holy Spirit fill and control you.
The NIV – Be filled with the Holy Spirit.
Every Christian has the indwelling of with the Holy Spirit. The indwelling is the gift you receive when you become a Christian, but unless you have the filling of the Holy Spirit you will live in weakness, frustration and spiritual defeat.
Paul is very precise in his wording
To be filled. Literally, it means “BEING KEPT FILLED” involves day-to-day, moment-to-moment submission to the Spirit’s control. It has a passive concept it is not something we do rather it is something that is done in us.
The idea of filling is not simply like that of filling a bucket or glass with water, but it has three beautiful word pictures…
First is that of wind filling a sail to give it movement and direction – HS gives us energy and direction
Second, is one of permeation, like salt permeates meat or a dye permeates a fabric of clothing – God wants to permeate us with the Holy Spirit. Taking over our life
Third picture is that of total control
A person filled with anger or fear or wrath is no longer under his own control, but the control of a dangerous emotion. Thus when we are filled with the Holy Spirit we controlled by Him.
What is the filling of the Holy Spirit?
God commands nothing for which he does not provide the means to obey. If God commands something, we do not need to pray for it, because it is his will and intent for us to do it. We need only to discover the resources He has provided to carry out his obedience.
TO BE FILLED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT involves confessing our sins, the surrender of our will, intellect, body, time, talent and possessions. It requires the death of selfishness and self-will. It is what Paul described in Galatians 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
TO BE FILLED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT is to live in such away as to know we are always in the presence of Jesus Christ, as if we are standing right next to him and let his mind dominate our life.
TO BE FILLED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT is to fill ourselves with His word, so our thoughts will be his thoughts, our standards will be his standards and our will conforms to His will.
The example of John the Baptist, when he was asked a question about the Messiah – I must decrease so he can increase. THIS IS WHAT IT MEANS TO BE FILLED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT.
We began our message with the slogan, which simply said – LIFE IS DIFFICULT - PLAY HARD!
There is another slogan, which we need to remember; LIFE IS THE DRESS REHEARSAL FOR ETERNITY
How you prepare for eternity is found in this passage
There is a challenge before us
A contrast to be noted
a command to be followed – BE FILLED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT
Finally, there is a change, which is recognizable
Ephesians 5:19-21
Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ
The inward filling of the Holy Spirit must be expressed outwardly through our treatment of one another.
One cannot be filled inwardly if it is not expressed outwardly. Paul gives us several ways we outwardly express our inward filling.
Speak to one another with music – The Spirit-led life produces music, which makes for a contented heart and a peaceful soul. The first consequence of a spirit filled Christian is not mountain moving faith or a spiritual experience, but a heart that sings. When the believer walks in the spirit he has an inside joy which manifest itself in music. Paul states there is a variety of music when he uses the words psalms, hymns and spiritual songs each type has its place in the context of faith.
Second consequence of the Spirit-filled life is one of gratitude.
A medieval legend tells of two angels sent to earth by the Lord to gather the prayers of the saints. One was to gather petitions, while the other was to gather the thanksgivings. The angel gathering petitions was not able to carry them back to heaven, while the angel responsible for thanksgivings carried his back in one hand. The legend came about from the sad fact that god’s children are more prone to ask than to thank. Study the Psalms and we soon learn the importance of being thankful
Psalm 100:4-5, Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.
In Ephesians 5:20 Paul tells us we are to give thanks always for everything the greatest gift we can give to god is a thankful heart.
A third consequence of the spirit filled life – submission to one another, we should have a spirit of humility about ourselves. James said, what causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? James 4:1
Conflicts in the church, the home and in marriage always result from hearts that are directed toward self rather than the Spirit of God. When self insists on its own rights, opinions and goals, harmony and peace are not attainable. The self-centered life always battles for supremacy pushing others down so they may arrive on top. The spirit-filled life, on the other hand, is directed toward others in loving submission and acceptance. Philippians 2:4-5, Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus
It is in humble submission we become like Christ, who is the model for a spirit-filled life.
Jesus said I have come that you might have life and have it abundantly – Friend that only comes when we live a life filled with the Holy Spirit.
LIFE IS DIFFICULT – PLAY HARD – NO, LIFE IS DIFFICULT – BE SPIRIT FILLED
PRAYER
