The 12^th Sunday after Trinity

SERMON

INI

Text: Ephesians 5:15-20

See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Did you see the article on depression in Tuesday’s Free-Press? It revealed that depression is affecting a significant portion of our American population. While national statistical studies did not explain why, the article’s author suggested that the reasons involve “personal loss, (the) lack of a shoulder to cry on and an elevated standard of beauty and materialism that’s too high to climb.” He quoted a research psychologist who concluded, “Many people are chasing the impossible dream,” and pointed out that a “rising number of people getting treatment are fueled by a new generation of antidepressants that promise a quick fix.”

Does it strike you as a bit strange that we in modern America, who enjoy such tremendous prosperity and personal freedom, are increasingly afflicted by depression? May I suggest that this situation stems in large part from our nation’s rejection of God and His Word? We have replaced faith in Jesus Christ and faithfulness to His Word with a pursuit of individual affluence and personal freedom, which we assumed, would make us happy. We have accumulated large amounts of money, but have then used it selfishly. We have exercised individual freedom, but without assuming the responsibilities that accompany it. This we have done with devastating results! Instead of happiness, we have become depressed. The presence of such depression is a symptom of a deep spiritual problem within our society!

My dear friends, there is a better way! True fulfillment in life—true happiness in life can only be experienced when we are right with our Savior God. His blessings flow from grace, as we are led in faith to embrace Jesus Christ as our Savior, and as we seek to walk in accordance with His Word. He it is, who has revealed to us through the apostle Paul this very important truth: GODLINESS WITH CONTENTMENT IS GREAT GAIN! In our text Paul reveals the nature of true godliness and the source of genuine contentment, which in turn will lead to a sense of fulfillment and true happiness.

I.

True godliness, first of all, involves choosing to use your time wisely while seeking to understand the will of God! Paul writes, “See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.” When Paul urges us to “walk circumspectly” he means that we should chose the path of our life carefully or deliberately. Don’t charge through life like the proverbial bull in a china shop! Rather recognize that each day of your life is a gift—new and empty, ready to be entered and filled with the results of your decisions, and it will be filled with such results. The question is, “Will your days be filled with the results of good decisions or bad ones? Will they be filled with regrets over lost or misspent opportunities, or will they be filled with pleasant memories of good decisions, which have in turn led to blessings for others as well as for you?”

There is little that you can do about your past? If poor choices were made, you may still have to live with the consequences. Where repentance is required, or apologies can be made—do so with the firm conviction that your sins have been forgiven by God for Jesus’ sake and that He will be with you to work even the results of such poor choices out for your good. But do not allow the poor choices of your past to govern the choices you must make today and tomorrow. That would be foolish indeed!

The Old Testament hero, Joshua, as he neared the end of his life, met one final time with the children of Israel. He reminded them of the mistakes of their past—their frequent rebellions against God, but He also reminded them of God’s unchanging faithfulness to them. Then he challenged them with these words: “Choose for yourself this day whom you will serve!”

That is our challenge everyday. Whom will we serve? Will we serve Satan, the world, or our sinful flesh; or will we serve our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ? I would hope and pray that it would always be the latter! That can and will only be the case for us as we seek to “understand what the will of the Lord is.” That will of the Lord is revealed in the Scriptures, our Bibles, and it will only be understood as the Spirit of God guides our regular study of that book.

What is that will of God? The apostle John, while addressing the Christians of the first century, explained the will of God when he stated, “This is His commandment: that we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another, as He gave us commandment” (1 John 3:23). Notice that God’s first “commandment” is that we believe—something we by nature are completely incapable of doing on our own. Yet, the Holy Spirit Himself enables us to believe by creating faith in our hearts, as He reveals Jesus to be the only solution for our greatest need—the need to be right with God and to receive the forgiveness of our sins. It is that message, which is the gospel of Jesus Christ presented in the Bible. It is that message of love, then, that moves us to want to “walk” with care, making deliberate decisions, which will serve to glorify our Savior’s name, as we in love determine how we will respond and interact with others, for God’s second “commandment” is that we love one another. If we fail to do that, we are defying the will of God and failing to “walk circumspectly!”

Dear friends, it is very easy to mask our own failures by spending our time pointing out the frailties of others, or excusing our own failures in view of the missteps of others. It is so easy to talk a good talk, but the apostle and our dear Savior here urge us to walk a good walk. Turning once again to the apostle John—he writes, “My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth” (1 John 3:18). Do angry words pour out of our mouths? Are we tempted to strike back and to do so harder than the blows we received? Do we spend more time trying to justify ourselves, or to enable and uplift others? Let us remember the great love that God has had for us in Christ Jesus—a love given and bestowed in spite of our many sins against Him. Let us then respond in love for our Savior by using our time wisely and in accordance with God’s will. GODLINESS WITH CONTENTMENT IS GREAT GAIN! True godliness involves choosing to use your time wisely while seeking to understand the will of God!

II.

Genuine contentment, secondly, comes as the Spirit fills your heart with joy and thanksgiving! Paul writes, “Do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” When people in this world get frustrated and depressed by lack of success or other types of misfortune, they so frequently turn to the “quick fix” mentioned in the article on depression. Such quick fixes can at times be destructive. This is true today, even as it was in the days of the apostle Paul. Paul urges his readers in the first century, even as we might urge people today—don’t go out and try to drown your sorrows! The abuse of alcohol, drugs, or excesses of any kind will not solve problems, nor will they lead to a true sense of fulfillment and lasting happiness in life. That comes only when we achieve genuine contentment, which is a fruit of the Spirit’s presence in our lives.

The apostle urges us to “be filled with the Spirit.” How do we do that? You can’t see the Spirit. You can’t call the Spirit up and ask for a fill-up, like you can McGowan’s to fill up an empty water softener. Being filled with the Spirit only occurs within the heart of a believing child of God. When we are led by God’s Word to understand our dire situation in view of our sins and our absolute need for the grace of God, the Spirit comes and enters our hearts with God’s precious gospel. The Spirit uses God’s Word to change our hearts—to replace our sin-hardened hearts with His grace-softened hearts. As we by faith drink in the love of our Savior and are filled with the joy of our certain relationship with God, we will be led to search His precious word. The Spirit then fills us and we will begin to see the fruits of His presence. The apostle made a list of the Spirit’s fruits for the Galatians. Among them He said are “love, joy, peace. long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, (and) self-control” (5:22). These aspects of our faith-life will then begin to shape our attitude towards life in general, but especially towards those individuals with whom we live and work. The apostle then, on the basis of this indwelling and assuming that the fruits of the Spirit will be growing within our hearts, urges us to speak to each other words that will empower, enrich, enable, and inspire—“psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in (our) hearts to the Lord.”

My dear friends, every Christian, irrespective of his or her set of circumstances has reason to be optimistic about the future. Our ultimate future, after all, is already secure. We have been given the gift of eternal life, which cannot be taken away from us. Jesus has promised His followers, “I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand” (John 10:28). If, then, this is true, and it is, let us ever embrace the conclusions of the apostle Paul: “If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?” (Romans 8:31-32)

Genuine contentment rests upon this solid foundation of God’s plans and promises over against us! It continues by then recognizing that every good and gracious gift we receive in our lives is from His hands. Consequently, we will want to give thanks to our God and Father in the name of Jesus—not just when things are going our way and we are getting everything we want, but “always” and “for all things!” This will be true even when bad things occur in our lives, for we know that God would only permit those things to enter our lives, for which He has a good purpose intended for our lives. This, then, is the confidence we can have in God, which leads to genuine contentment, and finally a real happiness, based not upon mere personal affluence and certainly not upon a rebellious use of personal freedom. Rather, it is based upon the grace, the mercy, the plans, and the promises of our beloved Savior.

Are we beginning to fray at the edges of our existence? Do we find ourselves becoming depressed by the problems confronting us in our lives? Are we pursuing happiness and finding it ever so illusive? Then let us take a step back, rub our eyes, and refocus on our Savior and His Word, for GODLINESS WITH CONTENTMENT IS GREAT GAIN! Amen.

—Pastor Paul D. Nolting