Staying Awake

Are you awake?  I’m not talking about being physically awake, but spiritually awake.  I’m talking about what happens inside you when the Spirit of God rouses you and awakens you to what He wants to do in and through your life.  So let me ask it this way: Is God’s grace to you in Jesus Christ changing how you see yourself?  Is God’s Spirit creating a desire in you to find out what pleases Him?  Are you becoming more alert to the deceitful ways of darkness and more intentional about shining the light of Jesus?  If so, then I’d say you’ve not just been listening to God’s wake-up call from the book Ephesians, but God’s grace to you in Jesus has awakened you to a whole new way of life with Him. But God didn’t awaken you to this new life in Jesus, just to see you fall back to sleep spiritually. No, He wants to equip you with what you need to stay fully awake to this new life He’s given you. So, in Ephesians 5 today, Paul spells out three practices that will keep you from drifting back into old ways of living. And the first is:

1. Examine How You Live: Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Ephesians 5:15-16

Unwise people fall back into old patterns of living: These are patterns dictated by what the world says is good. Old patterns of living that are dictated by your works and not God’s grace. So, then, these old patterns are fueled by feelings of guilt, fear, shame, or anxiety.  Or they may be fueled by your lusts or people or things. And when we fall back into old patterns of envying, coveting, we’re embracing the ways of the world.

Wise people redeem the time: Wise people take advantage of the days God has given. They know the days are passing. They know that the days are evil. Having been awakened by God’s grace through the redeeming blood of Jesus, wise people now want to redeem the time for Him.  So, one of the characteristics of wise people is this:  They live with a sense of urgency to redeem the time God has given them.  Now they see time as an opportunity to make a difference for eternity. So, they start seeing every activity, every relationship, every decision as an opportunity to shine the light of Christ.

Wise people are characterized by giving grace. Wise people have put away falsehood and live as trustworthy and reliable friends. They don’t give anger a place in their lives. They make their lives useful. They’re always looking for ways to encourage others. They look for opportunities to be kind and compassionate.  Wise people are quick to forgive and are eager to walk in the love of Christ. Wise people seize the day! So, examine if you are living as wise or unwise.

2. Understand God’s Will: Therefore, do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. Don’t be foolish: 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 The fool ignores God. A fool is unteachable; he only delights in sharing his own opinions (18:2). A fool utters slander (10:18-19), proclaims folly (12:23).  A fool answers before he hears the whole question (18:13). A fool’s frustrations are known immediately, and he vents his emotions without restraint (29:11).  A foolish person commits sexual immorality, leading to his own destruction (6:32; 7:7-27). So don’t be foolish. Instead…

Seek God’s will:  “‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”  Matthew 6:9  The practice of understanding God’s Will begins in the heart. You must have a teachable Spirit. And once you want what He wants, then the next part comes easy. You’ll be ready to..

Be transformed by God’s will: Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—His good, pleasing, and perfect will. Romans 12:2  The Devil doesn’t want us to use your head.  He wants you to be guided by your feelings.  He wants you to be controlled by your cravings.  If he can deceive you into disengaging your mind from God’s will, He knows you will go through life never really understanding God’s will.  And if he can get you to do that, he can deceive you into making your feelings your authority for living.  And if he do that, then he’ll get you to live as if there is no God.

3. Be Filled With the Spirit:  Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from 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. Ephesians 5:18-21

Getting drunk on wine was what you did if you participated in the pagan worship of Dionysus.  Those who worshiped Dionysus believed that the more inebriated you got, the more you were indwelled and controlled by Dionysus. The idea was to get so drunk that you’d lose control. And once you lost control, Dionysus would then give you special powers and abilities.  So, this command was aimed at this practice of losing control to the influence of alcohol. However, this command could apply to any substance that causes you to lose control. The point Paul is making here is this: Don’t allow any worldly Influences to control you! 

What are some of the worldly influences that seek to control us today?  The obvious one is alcohol. We read in Proverbs that “wine is a mocker, strong drink a brawler, and whoever is intoxicated is not wise.” (Proverbs 20:1) But our culture is saturated with all kinds of substances that can control our minds and bodies: Opioids, Sedatives like valium, serepax or mogadon. Other depressants like marijuana or hash.  Stimulants like cocaine, caffeine, or meth.  If these substances control you, they can corrupt or destroy you. However, there are also all kinds of other worldly influences that can control you as well: Social media is full of people called “influencers” who seek to win you over to their way of living.  Advertisements are designed to control your buying habits.  The media seeks to manipulate your worldview, whether through news, movies, television, podcasts or talk shows. Again, the point Paul is making here, is that we are to reject these ungodly and sometimes demonic influences, and submit yourself to the one influence that really matters, the Holy Spirit.  In other words: Allow God’s Spirit to control you!

First, this is a command to be obeyed.  Being filled with the Spirit doesn’t just happen because you want it to happen.  The grammar of this command is passive.  What that means is that being filled by the Spirit is not something we do, but something that we allow to be done to us. The filling of the Spirit is entirely the work of the Spirit Himself, but He works only through our willing submission.  Our part is to surrender to His control; allowing Him to permeate our heart, mind and will, so that He can begin to influence our conversations, our worship, our attitudes, and relationships. We are to depend on the Holy Spirit to be the controlling influence behind every thought, every act, every choice we make in life. But it is up to us to allow this to happen.  You choose to allow His thoughts to guide your thoughts; His ways to become your ways; His desires become your desires.

Surrender is the key!  And the more you choose to allow the Spirit to influence your thoughts, attitudes and actions, the more you will be fully awake to God’s influence in your life.  You will stay awake.  And the results of the Spirit’s influence will impact every aspect of your life:

The Evidence of the Spirit’s Influence in your life:  First, in your conversations:  speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit.  In other words, when you are filled with the Spirit your conversations will become less and less about you, and more and more about who God is and what He is doing in your life.

Next, in your worship: Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, When you are being filled with the Spirit, the disposition of your heart will change. Joy will begin to dominate your life because the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of joy!  You won’t just praise God on Sundays; you’ll make music in your heart to the Lord all day long.

Thirdly, in your attitudes: always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.Being filled by the Spirit produces a thankful heart. When you’re under the influence of the Spirit, you won’t have to think of things to be thankful for – you’ll begin to be thankful for simple everyday things. You’ll be thankful for God’s grace.  Everything in your life will take on new meaning… as all of it will be seen as a gift from God.

And finally, in your relationships: Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. When you are under the influence of the Spirit, the Spirit will enable you to do what is not natural, namely love and submit to people.  You’ll see your brothers and sisters in Christ as people to serve and love, because that’s how Jesus sees you.

That’s the power of the Holy Spirit.  When you surrender to the Holy Spirit’s influence in your heart, your mind and will, He will permeate every part of your being. And when you allow the Holy Spirit to fill you, you’ll keep staying spiritually awake.  So, may we keep staying awake to all He has for us.  May we live as wise, not as unwise.  May we understand His will.  And may we live surrendered to God, by allowing His Spirit to be the controlling force in our lives.