22. To Be (2)

Posted on Posted in Sermon Notes Tagged with , ,

Paul’s Epistle to the Ephesians

Knowing Your Privilege in Christ

 “To Be (2)”

Ephesians 5:17-20 (KJV) 

17Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is. 18 And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; 19 Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; 20 Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;

OUTLINE

  • To Be Understanding (v17)
  • To Be Filled with the Spirit (v18)
  • To Be Singing (v19)
  • To Be Thankful (v20)

INTRODUCTION

The Christian life that is filled with fervour, grace, and strength has a certain character that the Apostle Paul sought here for the believers to assimilate into their lives. He tells us that there are 4 aspects of the Christian’s spiritual life that fortifies and equips him for life. I have entitled it “To Be”. 

  • To Be Understanding
  • To Be Filled with the Spirit
  • To Be Singing Praise to God
  • To Be Thankful

These are all-season Christian demeanour and ways that speed him or her a long way through the trials and temptations of life.

  • To Be Understanding

17 Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.

The Christian must seek to know the will of the Lord and walk therein. It seemed a mysterious notion what the will of the Lord is! He has just spent 3 chapters of this book to help us to understanding our origin. Where we come from and where we are going. That’s crucial. He tells us that to understand the will of the Lord and to walk in it is to be wise!

And the Lord reveal His will to us through the writing of his apostle, written for all posterity in His written Word, the Bible!

The Church is a separated people (1) Chosen by the Father (Eph. 1:1-4), (2) Purchased by the Son (Eph. 1:5-9) and (3) Sealed by the Holy Spirit (Eph. 1:10-14). 

The church is firstly, a privileged people separated from sin unto holiness (Eph. 1:1-4) – this is what it means to be “Chosen by the Father”. 

Secondly, the church is a purchased people in intimate fellowship with the living and true God(Eph. 1:5-9) – this is what we mean when we say “Purchased by the Son”. 

And thirdly, the church is a protected people destined for heaven(Eph. 1:10-14) – this is what we mean when we say “Sealed by the Holy Spirit”.

There is a beginning and an eternal consummation to our being. And we are in that in-between time-frame.

  • To Be Filled with the Spirit

18 And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;

There are those in the church in Ephesus who are intoxicated with too much drinking of wine. He urged them to be sober and stop their drunkenness!

To be filled in the Spirit enables the believer to walk surely and steadily, controlled by the Spirit, endued with the Spirits power to live holily, righteously in the blessed will of God. Indeed, the believer is exhorted to be continually filled with the Holy Spirit.

  • To Be Singing (v19)

19 Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;

The way of uplifting the heart and strengthening the inner man is to meditate upon Scriptures and godly thoughts that exalts the name of God and Christ in music.

  • To Be Thankful (v20)

20 Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;

The spirit-filled life is manifested in thanksgiving always in all things. Here is a prayer of thanksgiving directed to the Father, through the Son and in the Spirit. The message indeed reaches the ears of God. 

And such a heart of thanksgiving is founded upon the understanding in the believers’ life that God is in charge and He works out life for us by His sovereign power and guidance and there is a sense of grateful acknowledgement of the God factor in such a life.

Though we are unable to see and interpret the message of life, we can trust the good God who gives and sustains life to works all things well. The thankful heart is happy.

We are thankful for what God has wrought in our life, the salvation He has given us and the heaven that was won for us.

We are thankful because He guides and directs us through life by the instruction of His Word to make our lives beautiful and fragrant in His sight and permeates to help those around us, spreading goodness and goodwill.

We are thankful for the precious gift of life that is extended to us. We live with that knowledge that we are secured with God forever.

Jude 24-25 Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present youfaultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, To the only wise God our Saviour, beglory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.

And thanksgiving in the life of the believer by a personal relationship that draws life and strength, wisdom and power for life through a good understanding of the knowledge of God. And such a life is lived for God’s honour and glory.

The believer is able to thank God in all things. That’s a life of faith to trust God even during those times when life could not easily be interpreted.

As the hymn by Cowper – God Moves in a Mysterious Way shows us: 

God moves in a mysterious way
His wonders to perform;
He plants His footsteps in the sea,
And rides upon the storm.

Deep in unfathomable mines
Of never failing skill
He treasures up His bright designs
And works His sovereign will.

Judge not the Lord by feeble sense,
But trust Him for His grace;
Behind a frowning providence
He hides a smiling face.

His purposes will ripen fast,
Unfolding every hour;
The bud may have a bitter taste,
But sweet will be the flower.

Blind unbelief is sure to err
And scan His work in vain;
God is His own interpreter,
And He will make it plain.

The believer is able to cast His care upon the Lord for care and help and the Apostle Paul puts in Philippians 4:6-7 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

The Spirit-filled believer is largely in prayer for God to guide His life and thanksgiving is the grateful acknowledgement that He makes all things well for His people.

A thankful heart invites God into his life. In thanksgiving, we are able to draw strength in our communion with God.

Joyful thanksgiving is the theme of worship in heaven. It must be the theme for His people on earth whilst preparing for heaven.

Psalm 100:1-5 A Psalm of praise. Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands. Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing. Know ye that the LORD he isGod: it ishe thathath made us, and not we ourselves; we arehis people, and the sheep of his pasture. Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, andinto his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, andbless his name. For the LORD isgood; his mercy iseverlasting; and his truth endurethto all generations.

3Know ye that the LORD he isGod: it ishe thathath made us, and not we ourselves; we arehis people, and the sheep of his pasture.

This verse describes the knowledge of how we are dependent on our LORD. He has made us – He is our Maker and Creator. We are not the masters of our destiny but He is. 

He not only Makes us by the very life we have is sustained by Him and therefore the psalmist acknowledge that life comes from the LORD, his God. He speaks of a personal relationship and knowledge of his God.

The shepherd without the sheep is lost so is man estranged from His Maker – we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. He is our shepherd and we are his sheep. He leads and guides us according to His Word, the Bible!

Right relationship will lead to real rejoicing. Our God is the One that provided stability, strength and blessing to His people. By His leading and guidance and care, we are blessed with love, peace and joy. We can be truly happy!

There is the biblical example of Jacob who saw his own helplessness, as a defenceless sheep, if the Almighty God, His Shepherd will not take him up and protect him. And the angel of the Lord did so to bless Jacob at Peniel and changed his name to Israel, said to him, “for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men and has prevailed and he was blessed there”(Genesis 32:29).

When a man comes to that place of full surrender to his God that is be beginning of rejoicing and blessing in his life.

The preface of the psalm tells us it is a psalm of praise. The word “todah” means thanksgiving. It is a thanksgiving psalm. It is the only psalm with such a title. A favourite psalm with God’s people ever since it is written. 

The word at the preface describes an offering of thanks or a sacrifice of thanksgiving – aptly translated “Praise” (Complete Dictionary of Old Testament) in our King James Bible.

5 For the LORD isgood; his mercy iseverlasting; and his truth endurethto all generations. 

Our knowledge of Him is the motivation for Thanksgiving (v5)

  1. His Unfailing Goodness (v5a)
    1. His Enduring Mercies (v5b)
    1. His Abiding Promises (v5c)

The goodness of God describes how He reaches out to us to pronounce us “good” in His sight, the pleasantness and benevolence. This is the greatness of God when He sent His only begotten Son to die for our sins so that we may have eternal life. It is a permanent salvation that we receive He does not fail us. He does not save us half way but all the way. 

1 Makea joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands. 

“Make a joyful noise” “ruah” is often used in the Old Testament to describe the shout that took place before a people or army rushed into battle against opposition, it is a war cry signalling to commence engagement with the enemy (Joshua 6:10, 16, 6:20; Judges 15:14, 1 Samuel 4:5, 17:20, 2 Chronicles 13:15) [Complete Dictionary of Old Testament]. 

It therefore describes God’s people or Christians’ engaged in every day activities with God as the commander of our endeavours. The outcome is surely that of triumph and victory. And therefore, it is a cheerful victory cry. When God is for us none can prevail against us. Remember our Lord Jesus says in John 16:24 “Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.” 

It is a shout of victory and joy to the world that they may come and taste the goodness of God. It is a declaration of the worth of the Gospel as the only hope for a depressed, diseased and distraught world. 

The first word is “triumphantly”. 

2 Servethe LORD with gladness:

“To serve” is the same word “to work”. This labour has its focused on the LORD it is as unto the LORD. Serve sacrificially.

“Labouring” for the unregenerate is indeed void of true joy, but not for the child of God. The labour of depraved men has no eternal value. It is temporal and earth bound. Therefore, it does not last and has no eternal reward. 

But not for the Christian, our every labour in the name of Christ has eternal consequences, there is reward awaiting every faithful labourer – as you do all things to the glory of God.

Hence, for the believer, his service is sacrificialemulating that of our Lord Jesus, constrained by love and unconditionally. It is our reasonable service of thanksgiving for all that we have received in the salvation of our souls and the blessings of eternal rewards. 

We  come in thanksgiving for all that He had enabled us to do through Him in His church, the body of His people, for His honour and glory!

2 Comebefore his presence with singing. 

It is an invitation for the thankful heart to come. Coming to God cannot be by proxy. We cannot love God by proxy. It is a personal relationship that each of us has with Him. Our prayers and worship are personal, received as a gathering yet individually ascended to Him as a sweet savour. It describes the jubilant heart praising God with singing.

– Triumphantly (v1), Sacrificially (v2a), Personally (v2b).

4 Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, andinto his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, andbless his name. 

The Manner of Thanksgiving (v1-4)

  • Gratefully (v4a)

4 Enterinto his gates with thanksgiving, andinto his courts with praise:

This word for “thanksgiving” is in the preface of the psalm which we have seen as the theme. The climax of gratitude is when the believer comes to God’s House to worship Him. It describes the solemnity of being in the presence of God in His infinite holiness and yet there is an overwhelming gratitude in the heart that is just outpoured in the manner in which the worshipper enters God’s presence. 

Thanks be to God for the inmost court is now open to believers, and we enter into that which is within the veil; therefore we are to acknowledge this high privilege that God has bestowed upon us.

– Triumphantly (v1), Sacrificially (v2a), Personally (v2b), Intelligently (v3), Gratefully (v4a).

The Manner of Thanksgiving (v1-4)

  • Penitently (v4b)

4 be thankfulunto him,

This word “be thankful” is the word to acknowledge or to confess Him. And true confession is to acknowledge our unworthiness and sinfulness before Him. It is the approach of a penitent heart. It involves repentance and a heart to want to make right with Him as we confess Him.

– Triumphantly (v1), Sacrificially (v2a), Personally (v2b), Intelligently (v3), Gratefully (v4a), Penitently (v4b).

(1) The Manner of Thanksgiving (v1-4)

–    Wholeheartedly (v4c)

4 andblesshis name. 

“To bless” our LORD is an act of consecration, of renewing our faith and trust in Him. It is done with nothing less than a wholehearted consecration and devotion. This is the word for “kneel” which in the intensive means blessing. As we come before our LORD with our devotion, we receive a blessing from Him. 

Triumphantly (v1), Sacrificially (v2a), Personally (v2b), Intelligently (v3), Gratefully (v4a), Penitently (v4b), Wholeheartedly (v4c).

Worship on earth is a looking forward to worship in heaven – The Apostle John in the Book of Revelation saw caught the vision of worship in heaven. 

He recorded for us in Rev. 7:8, 10, 12 – “Ibeheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and peoples, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands; and cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb. Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen.” (Rev 7:9,10,12)  

Could this be the year when our Lord would return? Are you prepared to be ushered to heaven anytime – are you looking for that blessed hope (Titus 2:13)? 

That is the verse by which we received the name of our church – an end-time, last days, last hour church, preparing her people for heaven. 

The mood of thanksgiving is reflected in the hymn of thanksgiving below:

RHC027 – Now Thank We All Our God 

Now thank we all our God, With heart and hands and voices,
Who wondrous things has done, In whom this world rejoices;
Who from our mothers’ arms, Hath blessed us on our way
With countless gifts of love, And still is ours today.

O may this bounteous God, Thru all our life be near us,
With ever joyful hearts, And blessèd peace to cheer us;
And keep us in His grace, And guide us when perplexed,
And free us from all ills, In this world and the next.

All praise and thanks to God the Father now be given,
The Son and Him Who reigns, With Them in highest heaven –
The one eternal God, Whom earth and heav’n adore –
For thus it was, is now, And shall be evermore.

To be Continued…