Wise Christians Live Wise Lives!

13th Sunday after Pentecost, 8/26/12
Ephesians 5:15-20


Wise Christians Live Wise Lives!
I. As they understand the Lord’s will
II. As they always give thanks to God


There are few words that are harder to hear than for someone to tell us, “You fool!” Those words charge us with not having enough wisdom to act in our best interests in a particular situation. We thought we could take the risk, but we suffered a terrible outcome. Or, we failed to act in a timely manner, and now we’re paying for it dearly. So rightly we deserve to be called a fool.

Realizing that we deserve the designation of being a fool doesn’t make it better; it only makes it worse. However, it can steel our resolve never to act foolishly again. It can motivate us to be wise and to act in wise ways from here on out.

But where do we begin? It’s not always helpful to listen to what other people think. I’ve heard plenty of foolish things from people who claim that they are wise. So what resource should we use? You know where I’m going with this, don’t you? If you’ve been listening to this morning’s scripture readings, you know where to go.

Right here to God’s word. Here is wisdom—wisdom for us to take to heart and follow as we live our lives. In fact, that’s exactly what our Lord encourages us through St. Paul this morning. The opening words of our text advise us, “Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise.”

None of us wants to play the part of the fool. We all want to be wise. And that wisdom is shown in the way that we live. Wise Christians live wise lives. Let’s see what that wise life looks like as Paul explains it to us this morning.

Part I.

A few months ago I was speaking to a retired religion professor who used to teach at our synod’s college. When it came to the subject of the will of God, he would ask his students, “Do you have someone in mind to marry? If you do, do you think it’s God’s will for you to marry that person? If you don’t have someone in mind yet, but plan to, do you think it will be God’s will for you to marry that person? What if it isn’t God’s will? What if you choose the wrong one?” Usually a majority of the students in that class would fall into his trap. God doesn’t tell us in that regard what his will is. And whether we’re talking about a spouse, or which school to attend or which job to take, or whether it’s God’s will for us to drive our vehicle to work that day or take public transportation, we vex ourselves unnecessarily when we think we can know what God’s will is in those cases because he hasn’t told us.

And yet, in speaking about wise Christians living wise lives, Paul tells us, “Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.” Understand what the Lord’s will is? Well, what is his will? What does God want for you and me? That will he tells us plainly in his word. Paul wrote in another letter, “God…wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth” (1 Tim. 2:4). There you have it. The highest, most important thing that God wants to happen in your life is for you to come to faith in Jesus as your Savior, to remain in that faith all your life, and finally live with him forever in heaven. Has God accomplished that will in you? Praise God for it!

But just how does God accomplish that for you? Listen once again to Paul’s words in our text. ”Do not get drunk on wine. Instead be filled with the Spirit.” The society of Paul’s day wasn’t much different from ours. People lived only for the next buzz they could get. Often it was done in the name of their idolatrous religions. Paul would call that foolishness. It leads to no good. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit. It’s the Holy Spirit who used the gospel in God’s word or in Baptism to bring us to faith in Jesus and now it’s the Holy Spirit who uses the gospel in God’s word and the Lord’s Supper to keep us in our faith. You can never have too much faith in Jesus. So the wise thing to do is to be filled with the Holy Spirit.

Paul wisely fills us in just how to be filled with the Holy Spirit. He tells us, “Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord.” What does that description sound like to you? Isn’t it what we do right here in this building every Sunday morning and on other days through the church year? Sure you can do this sort of thing at home and I hope and pray that you do. But tell me if I’m wrong: Isn’t that done in the best way when we regularly gather every Sunday to worship the God who has saved us? Here we have word and sacrament. That’s how the Holy Spirit fills us. That’s how God accomplishes the highest, most important thing he wants for you. So tell me, doesn’t that sound like the wise thing to do? Isn’t that a wise way for a wise Christian to live? Indeed it is. There’s no wiser thing to do.

Wise Christian live wise lives as they understand the Lord’s will.

If our God knows all things, if our God has holy, pure love for us, if God wants what is eternally best for us, isn’t it the height of wisdom for you and me to know that will and follow that will? Conversely, the height of folly is to ignore what God’s will is, to consider God’s will a hindrance to our earthly enjoyment or our personal advancement in this life, to think that we know better than God does. That’s pure folly! But so often that’s what makes sense to us. God’s will is also for us to obey his commandments. We conveniently ignore them. We justify the way we’re thinking and feeling even though we know God tells us it’s sinful. And while God tells us to be filled with the Holy Spirit and reminds us that the best way to do that is through our worship, we feel there’s no harm in running our spiritual tanks close to empty, thinking that we can make it a little further in our lives without the Spirit’s help. That’s foolish! People, here’s the wise way to live. Make the most of every opportunity. Here’s the eternal life-giving message of your Savior, Jesus Christ! Look to his cross for your full and free forgiveness! And then look for opportunities to encourage others to do the same. There’s no wiser way to live!

Part II.

Are you a glass half-empty type of person or a glass half-full type of person? Let me put that another way. Do you tend to view your life in terms of what it isn’t or in terms of what it is? Let me get more pointed still. Do you feel cheated in life or blessed in life?

By now I think you’d tell me that you are blessed. The problem, however, for most of us most of the time is that we need to be reminded to be thankful. In three months we’ll devote an entire day to it—the last Thursday in November every year. So, we try to be thankful one day out of the year, and for the other 364 days we can forget about it?

Paul would tell us that’s not very wise. No matter how austere your life may become, don’t ever forget what we just discussed. You already know what God’s highest, most important will is for your life—to come to faith in Jesus and remain in that faith. And praise be to God—he has accomplished that will in your life. Spiritually speaking, you’ve reached the pinnacle of life here on earth. That fills us with thanks no matter how dire our situation in life is. Paul says it this way, “Always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Everything? Really? Even the troubles and tragedies of life? Yes, even the troubles and tragedies of life. That’s the way wise Christians live wise lives. Scripture makes that clear. God’s word tells us that our God disciplines us for our good. The troubles of life drive home the truth that we aren’t in control, that we can’t solve all our problems, and that we need help. And that drives us to our God. Our troubles cause us to hold onto the promises of God’s word. They give us the opportunity to learn patience in suffering and to watch how our God turns everything out for our good just as he promises in his word.

But they also cause us to remove our focus on this life and lift our eyes to the life to come. Our God doesn’t want us to fool ourselves into thinking that life is so wonderful that we don’t want to leave. That’s foolish! The wise thing to do is to look forward every day of our lives to the life with our God in heaven. Every trouble in life gives us that opportunity—to remind us of that heavenly, eternal goal.

So yes, we can give thanks to God in every situation. Our God will even use our troubles to bring us good. It’s all good with God. And wise Christians realize that. Wise Christians live wise lives as they always give thanks to God.

I don’t want to be a Danny Downer, but you’re going to have troubles this week. Maybe even a tragedy or two. How will you deal with them? As if God is robbing you of your happiness? Will you fall into depression or despair? That’s not wise. That’s forgetting all that your God has done for you and all that he promises you. Let every one of your troubles remind you of the sinfulness of our world and your sins in particular. Let them remind you of what your Savior did with all sins when he died on the cross. And then offer a prayer of thanks that God has brought you to the knowledge of your Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Also offer thanks for the fact that your God will carry your through whatever trouble you face. That’s the way wise Christians live wise lives! May your life be full of that wisdom! Amen.