Live Wisely!

13th Sunday after Pentecost, 8/22/21 Ephesians 5:15-20 Live Wisely! I. Understand what the Lord’s will is. II. Make the most of every opportunity. I see it every day, and I imagine you do as well. I see people living in ways that are foolish. And when it happens on a highway at speeds above 60 mph, their foolishness is dangerous to themselves and others. But I see it in other ways. I know people who have fallen for a “get rich quick” scheme and have lost everything. I see people who indulge themselves in a temptation and risk losing their family. I see people whose lifestyle is completely unhealthy, and they know it but do nothing to make healthy changes. That’s foolishness! But if I notice that foolishness every day in the lives of others, I wonder if others do the same regarding me. Is it possible? Well, it’s not only possible, it’s likely. Contrary to what I might think about myself, I don’t have a corner on the market of wise living. I’m just as susceptible to foolish living as the next person. So, is it possible others think the same about you? It’s a good bet that they do. They hear you say something or watch you do something which they consider to be foolish, and they shake their heads to show they don’t agree with you. They’re convinced you don’t know the facts. You’re the victim of misinformation. By now you might be saying to yourself, “Pastor, I don’t care. I can’t live my life concerned about what others think about me. I simply try to do what is best for me and others in every situation.” Fair enough. There’s a good bit of wisdom to that approach, even if others think you’re being foolish. But let me ask you this. What does your God think? Is it possible he watches what you do, hears what you say, knows what you think, and concludes that you’re being foolish? Absolutely! Every day. For every one of us. So, what should we do about it? Take to heart our Lord’s encouragement through St. Paul in these verses before us from Ephesians 5. He simply tells you to live wisely. Live wisely. Let’s see what he means and then, by the power of the Holy Spirit, let’s put it into practice. Part I. Have you ever heard someone comment, “Well, that’s what happened, so that must be God’s will”? I imagine you have. It’s a common way of making sense out of something senseless, tragic, or avoidable. But it simply isn’t true. Just because something happened does not mean that’s the way God wanted it to happen. In fact, I know that when a sin is involved in what happened, that is not the will of God. But we have this assurance: even if what happened was not God’s will, he will still use that event to carry out his grand plan and purposes for his people, his Church. We see that happening countless times on the pages of the Bible. But knowing the will of God is critical if you want to live wisely. Paul stated that very truth with these words, “Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.” So, how do I know what the Lord’s will is? He states it in his word. For instance, many of you have memorized this verse of the Bible, “God our Savior…wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth” (1 Tim. 2:3-4). There you have God’s will in its simplest form. God wants all people to be saved. That’s why he thinks, speaks, and acts as he does. That’s God’s will for you. Praise the Lord that he has accomplished his saving will with you! That means that he wants me always to trust in him as the God of my salvation and he wants me to grow in that faith every day of my life. Paul says it like this, “Be filled with the Spirit.” The Holy Spirit keeps me in my faith in Jesus. So, the Lord wants me to do things that allow the Holy Spirit to do that work. He wants me to listen to his word, to study his word, to take it to heart. He wants me to receive Holy Communion for the strengthening of my faith. Conversely, he wants me to avoid anything that would hinder my faith. Think about that as you make your choices in life. Live wisely! In addition, God’s states his will for my life and the lives of every person in the world in his 10 Commandments. You likely memorized them at some point in your life. It would be good to freshen your memory of them and include Luther’s explanation to each one. They state God’s will for your life at every moment, a will we don’t and can’t obey perfectly. But that doesn’t excuse us from attempting to do so every day of our lives. Doing so is living wisely. God’s summary of his commandments is for us to love God above all things and to love our neighbor as ourselves. Everything we think, feel, say, and do should reflect our unwavering devotion to our God and our constant love for our neighbor. That’s living wisely. Paul adds this practical advice for showing your love for God by loving your neighbor, “Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs.” Speak to one another. Share God’s word with each other in order to offer correction where it’s needed and encouragement to follow the will of God. That’s what our congregational life is all about. You can be a Christian all by yourself, but I don’t recommend it. It’s not what God wants for you. Instead, he wants you to receive and give encouragement from and to your sisters and brothers in the faith. That way we grow together as God’s people until the day when he calls each one of us home to heaven. That’s God’s will for your life. And that’s wise living. Understand what the Lord’s will is. That was a sobering look at the will of God for my life. Do you agree? He wants me to make my faith and growing in that faith a top priority in my life, but I tend to take it for granted. He wants me to love him above all things and to love my neighbor, but too often I tend to make myself first in my life and my thoughts and attitudes about my neighbor—let alone my words and actions—reveal prejudice, disgust, and impatience. Why should I make the effort to love my neighbor when my neighbor is so unloving towards me? And my God wants me to encourage my sisters and brothers in worship? I’m the one who needs the encouragement. If any of those situations are even close to being accurate for you as they are for me, what should we do in order to live wisely? First, repent. It’s God’s will that the life of the Christian be a life of daily repentance, confessing our sinfulness and admitting that we deserve eternal punishment for our sins. But then do the wisest thing of all—look to Christ for your forgiveness. That’s what his life and death were all about—to assure you of your forgiveness. And now, by faith in him, you live each day in that forgiveness, a forgiveness which empowers you to follow the will of God in your life as he renews you each day. That’s living wisely. Part II. I read an interesting quote recently. It stated, “There’s nothing more expensive than a missed opportunity.” How true that is when it comes to a solid investment opportunity! Missing it can cost you some serious cash. St. Paul addresses the subject of seizing opportunities as an aspect of living wisely. He urges us to be “making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.” Obviously, Paul isn’t interested in our financial investment opportunities. So, what is he concerned about? He stated it clearly. “The days are evil.” I don’t think any one of us would disagree with his assessment. We live in evil times. What God calls evil, our world calls good. What God calls good, our world rejects categorically. Our world will not abide by God’s standards of right and wrong. But it never has. That was true when Paul wrote these words 2,000 years ago. The days were evil then. The days have always been evil, ever since the fall into sin. So, when Paul urges us to make the most of every opportunity, what does he have in mind? First, that we ground ourselves firmly in the word of God so that we can withstand the evil attacks from our world. The world is not our friend; it’s one of our enemies. And we need the sword of the Spirit and the shield of faith to protect us. And then go on attack! How do you attack our evil world? Share the faith that the Lord has given you. Speak God’s truth in love to those who don’t know it but urgently need to know and believe it. We’re not going to change our evil world overnight. God hasn’t called us to do that. But he has commissioned us to share his gospel with the people of our world, and that happens one person at a time. What our world needs most of all is for you to share God’s truths with others. Grab every opportunity to do so. Live wisely! Make the most of every opportunity. Jesus told us that, as the end of the world draws near, things will get worse for Christians, not better. Do you think we’re living in those times? I think so. If you agree, then what can we do? Live wisely! Make the most of every opportunity to grow in your faith and do what you can to share your faith. That’s exactly why our congregation exists. We grow in the word so that we can share the word. I can’t change the world. Neither can you. Only Jesus can. And he uses us to do it. May he forgive us for our misplaced priorities and our laziness! And may his Holy Spirit so fill us that he empowers us to make the most of every opportunity that comes our way. Eternal souls are at stake. Let’s get to work! Live wisely! Amen.