October 1, 2023
Opportunities
Ephesians 5:15-20
Opportunities take many forms in our life. It can be an opportunity to go back to school to achieve a degree in order to take a new job. It could be an opportunity to lead a project that you might never have had the chance to in order to get more experience. Maybe it’s an opportunity to make a good decision in a situation that you once made a poor decision in before. No matter the type of opportunity that presents itself they will all have some things in common. They must first be identified, they must be acted upon, and there is always work involved. We’ve seen in Scripture that all good gifts come from God (James 1:17) and opportunities are no exception. They are always given to give us a chance to grow in our relationship with Him (sanctification), to serve others to help us grow, or to carry out our mission to share Christ in a situation or with people we never have had the chance before. This morning I want to look at Paul’s letter to the church in Ephesus to see how he calls upon the church to make the most of the opportunities that God has entrusted to them.
We must identify opportunities. - Ephesians 5:15
15 So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise.
Paul starts this section of his letter by saying because of everything I’ve told you so far, be careful how you live. If you go back and read starting in chapter 4, you will see Paul is calling those in the church to live a life worthy of the calling God has placed on their lives as children of God. He’s continues in verse 15 by saying to be careful how you live each and every day. The picture Paul is painting is not a general “be careful”, but rather to be careful with each and every step we take always watching for pitfalls, but also opportunities that God has graciously given in those moments. God has placed everywhere along our paths. We have to know where to look and how to make sure we know what we are looking for. Paul tells us with his next statement, "Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise." Why would Paul say something like this? It is because the fool he is speaking of here isn’t the stereotypical fool that comes to mind when we hear that word. Rather it’s those non-Christians that surrounded those in the church at Ephesus. These fools would have looked just like everyone else and if those in the church Paul was addressing were to live like them, they would have blended in seamlessly. Paul had told them that they were called to a higher standard and that was going to have to happen, not hour by hour, not day by day, not Sunday by Sunday, but step by step. This world looks for opportunities that the Christian shouldn’t. They look for riches, selfish fulfillment, and for things that only please themselves. As Christians we are to look for opportunities that bring glory to God, that are in obedience to His Word, that help us carry out our mission of building up the church and sharing the Gospel. We have to look at our steps not through the eyes of the world, but through our “born again” eyes. When we start watching each step in how we live, we start to notice each and every opportunity that God has placed in our path. However just noticing them is not enough, we must then act upon them.
We must act upon opportunities. - Ephesians 5:16-17
16 Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days. 17 Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do.
Paul instructs them to make the most of every opportunity they see because these evil days are going to do everything to drag us away from our “step by step” walk with God. One of the reasons we need to act is because certain opportunities might not present themselves again. It could be that we have been given an opportunity to share the Gospel with those we never thought we would have a chance to share with or an experience we might never have again. There are opportunities God gives that are only a one time chance. We need to stop praying about them and just act immediately in obedience when they present themselves. However there is something else we must do in order to help us jump more readily at opportunities God presents us and that is to understand their value.
Paul says that we don’t need to act thoughtlessly when we respond to these opportunities by snatching them up because we were told to. Instead we need to understand their value. They are valuable because they are given by God first and foremost, specifically for us. They are to help us in our relationship with Him in order to grow closer to Him. That’s important because this evil world is doing everything it can to pull us away from God, to distract us from our relationship with Him, and the mission He has given us. It’s a constant battle. It’s a battle we fight each and every day and with each and every step we take. Therefore we must understand the value of the opportunities in those battles. We can’t have just a head knowledge of what God wants us to do, but rather an understanding of God’s will. With an understanding of God’s will, we will have a deeper appreciation and understanding of the urgency so that we will be more likely to take advantage of every opportunity that God sends our way. We must also realize opportunities are rarely a one time event. They are going to require work to see the opportunities we invest in pay off.
We must work at it. - Ephesians 5:18-20
18 Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit, 19 singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, and making music to the Lord in your hearts. 20 And give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Paul finishes this section of his letter by summing up how to identify, act upon, and work on an opportunity from God with a single phrase, “Be filled with the Holy Spirit!”. Before we get to that statement he makes another statement about drunkenness that we need to look at and understand in the context of the church he was writing to. The church at Ephesus was located near the temple to the Roman god Baccus who was the god of wine, drunkenness, and debauchery. The priests who worked at the temple would tell those who came to seek answers from Baccus that they would have to get drunk and engage in activities that were promoted with the worship of Baccus in order to know their god’s will. Paul is making a contrast with this statement that everyone would understand in Ephesus. He was telling them that those ways would only lead to destruction just like all drunkenness does (Romans 13:13, Galatians 5:21), but instead of worshiping and seeking God in that way (which was not a way at all - it was just self-indulgence of sin) rather to be filled with the Spirit.
This is where we can get confused, so let’s take a moment to understand what it means when Paul says to be filled with the Spirit. When we hear that phrase, our minds will normally go to the book of Acts when, after Pentecost, the apostles were filled with the Spirit and do the amazing and dramatic acts that are recorded in that book. The word, "filled", that is used there is the Greek word, “Pimplemi”. It’s a word that is (according to it’s part of speech) something that is instantaneous and only lasts for a short period of time. Those who receive the filling had no control over and are controlled by the filling of the Spirit. An author once said it’s like a glove that is controlled by a hand. The glove cannot do those things on its own and it is temporary and only for a short time for a certain purpose. That’s exactly what we see played out with the filling of the Spirit in the book of Acts. That’s not the word Paul uses here. Instead he uses the Greek word, “Plarao”. It means a filling that does not cause extraordinary and dramatic events to take place - it’s a process over time. It’s not described as a hand in a glove, but a speed limit. It’s there to set expectations and control, but the individual is responsible for obedience to it and will face consequences of their choice. That’s what Paul means when he tells the church to be filled with the Spirit. It’s a slower process. It is the step by step obedience that is talked about in verse 15. It’s the deep understanding of God’s Word in verse 17, and it’s the being different from the world that he calls them to in verse 18. How can we tell if we are filled with the Spirit and are being obedient in this call to make the most of every opportunity? He tells us of the fruit of this type of lifestyle and of walking in the Spirit.
The fruit of being filled with the Spirit is a lifestyle of praise and thanksgiving. It’s a desire to gather together with fellow believers, to sing, and recite Psalms of praise to God. The people in the church at Ephesus would have been very familiar with the Psalms just as we have them today in the Bible. They would sing hymns or rather sing songs to God, and then sing spiritual songs to each other or songs that were about God and that they would be singing songs to God in their hearts as well. This is the mark of being filled with the Spirit. It’s being consumed with the awesomeness of God and a song on your lips and in your heart. There is nothing that will hold you back from singing the praises that God only deserves. Whether you are with believers in order to worship in a corporate setting or you are all alone, you understand God from His Word. You will understand your need and His love for you make it so you can't help but sing His praises. Along with this comes an attitude of thankfulness. You see God’s provision all around you and you can’t help but be thankful knowing all He has done for you and is doing for you right this moment. You have seen the opportunities He has granted you, be used in many mighty ways, not because of your obedience, but because of His goodness.
As we stated before, all good things come from God and opportunities are one of those blessings. As we have said throughout this whole series, we have to know how to use our blessings and invest them properly. Paul tells us that the key is being filled with the Spirit, and this only happens through obedience in each and every step of our lives, not living like the world, but according to our call as Christians. We must make the most of the opportunities when they come because many of those will be in a moment that might never present itself again. We need to understand the value of these opportunities because they help us to grow in our relationship and walk with God. When we do these things we find ourselves filled and governed by the Holy Spirit. When we struggle with making the most of our opportunities, it’s usually because we need to make a small adjustment to our obedience. We must repent for the sin we were pursuing instead of being obedient. Then we find ourselves able to identify, act upon, and work at every opportunity God gives to us in the way He has called us to.
