Walk as wise not as unwise (Ephesians) 5:15-17

Here in these verses Paul exhorted believers to use their time to full and to make the most of every opportunity that comes to them. The world Apostle Paul and the believers lived was hostile to Christianity and filled with immorality therefore he told them not to lose any opportunity to please God and do His will that they may win their persecutors for the Kingdom of God. Dear friends once the time goes by then it never comes back likewise an opportunity lost will never return. An old Chinese adage says, "Opportunity has a forelock so you can seize it when you meet it. Once it is past, you cannot seize it again." The brevity of life is a strong argument for making the best use of the opportunities God gives us.

The story is told of a young man who wished to marry the farmer's beautiful daughter. He went to the farmer to ask his permission. The farmer looked him over and responded, "Son, go stand out in that field and I'm going to release three bulls, one at a time. If you can catch the tail of any one of the three bulls, you can marry my daughter." The young man stood in the pasture awaiting the first bull. The barn door opened and out ran the biggest, meanest-looking bull he had ever seen. He decided that one of the next bulls had to be a better choice than this one, so he ran over to the side and let the bull pass through the pasture out the back gate. The barn door opened again unbelievable he had never seen anything so big and fierce in his life. It stood - pawing the ground, grunting, slinging slobber - as it eyed him. Whatever the next bull was like, it had to be a better choice than this one. He ran to the fence and let the bull pass through the pasture, out the back gate. The door opened a third time. A smile came across his face. This was the weakest, scrawniest little bull he had ever seen. This one was his bull. As the bull came running by, he positioned himself just right and jumped at just the exact moment. He grabbed... but the bull had no tail!

Life is full of opportunities. Some will be easy to take advantage of, some will be difficult. But once we let them pass (often in hopes of something better), those opportunities may never again be available. In the Book of Acts, King Agrippa was given an opportunity to accept Christ as his Savior Bible clearly states the king was almost persuaded by the Apostle to be a Christian but something held him back. I wonder how much he regrets that missed opportunity today as he lives out his eternal damnation.

The same thing is also true of opportunities to serve and to live for Christ. God often opens doors of opportunities to speak up for Him, opportunities to minister to someone who is hurting or in need, opportunities to make an influence on the world around us. Make sure if we allow them to pass by (perhaps because we are waiting for something easier to come along), we may miss out on them altogether.

Finally, every opportunity that God gives you demands a steadfast, persevering spirit. Ambition alone is not enough. You've got to be willing to take risks, lay it all on the line, and even be willing to lose it all in order to seize an opportunity. Your attitude and perspective about the situation has everything to do with your outcome. When the armies of Israel saw Goliath, they said, "He's too big to kill!" When David saw Goliath, he said, "He's too big to miss!" Same problem, different perspective! Someone once said that if all you see is obstacles, then you've taken your eyes off the goals. You're no longer focused on your vision. You're no longer focused on Jesus. If you hear someone talking about all their problems, that's a good indication that they've taken their eyes off of Jesus!  God never gives us opportunities without first giving us the ability to achieve them. So, quit making excuses.

WHEN LIFE HURTS (PSALMS: 88)

Introduction: Suffering is no stranger to humanity. Millions of people are trapped in human trafficking. Countless suffer from a physical, mental, or emotional disability that ostracizes them from society. The stress of losing a job, paying debts, natural disasters, broken relationships, unmet longings, or the loss of a loved one plague us on a daily basis. It has been observed in Bible resource books and commentaries, that the 88th Psalm is the most mournful of all the psalms. According to Barnes this Psalm is “altogether of a mournful and desponding character”. Adam Clarke describes Psalms 88 in this way “this Psalm is the earnest prayer of a person in deep distress, abandoned by his friends and neighbors, and apparently forsaken of God”. Matthew Henry calls “the entire is mourning and woe.”

Every word in this Psalm is literally heartbreaking, and the Psalmist of this Psalm literally does not want to continue living and wanted to die V: 15.  The root of his problem stems from his youth, v. 15. We are not sure what his affliction was, but we only can assume by the words he spoke in verses 3-7; 8-9; 15-18 that leprosy might be the cause for his sufferings. One thing is sure the Psalmist was very defeated, discouraged and deeply depressed due to the affliction he went through. Uncertainty, hopeless future (V.1-7; v.3-4), and loneliness (v: 8) literally deteriorated his life. Verses 9-12 say he was without foundation and had nothing to hold on to.  He feels that even all his reaching out to the Lord for help has been in vain. Dear friends are you in the same situation? Have you fallen into the depths of despair? Do you feel lonely and abandoned by your friends and relatives? This Psalm poses challenges to the hurting saints and hope to all those who are in hopeless condition. Let us learn together about the challenges that this Psalm gives to the suffering saint.

I. DON’T STOP PRAYING (VS: 1, 2, 9, 13): The first challenge and the hope for the suffering servant that we learn from this Psalm is prayer. The prayer of the Psalmist in this Psalm teaches us how to pray. First, the Psalmist even in the midst of all his problems kept calling the Lord his God. Verses 1, 9, and 13 say that he prayed unto God continually. Dear friend, don’t give up, the Word of God encourages us to pray incessantly. The Psalmist in Psalms 55: 16-17 says, “As for me, I will call upon God; and the LORD shall save me.  Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice.” Second, the Psalmist didn’t pray just like that instead he poured his heart or in other words he prayed with the burden. In verse 1 the Psalmist says I “cry” and in verse 9 the he says “My eyes were worn out from crying”. This gives us the picture of a small child who pesters his or her parents until they give heed to its cry. As a little child, the Psalmist reached up to the Lord and cried at His feet until his prayers are answered.  In Hebrews 4: 15-16 we read “For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.” The throne of grace is open to us therefore let us approach it to obtain grace and the help in time of our need. Third, we learn the Psalmist directed his prayer toward God and God alone.  He called out to God Who hears and answers the prayers of His saints. The Word of God encourages us in this way “Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you” 1 Peter 5:7. The Word of God further says “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ” Philippians 4:6-7 (NLT). Our God is the God who can do the impossible, any time and in any place.

II. DON’T STOP PERSEVERING: The second challenge is perseverance; there is no hint throughout this Psalm that God spoke or answered the prayer of the Psalmist. The Psalmist continued or persevered in his prayers even though there was no answer for his prayer from God. It is baseless to argue that God completely ignored this man on the basis of God’s silence. It simply means that God chose not to answer here. We are told that the Psalmist does begin to question God’s silence, v. 14. It is hard to go forward when it seems that the heavens have turned to brass! Still, he never gives up! Do you think that your prayers for deliverance are unanswered? Remember God did not answer a single one of Job’s questions however his perseverance was rewarded by what the “Lord finally brought about” (James 5:11). Abraham, too, waited patiently and “received what was promised” (Hebrews 6:15). Jesus is our model in all things, and He demonstrated patient endurance: “Who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:2). Perseverance is the only criteria to measure our faith in God’s timing, omnipotence, and love.  Therefore, dear friends no matter how hard the winds blow, God is Ruler of the winds.  No matter how rough the sea becomes, He is still the Master of the sea! So, even when God does not answer you, keep on looking to Him!  Persist in your faith and it will pay dividends in His time! Never give up!

III. DON’T STOP PRAISING: Praising is not merely shouting, to be true there is no spirituality in shouting. The Word of God defines the term “Praise” beautifully. The book of Psalms (sacred songs) is well-known for its focus on praising God. The Hebrew word for “praise” is YADAH, which means to praise, give thanks, or confess. Apart from the word “YADAH”, there are multiple Hebrew words that can be translated as “praise,” and it does not necessarily just have one definition. For example, there are two different Hebrew words for “praise” in Psalm 149:3: “Let them praise [halal] His name with the dance; Let them sing praises [zamar] to Him with the timbrel and harp.” Halal means to praise, glorify, boast, commend, etc., and zamar means to make music or sing praises. In all of these instances, praising God is simply giving Him the recognition He deserves. One way we can define what we mean by praising God is to consider the end result. The end result of giving God praise is to exalt Him and His name.

Here in this Psalm in Verse: 1 the Psalmist exalted God’s name and called Him as his Savior. He calls out to “The God of his SALVATION!” No matter how dark the valley, how deep the trial, or how difficult the way, He is still God of our Salvation and we are to exalt His name and confess Him that He is our Savior. Exalting the Lord our Savior may not do with our pain but it will bring us into the Lord’s presence Psalms 22:3. In this Psalm the Psalmist cried bitterly, wept and emptied his heart of bitterness of sorrow and called on the name of the Lord His Savior and offered up thanksgiving for all He has done for Him. Similarly, you also: cry as the Psalmist did in this Psalm, weep, empty your heart of the bitterness of sorrow; call on the Lord and offer up thanksgiving for all He has done for you! In His time and in His Own way, He will lift your burdens, “Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and he shall sustain you: He shall never suffer the righteous to be moved,” Psalms 55:22.

Conclusion:  Sometimes life hurts. When it does, we need to do as the Psalmist did in this passage. We need to keep on praying, keep on persevering, and keep on praising. It may not always change the situation, but it can change us in the situations we face in life. C. S. Lewis once said, “God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world.” Sometimes life hurts, but when it does, there is help and hope for those who know the Lord!

REST IN YOUR SITUATION (PHILIPPIANS 4:11)

In this world there are many people that seem to get no satisfaction out of life. They seem to be unhappy, unfulfilled and unsatisfied. They walk around in a season of discontent. They lack fulfillment in their lives. But Paul in this verse says that in whatever situation he has found himself and learned how to be content. Contentment is not self-satisfaction which makes a person to settle for less than his or her best. Contentment is not self-sufficiency what the motivational speakers proclaim. They proclaim “You can do anything you want, just put your mind to it”. Contentment is different from self-sufficiency which is completely independent of all things and people.  “What is contentment?” According to Paul it is to take a realistic view of your situation and adjusting to it.  Webster defines contentment as: the state or quality of being satisfied not displeased. How many people, including yourself, feel that way? Satisfied, not displeased. Its power comes from relying on God – no matter what situation you find yourself in. The apostle was often in bonds, imprisonments, and necessities; but in all, he learned to be content, to bring his mind to his condition, and make the best of it. 

In this context Paul was in prison, unable to pursue his tent-making trade, and he was in a tight spot (“affliction” in Philippians 4:14-note literally means “pressure”). He wrote a number of letters during this time to various churches and individuals (Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, Philemon), and he asks for prayer in those letters. But never once does he mention his financial needs. Rather, he asks for prayer for boldness and faithfulness in his witness. He trusted in and submitted to the sovereignty of God to provide for his needs. Sometimes God supplied abundantly, and so Paul had learned how to live in prosperity. But sometimes God withheld support, and so Paul had to learn to get along with humble means. At those times, he did not grumble or panic, but submitted to the sovereign hand of God, trusting that God knew what was best for him and that He always cared for His children. Paul learned to be content in all conditions. It didn’t come naturally to him, and it wasn’t an instantaneous transformation. It is a process, something that we learn from walking with God each day. Key to this process is to understand that everything, major and minor, is under God’s sovereignty. He uses all our circumstances to train us in godliness if we submit to Him and trust Him. Our attitude in trials and our deliberate submission to His sovereignty in the trial is crucial.

In his famous lecture on "Clocks and Watches," Dr. Joseph Parker related the following story: A little watch, delicately strung, was dissatisfied with its restricted sphere of influence in a lady's pocket. It envied the position of Big Ben, the great tower clock. One day as it passed with her ladyship over London's Westminster Bridge, the tiny watch exclaimed, "I wish I could go up there! I could then serve multitudes, instead of just one individual." "You shall have your opportunity, small watch," she said. The lecturer then dramatically described how the pocket timepiece was drawn up the side of the mammoth tower by a slender thread. When it reached the top, it was completely lost to view. In his dramatic way, Dr. Parker concluded his lecture by exclaiming, "Its elevation had become its annihilation!" (Daily Bread). If you are walking with God and you find yourself in a desperate situation, you can know that you are not there by chance. The sovereign God has put you there for your training in faith, that you might share His holiness. It may be a small crisis or a major, life-threatening crisis. Submit and trust the Sovereign God and you will know the contentment that comes from Him.

In all the situations he trusted and submitted himself to the sovereignty of God meet his needs. He was faithful to God when God supplied abundantly, and had learned how to live in prosperity. He also served God faithfully even in the times when God withheld support, and had learned to get along with humble means. When he was down he neither grumble nor panic instead he submitted to the sovereign hand of God and learned to rest in that situation.  Paul learned to be content in all situations because he knew that everything, major and minor, is under God’s sovereignty. Yes God is sovereign to use all our circumstances to train us in godliness only when we submit to Him and trust Him. He uses all our circumstances to train us in godliness if we submit to Him and trust Him. Our reaction in trials and our honest submission to His sovereignty in the trial is the criteria to measure our faith in Him.