These are my notes from Sunday, February 25th.

Ephesians 5:18 (NIV) Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.

Ephesians 5:18 (ISV) Stop getting drunk with wine, which leads to wild living, but keep on being filled with the Spirit.

From Ephesians 4:17 onwards the Apostle Paul describes the new life of the Christian. And he has been contrasting the new life of the Christian with the old life of the non-Christian.

What is he speaking to them about? (look what He says in chapter 5 leading up to “Do not get drunk”…)

(Live) Walk in Love: Ephesians 5:1 Therefore, be imitators of God as dearly loved children 2 and live in love, just as Christ also loved us and gave himself for us, a sacrificial and fragrant offering to God.

(Live) Walk in light): Ephesians 5:8 Live like children of light— 9 for the fruit of the light[ consists in all goodness, righteousness, and truth— 10 trying to learn[o] what is pleasing to the Lord. 11 Do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but rather[p] expose them.

Ephesians 5:15 Paul introduced a new thought, while repeating “Therefore” and “walk,” for the fifth time (cf. 4:1, 25; 5:1-2, 7-8). We can walk (live) wisely by letting the Holy Spirit control our lives.

(Live) Walk in Wisdom: (Therefore) So then, be careful how you walk (live), not as unwise people but as wise, 16 making the most of your time (every opportunity), because the days are evil.

17 For this reason do not be foolish, but be wise by understanding[x] what the Lord’s will is.

  • Wise people not only make the most of their time (v. 16), but they also seek to discover and do God’s will.

And then after our passage of the day, how many of you know the famous scripture about wives submitting to their husbands and husbands loving their wives like Christ loves the church?! That comes next in Paul’s exhortation to households.

Back to Ephesians 5:18 Do not get drunk…

Is Paul dealing with just drunkenness and intoxication? We don’t want to miss the bigger picture.

  • He is emphasizing that Christians are to imitate God by being filled with the Spirit (that is the new life), and they must not get drunk with wine (that is the old life).
  • Lloyd-Jones notes “that there was nothing which was more characteristic of the old life which these people had been living, and which their contemporaries were still living, than drunkenness and debauchery. The ancient world at the time when our Lord came into it was characterized by this very thing.” Paul’s point is that drunkenness is characteristic of the old life. Now it’s time for Christians in Ephesus to live the new life.
  • It’s not so much about the amount of wine being consumed, as it is about those who become drunk with wine are in a condition of debauchery.

What in the world is debauchery? 🤔🧐

  • Dissipation. Reckless living. Wild living. Squandering.
  •                ◦              Same word used about prodigal son. Wanted to leave all that was good for wild living. What he thought was the good life only led to destruction. He came back to his senses and thankfully back to the true Good Life!
  •                ◦              How many people have been there?
  •                ◦              Debauchery: excessive indulgence in sensual pleasures. Dissipation: squandering in a wasteful/foolish manner. Especially time, money, energy, resources, days, life.
  •                ◦              Paul is walking people out of the old life into the new one. Do not do this, do this instead.

Do not be afraid of do nots! How many of you needed some do nots in order to know what to do!?

  •                ◦              A skeptic agnostic friend says, “The Bible is filled with a lot of do nots.” Great! It’s also filled with a lot of to-dos!
  •                ◦              As health professionals, we walk people from the old life into the new one. Knowing what not to do helps our conscience know what to do. The worst place to be is thinking you’re doing everything right only to find out you’re not! What an ignorant squandering!
  •                ◦              Paul is not telling these guys in Ephesus that they don’t have the Spirit. He is saying you are sinning in spite of having the Spirit!
  •                ◦              We talked about Do Not Grieve, do not quench…do not get drunk (be controlled, live wildly, be under the influence of other stuff).
  •                ◦              We’re the first ones to tell people to have freedom. Stress doesn’t help. But here’s what I can’t put into words, the more freedom you feel in Christ, the less stress you feel about control, the more control you gain when you surrender, and the more changes you’ll end up making because He leads you, not the flesh nor condemnation.

Who or what influence are you under?

Paul is conveying that the drunken/intoxicated life leads to one thing, while the Spirit-filled life leads to the opposite.

The old life intoxicated with wine leads to an uncontrolled, disorderly life, full of utter disorder and disarray. The new Spirit filled life leads to a controlled, orderly life.

[Spirit filled life doesn’t mean you’ll lose control].

  • Quite the opposite, you’ll GAIN control. Paul isn’t using this as an example that just like when you’re drunk and out of control, you get loony and loopy when you’re under the spirit. Fruit of Spirit = Self-controlled life.

If you’re under the influence of the old wine-filled life it leads to unproductivity and wastefulness. The new Spirit filled life leads to making the best use of time and opportunities. You become productive not just busy. The prodigal son was impoverished in his squandering. He came back and gained quite the opposite.

The old life under the influence of ______, leads to negativity. Then new life leads to positivity.

The old life under the influence of such and such may feel like it’s thrilling. It’s such a false high. The new life being filled by the Spirit is a high you can’t gain with a bottle, or needle, or entertainment, or even a full bank account.

The new life is joyful and exciting!

Who or what influence are you under? Let’s fill in the blank…

  • Substance
  • Person
  • Group
  • Schedule (look what he says about time)
  • Money
  • Vice
  • Is it the spirit of anger?
  • Of your control not his?
  • Fear?
  • Jealousy?
  • Insecurity?

How do you know if you’re Spirit-filled?

Questions for reflection-From the book: “The Helper.”

Have I any evidence of the Holy Spirit’s work in my life? For instance, has the Spirit made Jesus real to me as a Person?

Am I beginning to be able to hear the inner Voice of the Spirit? Does He tell me what to do for small decisions or major ones?

Am I seeing in myself a new kind of love for other people? Is the Spirit giving me a tender concern and deep caring for persons whom I would ordinarily not choose as my friends?

Am I experiencing the Spirit’s help in the always tricky area of communication? For instance, am I experiencing times when the Helper gives my words wings into the heart of someone in trouble?

Am I experiencing the power of the Spirit? For example, to communicate Jesus’ life to others, to bring them also into the kingdom?

Am I receiving the Spirit’s definite help in how to pray about my deepest concerns?