Jump Start # 2792

Ephesians 5:17 “So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.”

  I was driving the other day down a major highway. The speed limit was 70 and I was there. A motorcycle came zooming by me and then in the lane I was in, he popped a wheeling, going at least 80 MPH. My first thought was, he’s going to fall and I’m going to run over him. And, that brought this verse to my mind, “do not be foolish.”

There are three words that in some ways may look the same in the outcome, but what is behind them are so different in their purpose and motive. The words are foolish, risky and dangerous. All three words involve some courage. And, in all there the outcomes could be fatal.

Risk: Leaving the house involves some risks. Driving down the road involves some risks. But for most of us, we try to do it as safely as we can by having a car that is safe, and wearing seat belts and being careful how we drive. It took risks for our forefathers to get in wooden ships and sail across the ocean to come to America. It took a lot of risks for the apostles to go into all the world to preach. Life is fragile, precious and accidents and injuries can happen. Things break. Others are not careful. Life has risks to it.

Dangerous: There are aspects of life that are dangerous. Getting out and being around people in a season of pandemic can be dangerous. There are precautions one can take to make himself as safe as possible. It was dangerous for those apostles to go into pagan communities and preach the Gospel of Christ. Paul’s life especially illustrates that by listing the troubles he suffered. Shipwrecked, in prison, beaten, stoned, hungry, and often in danger—the path he followed was not easy.

Often the risk and the danger go together. It was with great risk and danger that we shot men into space and they came back. War is risky and dangerous. Confrontation can be risky and dangerous. Starting a new business can be risky and dangerous.

Then there is foolish. Foolish is often showing off. Foolish is not appreciating how precious and fragile life can be. Foolish has no real purpose other than drawing attention to self. I wonder if young people see life as a video game. The way some drive, the way some live so recklessly, if they fail or get injured, or even killed, there is no do-over button. One doesn’t get multiple lives as in a video game. The downside of foolishness can cripple or even end life. And, then, that’s it. A person only gets one walk through this world. If one messes up, he doesn’t get to do it over again.

Our verse today is not about doing wheelies down a highway. It does however have to do with our walk in life. Paul sets forth a series of valuable and linking principles:

• Be careful how you walk (15)
• Don’t be unwise (15)
• Make the most of your time (16)
• Don’t be foolish (17)
• Understand the will of the Lord (17)
• Don’t get drunk (18)
• Be filled with the Spirit (18)

The apostle is setting forth a path that God’s people were to follow. This was not a walk in the dark. They were not to figure things out as they went along. Thoughtful. Careful. Considerate. Understanding. Those are the concepts that these verses are built upon. The child of God knows what God expects. When he comes to an intersection in life, he knows which way the Lord would want him to go. His walk is one of understanding and fulfilling the will of the Lord.

Does such a walk involve risks and dangers? It does. Many of the first people who heard the words of Paul would later be persecuted and suffer severely. Many lost their lives because of what they believed. Were they foolish? No. They knew and they understood. Was it risky? Yes.

And, all of that brings us to where we are today. There is a difference between following the Lord which can be risky and dangerous and being foolish and careless. God’s call for us to preach the word involves risks. We preachers understand that. There is no such thing as job security in the realm of preaching. History has shown that. A change in the thinking of the leadership and the preacher could be tossed out for no other reason than folks don’t want to hear that kind of preaching any more. That’s a risk. Either, preach nice soft lessons that will keep your job and make people like you, or preach the truth. This isn’t a call to be rude, foolish or mean, but it is a call to speak as the Bible is written.

It’s risky to stand up for the Lord. Friendships can be lost. Family may not include you. People may not want to be around you. So, you are faced with keeping your mouth closed or encouraging right. Again, this is not justifying being “in-your-face” ugly towards others, but it is a reminder that we must not hide in fear because some may not like what we say. There are risks. There are dangers. That comes with our walk with the Lord. Peter talked about the fiery trials they would endure.

Risks. Dangers. Foolishness. They may look the same from the outside, but they are not from the inside. We must not let fear lead us to hiding our light and influence. We must not let the fear of consequences cause us to bow down to the idols of today. Jesus reminds us that the world loves darkness over the light. As long as we are walking in the Light, the Lord will be pleased but the world will not. Risks. Dangers. But to be foolish is to draw attention to oneself and to not be serous about our walk with the Lord.

We are to be wise in the Lord.

Roger

Jump Start # 2791

Ephesians 5:17 “So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.”

Understanding—that’s an important key to life. Products we buy come with instructions. The reason, so you can understand how to properly use those items. Education is about learning and understanding. Training classes are about understanding. All through our lives, we are learning and understanding things.

Years ago, we were in Vienna on vacation. We took a taxi out to the massive city cemetery. We wanted to see the graves of the great composers. We walked and walked and walked and didn’t know which direction even to go. We couldn’t understand the signs. We asked a few people that we saw but they didn’t understand English. Finally, I saw a lady and I held out my hands as if I was playing a piano and said, “Beethoven?” She immediately understood and pointed us to what is known as “Composers Corner.” Understanding.

Our verse today reminds us that we can understand God’s will. It is not impossible. It is not beyond us. There are different kinds of understanding.

First, there is a natural understanding. When a baby cries, one immediately knows something isn’t right. You may not know if the baby is hungry or if he needs changing, but one thing you know, he’s not happy. We don’t have to explain cold. One knows where they are cold. We don’t have to explain pain. We know hurt. Some things are just naturally understood.

Second, some things take training to understand. I know a few doctors. They are smart. They have a mind that remembers which medicine is needed for which problem. Now, they didn’t just naturally get those smarts. As a two-year-old, they likely were about like all two-year-olds. But through the years they applied themselves. They went to school. They studied when everyone else was out playing. They worked and worked to get where they are. The same could be said of a mechanic, an engineer or really most any of us in our fields. My wife is gifted at playing piano. Now she has an ear that can hear perfect pitch which likely was a gift from God, but she studied music for years. She’s trained. And, all of this training comes with the price of being disciplined.

Third, for something to be understood, it must be presented in an understandable manner. There are some things that can’t be explained. The “why’s” of life are often beyond understanding. Why did the storm hit one house but not another? Why did one person get cancer and another did not? Job had a lot of questions about why things happened the way it did.

So, when it comes to God’s word, we begin with some basic concepts that are helpful for us.

First, God’s word can be understood. That’s what this passage is saying. Why even read the Bible if a person cannot understand it. The task is not impossible for us.

Second, God has written the Bible in an understandable manner. The language Jesus spoke was the common language of the common people of Judea. His words are not complicated. We don’t find the crowds leaving, scratching their heads and running to find dictionaries so they could understand Him. They understood. They often didn’t like the application and what they were to do, but they certainly understood it. The first disciples were fishermen and housewives. They were not the rabbis, the university men, those in intellectual circles. No. They were just everyday people. They could understand the Lord.

Third, it helps to further our understanding by having some training. Allow God to explain Himself by looking at how He uses words in different places. Understand how those words were used back then rather than how they are used today. Get you a couple of good translations and read passages from them and most times you can get a good feel of what it means by looking at words in different translations.

Fourth, the understanding takes us to the application and doing of what a passage says. Information is fine, but what good is that information if it does not help you or change you? Not understanding the Bible leads to people not following the Lord. But once we understand, we then need to obey. Knowing and not doing, moves from an information problem to an attitude problem. You know what you ought to do, but you won’t do it. That could be  pride issue. Could be you are stubborn. Could be you just like where you are. And, sometimes that’s where we are with people. It’s not a matter of not knowing, it’s a matter of not doing. And, we can teach and teach and inform and explain all day long. We wonder why there is no visible change? The reason is not the head, but the heart. They don’t want to. And, until the heart is engaged, the mind simply gathers more information.

Understand the will of God. Do you know what God wants you to do? He’s got expectations for you. Once you know, are you doing those things? Head and heart—much too often they are not going the same direction.

Roger