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

Jump Start # 2634

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

One of my favorite stories about the author Ernest Hemingway involves him in a Cuban nightclub with a group of journalists. The conversation turned to short stories, which Hemingway was a master of. In the course of the conversations, one boasted that the famous author could not write a story with less than one hundred words. Hemingway said he could write a story with only six words. That caught the attention of the group and they laughingly said there was no way. Hemingway took a napkin and wrote:

“For Sale.

Baby Shoes.

Never Worn.”

He slid the napkin before the eyes of the journalists. They looked at those six words and their minds were running. What happened? Did the baby die? Was the baby kidnapped? Was the mother never pregnant? Theories and questions filled the next hour. Everyone had their own idea. Hemingway was enjoying watching all of this. Finally, in frustration, they asked the author, “What’s the truth behind this? Tell us about the baby.” Hemingway smiled, picked up his hat and walked out.

Our verse today reminds us that God doesn’t leave things to our imagination. He tells us what He wants us to do. His will is understandable. There is no guessing. There are no alternative theories. It’s not everyone having their own idea. When things are revealed, it’s a matter of doing them.

From this we learn:

First, subjection to God eliminates independent thought and individualism. Many are bent on being different, unique, one of a kind. With that type of thinking, rather than walking with God, they will go the opposite direction. Counter culture. Original. One-of-a-kind. Doing what no one else is doing. That may work in picking out pieces of art, getting a new hair style, or even in buy crazy socks, like I do, but it doesn’t fly with God. That spirit will cause one to do things that are not in the Bible. It will lead one to new paths which the Lord has not traveled. It will cause one to walk not with the Lord but away from Him. God wants us to follow Him, not be ahead of Him. Let God lead and you follow. Yes, this means we will all practice alike. Yes, this means we will have a common faith. Yes, this means the Bible reads the same.

Second, the common idea that we cannot understand the Bible allows for differences, division and chaos. How is it that so many churches claim to follow the Bible but they are all practicing and believing different things? Not only that, the accepted idea today is that not only are we different, but that’s ok and we are all in this together. Different ways to worship. Different ideas about salvation. Different beliefs about organization of the church. Different concepts about what the church ought to be doing and its purpose. So different but all of them correct? That’s the thought today. That arises from a premise that we cannot agree upon what the Bible says. Two different people reading the same verse will get two different ideas. Yet, if that is true, what about our verse today? The Ephesians were told to understand the will of God. The Bible teaches us to have one mind and one voice. There is one God, one faith, one baptism, one body. That implies and necessitates one answer.

The premise behind the idea that we cannot understand the Bible points to God as a terrible author. Somehow we can understand physics, Shakespeare, the weather, outer space, Tom Clancy novels, the daily newspaper, but we cannot understand the Bible. We either understand it or we don’t. There is no understanding it “alike.”

In Nehemiah’s day, they read from the law and made sense so the people understood. The eunuch understood Isaiah after Philip explained it to him. The Gospel taken into all the world could be understood by Gentiles, idol worshippers and everyone else. The sermon on the mount does not require you holding a dictionary in one hand and the Bible in the other. The example of prayer or the model prayer is short, simple and easy to understand.

The Ephesians were told that when they read what Paul wrote they would understand his insight into the mystery of Christ. It was not only understandable, but by simply reading what he wrote, they would get it. Paul told Timothy that by reading what the apostle wrote he would know how to conduct himself in the household of God. He would know. There was no guessing. There was no “I don’t understand.” There was no “each person has his own interpretation.” Later Paul would tell this young preacher that the things he learned from Paul, the same things were to be taught to others. There was a common understanding and they found what it was.

No, the difficulty is not with the author or the message. It’s with the heart of those who are reading that message. If one begins with certain preconceived ideas, then he will look for them until he finds them. It’s like wearing sunglasses, they give everything a certain tint based upon the color of the lenses.

Third, understanding God’s will not only makes us approved of God but it unites us with other believers. There is a unity of faith and practice when we are joined in heart, mind, soul and purpose. Division is of the devil. Satan likes to separate and confuse. God unites. He unites us around Him.

God doesn’t write a few words on a napkin and the leaves it up to us to figure it out. He explains. He connects the dots. The Old Testament points to the Christ. The New Testament points to the cross. One message. One hope. One author. And, upon this our faith can be assured with confidence and hope.

Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine!

Roger

Jump Start # 2504

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

Understand…understand the will of the Lord. One of the keys to development in maturity and spiritually is understanding. When we know, then we can function. Knowing gives us confidence and assurance. One can know that he is right with the Lord because he understands what God expects.

There are some things we need to see here:

First, God’s will can be understood. It’s been long believed by many that no two people can read the Bible and come to the same conclusion. It is thought that the Bible means different things to different people. Often, these differences do not come from the pages of the Bible, but what folks are wanting the Bible to say or starting with their own agendas. The apostle said, God’s will can be understood. Jesus said, ‘You shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free.’ Can we know it? God says, ‘Yes!’

Second, for you and I to understand God’s will we must have the same platform or information. We do. It’s the pages of the Bible. What God says must take precedence over what we feel. I cannot feel the way you feel. Your background, your knowledge, your experiences all shape how you feel about things. Your feelings are based upon you. My feelings are based upon me. Two of us can go to a modern art museum and stand before a canvas of multiple colors that look like they were thrown on there. I can look at that for about two seconds and walk on by thinking, anyone could have done that. You can stand in front of it for a long time and see the artist’s pain and his transition to a better time in his life. Impressions. Feelings. That’s not the basis of understanding. The foundation of unity and understanding is in words. Words that can be defined. Words that have absolute meaning. Words that can be translated. Words that can be memorized. Words that carry the same definitions and meanings across generations and across the planet. We can understand God’s will when we gather around God’s word and agree to make it the only basis of our faith.

Third, understanding God’s will takes some effort on our part. It doesn’t just happen. It takes an understanding of words. It takes the ability to know words, read words and understand what those words mean. As an example, the word ‘baptism,’ can have many definitions if you look at a modern dictionary. The Greek word means to dip or immerse. When we see how the Bible defines the word we see that baptism is compared to a burial. Now a modern dictionary can leave the impression that baptism is nothing more than pouring a little water on someone’s head. If you search the internet, you get the idea that baptism is a step one follows after they are saved. Some would even say that it’s not necessary at all. So if I build my faith based upon modern dictionaries and the internet, I journey through this life convinced that one doesn’t have to be baptized. Is that God’s will? Is that understanding God’s will? Is that what the Bible teaches? Looking in the Bible, and doing some digging and research in the Scriptures, one sees over and over that forgiveness, remission of sins, cleansing and even salvation are the result of being baptized. The Biblical conclusion one reaches is that a person must be baptized to be saved. To understand God’s will one must let the Bible speak for itself. Put down all the other books and just read the Bible. Look at the context. Look at the order of the words. Put on your thinking cap. You can understand the will of God.

Fourth, there are some things in life that are hard to understand. It’s hard to understand some people. It’s hard to understand why some are mean. It’s hard to understand, given the choice between right and wrong, why some will take the wrong. It’s hard to understand why some do not want to honor and worship God. It’s hard to understand why some people love drama in families. It’s hard to understand why some are content to live as if there is no God. It’s hard to understand why some want to twist and change the word of God. It’s hard for normal to understand abnormal. It’s hard for the natural to understand the unnatural. It’s hard for the righteous to understand the unrighteous. I hear some say, “I don’t understand why some people are the way they are.” I understand why they don’t understand. Through your eyes it’s upside down, inside out and twisted. Through your eyes it’s all wrong. But in their eyes, it seems perfectly normal.

It’s hard to understand why Eve chose the fruit from one tree that was off limits when she had all the other trees to choose from. It’s hard to understand why David chose to have a sexual relationship with someone he was not married to, when he had all those wives. But the same could be said of us. Why do we choose to tell a lie when we could tell the truth? Why do we choose the easy path, when the right path is the best? Why do we gossip about a friend? Why do we find excuses that we know are flimsy and wrong? Why do we judge others so much? Why do we complain so often?

Sometimes it’s easier to understand the will of God than it is to understand ourselves. Sometimes we find ourselves doing things that beats all sense, reason and logic. Sometimes there is no understanding what we do. We remember that the prodigal came to his senses. He then came home. Sin can be senseless. Sin can be just plain dumb.

And, what helps us is knowing the will of God. Knowing what is right, leads to doing what is right. Knowing the will of God is the drive behind our preaching and Bible classes. An informed church that knows the will of God will be on track to do what is right. It’s when we do not know that we start going down the path that leads to a dead end street. Senseless and thoughtless are the components of trouble. “I didn’t know it was wrong,” are the words of someone who does not know the will of God.

Get that Bible open. Spend some time looking, thinking, learning and remembering. God’s word leads to a common understanding of God’s will. That is our only hope for unity and our only hope for pleasing the Lord.

You can understand the will of God.

Roger

Jump Start # 719

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

A man was invited to come to church services. He really didn’t want to. He made excuses and complained about this and that. He stated firmly, “I can’t understand the Bible.” That was probably the most honest thing he said in the whole conversation. He doesn’t understand the Bible. There are many like this person. Some have been told that it is impossible to understand. The variety of churches on nearly every street corner has given proof to this ideology. It seems that no one can agree upon what the Bible says.

I don’t buy into this thinking. Our verse today affirms what I am saying. Paul told the Ephesians to understand the will of God. Obviously, understanding the will of God was and is possible. We can know what God wants. We can understand the Bible. Some say, we can not understand the Bible alike. That statement doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. If we understand the Bible, we will understand it alike. We cannot understand it differently. One person cannot say the earth is flat and another the earth is round and come to the conclusion that we understand it differently. No. One person does not understand. We may have different ideas and thoughts but that does not mean that we understand correctly.

We don’t have a problem thinking that a college kid going off to medical school after a few years can understand the workings of the human body. We don’t have a problem with another person studying engineering to the extent that he can grasp what it takes to send a rocket deep into space. We can understand what causes tornados. We can understand why the red light is flashing on the dashboard of a car. We can understand politics, economics, criminology, Shakespeare, Egyptian hieroglyphics and even the mental state of the mind. Yet, some how we cannot understand the Bible! Doesn’t that seem a bit odd to you?

Our passage is found in the midst of several positive and negative admonitions. Notice some of these.

The negatives:

• Do not walk as unwise men (15)
• Do not be foolish (16)
• Do not get drunk with wine (18)

The positives:

• Make the most of your time (16)
• Understand what the will of the Lord is (17)
• Be filled with the Spirit (18)
• Sing and make melody in your heart to the Lord (19)
• Be thankful (20)
• Be subject to one another (21)

How is it that some can understand God’s will and others can not? Is there a special school that some have gone to or a unique gift that some are born with? The answer is neither. All can understand the will of God if that is first their will. They have to want to understand it.

Flipping through the Bible here and there, a couple of times a year won’t do it. Try that in physics class and see how far you’ll get. Understanding God’s will begins with a heart that wants to be spiritual and know God’s will. Jesus said, “Seek and ye shall find…” It won’t just come to you while you are sitting in a chair watching TV. It won’t knock on your door. First, I must be serious about the seeking part.

Many, many years ago I took a class in speed reading. I can fly through a book and know the gist of it. Even now I tend to read the first and last paragraphs of a page and scan through the middle section very fast. Can’t do that with the Bible. Every word is important. The order of the words are important. There is no speed reading with the Bible. Slow it down. Take your time. Look carefully. Think. Chew on what you read. Ask questions. Put yourself there. Connect to other Bible verses. Look up words. Chase rabbits in your study. Read the passage in another translation. Look at repeated words. Consider who is talking. Who is the audience. What is going on behind the scenes. See how God defines words. What is the point of the paragraph I just read. All of that is essential to coming to an understanding of the Bible.

No other book demands so much of us when we read it. For instance, every day I’m reading a book about Sandy Koufax, my favorite baseball player. I also read pages from the Bible every day. I do not read those two books the same. My approach is very different. My agenda is totally different in those two books. I read one very fast. I read the other very slowly. I read one lying on my couch. I read the other sitting at my desk, with a pen in my hand and a pad of paper beside me. I’m reading one book. I’m studying the other. There’s a difference. Until a person gets that, they won’t understand the will of God.

The Bible is a big book that covers a lot of history. The more I can put these things together in my mind the better I will understand the message. Egyptians, Romans, Babylonians and also prophets, apostles, elders and judges—this gets all jumbled up and fuzzy if I can’t put the pieces together. It takes time. Learning always does. Stay with it. Take notes. Take notes during sermons. Write in your Bible. Work at it. It will not come to the lazy or to those who give up easy. Don’t start with Revelation. Start with Luke.

You can know. You can understand. What a blessing it is to understand God’s word. Studying is a growth process. Little by little the darkness goes away and the dawn of God’s word fills your mind and heart and you come to know God. What a great joy that is.

I believe God is the greatest author of all time. I believe that He is capable of writing a book that all can understand. The message of Jesus was first told to common fishermen who went and told other fishermen the saving message of Jesus.

Don’t give up, nor accept the easy excuse that no one can understand the Bible. We can if we try. We can if we look at it with an open mind. We can if we put away our rose colored glasses of prejudices and preconceived ideas. We can if we let the Bible speak and we listen.

Understand…do you? God wants you to!

Roger