I tried to make the point at the beginning of this series that worship is something that should occur at all times and in every aspect in the life of a believer. It is not just what we do on Sunday mornings. Therefore, Ephesians 4:1, which is a command to walk worthy of the calling with which we have been called, is a command to worship (which is why I said in the first message in this series that practically every sermon could be included in such a series).
And I make that point because Ephesians 5:15-21 is simply a more detailed elaboration on what walking worthy looks like. Paul begins, “Then look carefully how you walk …” (5:15) and then gives us several things. Therefore, as we look at his description of walking worthy, we are seeing things that should be present in the life of one who continually worships, things that should occur on Sunday mornings.
Therefore, I want to try to show from this text what the life of a person walking worthy (worshiping) looks like and then try to show what this means for us as we look at Sunday mornings.
First, my overall thesis is this:
Now, let me show you why I say that. First of all, we are told in verse 18 to be filled with the Spirit. And seeing how it is contrasted with being drunk with wine, it is easy to see that there is a controlling element in this. That is to say, we should live lives that are directed by and submissive to the Spirit of God, honoring and not grieving him.
Second, we are instructed (maybe indirectly) to know the Word of God. For Paul tells them not to be foolish but to understand what the will of the Lord is. And as I pointed out Wednesday night, Scripture mainly uses this phrase in speaking of God’s revealed will (i.e., that which is in his Word).
Therefore, I think what Paul is showing us in combining these two things – knowing the will of the Lord and being filled with the Spirit – is that we should be people who know the Word and allow it to shape and control how we live as we are empowered by the Spirit.
And I think there is even stronger evidence to show that this is the case. In Colossians 3:16, Paul writes, “Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.”
Now Ephesians and Colossians are so close to each other that some scholars have questioned whether Paul could have written both of them (though it seems to me like it should lead to the opposite conclusion). And in this parallel text in Colossians, Paul teaches that we should admonish one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, as he does in our text this morning. But instead of saying, “Be filled with the Spirit” he says, “Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you.” Thus, I believe what he’s getting at in saying, “Be filled with the Spirit” is being empowered by him and controlled by him in living obediently to the Word of God.
So what does a life that is doing this look like? For as we answer this question, we will see things that should be included in worship. And Paul doesn’t make the task of answering this question difficult, for he gives us four qualifiers – results of that kind of life – that I will give you as those things which should characterize lives of worship.
Singing is a foundational aspect of worship. It is not the only part, so that we are wrong to call the singing portion of our service “worship” to the exclusion of the rest. However, singing is something that a worshiping person does. But let’s try to answer four questions about that?
1. Why do we sing?
Why do we even have singing? Why did it become a prominent part of what most churches gathered around the world this morning are doing?
I think the text answers simply that it is the overflow of a heart that is filled with/controlled by the Spirit. For singing is a great outlet to express affection that feels too deep for words. There are times that you are so taken by something that to speak it calmly will not do, and you must sing. Therefore, I think God has given song to his church so that we might rightly express his divine worth and praise him in a worthy manner. It is an outflow of being filled with the Spirit and is obedient to the Lord’s commands, (i.e. Psalm 100:1-2).
2. To whom do we sing?
Paul’s answer here is possibly different than what we might expect, for he gives us two answers. One is obviously God. He writes, “Singing and making melody to the Lord with all your heart (5:19). And we do that as we’ve sung this morning to God, “Great is Thy Faithfulness.”
However, Paul also gives us another audience. He writes, “Addressing one another in songs, hymns, and spiritual songs” (5:19). That is to say, we are also to sing to one another. And I think this command is one of the strongest demands for corporate worship. For you cannot do this on your own. You cannot sing to one another without one another. Therefore, one of our responsibilities when we gather to sing is to sing to one another. We sing, “A Mighty Fortress is Our God” so as to remind one another of God’s ability, greatness, and love for us so that we might be encouraged.
So there is both a vertical and horizontal element that should be seen in our singing. We should address both one another and God in song, for both are commanded. And I would add, both should ultimately extend in praise to God. For when someone sings a reminder to you, “Grace has brought me safe thus far and grace will lead me home,” I don’t know how you can keep your heart from praising God. We sing to God and to one another, for God’s sake.
3. What kind of songs do we sing?
I think the text answers us here, “Different songs,” for Paul writes, “Addressing one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs” (5:19). There are different songs for different situations and occasions, but I think that many kinds of songs are needed. Therefore, we should not limit ourselves to what particular kind of song that we must sing.
4. How do we sing?
Paul answers, “Singing and making melody to the lord with all your heart” (5:19). As I’ve pointed out already in this series, all of these external things can be done without worship occurring. Therefore, all we do, including singing, must be done from a heart that treasures God so much that he consumes every bit of it, and so we sing with all our heart.
As we sing, it should be with all our heart, as an overflow of his Spirit, for God’s sake (singing to him and to others for him), and should overflow in ministry to others. All this should be seen as we sing.
But singing is not the only thing that should characterize a life of worship that is controlled by the Spirit so as to be obedient to the Word.
Part of worship is living a life of thankfulness. We should sing, pray, and preach with thankfulness. Especially in our prayers, one should be able to hear the abounding of a thankful heart. Thankfulness should characterize the life of one who worships.
Now, this is a bit more difficult than singing, so ask yourself, “Could I be characterized as a thankful person?” or “Would others characterize me as a thankful person?” I hope men will say of us, “Prick any person in that church, and he or she will bleed thankfulness,” for I pray that we are thankful for all God is and has given us.
And I also pray that we would not be characterized as that which is the opposite of this – as complaining. Don’t complain. And especially don’t complain around your children. Many times we are interested in making our kids see the value worship, so we preach to them, we teach them to sing, and we teach them to pray. And this is great, but realize that if you teach them to complain by your own complaining, you are teaching against what it means to worship. If financially you need more, get another job (possibly mowing lawns), but don’t complain. Rather, be a thankful person, for such is the nature of a true worshiper.
The reason I make the point in this language is because I want to make clear what verse 21 is saying, for many get it wrong. I don’t believe this verse is teaching mutual submission. That is, I don’t think this verse is saying everyone should submit to every one else. Rather, I think it serves as a heading for all that comes after it to 6:9. Thus, it should be read as Paul saying, “Submit to one another, by that I mean, wives to husbands, children to parents, etc.” For Scripture never exhorts parents to submit to their children, husbands to their wives, etc.
Therefore, I believe this verse indicates to us that just as a person who is being conformed to the image of Christ as the Spirit leads him to live obediently to the Word will be a person of song and thanksgiving, so he will be a person who understands and submits to God’s established order. He does not buck against authority, but lets those over him lead him joyfully, as Hebrews 13:17 teaches us.
Now, there are definitely ways those in authority should carry it, parents not provoking children and elders not lording it over those allotted to their charge, nonetheless, a worshiping person is submissive to divinely ordered authorities.
Therefore, just as we get to live out the first two characteristics when we gather corporately, so should we live out this characteristic as an act of worship to the Lord.
Therefore, use the text this morning as a test for your life. Is there song in your heart, thankfulness in your heart, and a submissive acknowledgement of God’s established order? If there is not, then repent as we close in prayer and song this morning and ask God to create it in you. If there is, then worship the Lord in thankfulness during this time. But whatever our actions, let’s praise his name as we close, for he is utterly worthy of our praise. Amen.