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[0:00] It's a great time of worship, to worship together, and I'm so grateful for Brent and Hansley and Paul leading us in such a great way.

[0:12] My vocals are not as good, and I'm so thankful for those who have some vocals that can use their talents to the glory of God.

[0:23] So thank you for having me into the part of you, just ministering with us together as the body of Christ. What a great time of worship.

[0:34] I am working on the technical things, trying to, we are going to use the microphone today, okay, lesson learned. Okay, good.

[0:47] But I'm also trying to get things to where we can stream it online. And so today is still in the testing process for that. So I just couldn't get it connected for some reason.

[0:59] So next week it should be a place where we can start streaming these things. I'll do some more preparation this week and we'll get there. Lots of stuff in progress.

[1:10] We did it all together. It takes some time. But praise the Lord. He's getting it all together, right? So today we are looking at Ephesians chapter 5.

[1:27] And it's, I think what I want to call what I'm doing today is I'm fracking the scripture. Okay? I mean, you drill from oil and you shoot down to the ground and you get oil.

[1:43] But then you start fracking. I don't know if you're political. But you're trying to, you're trying to put some pressure down there. So it squeezes every last drop out of those rocks and you get it all out.

[1:56] And so today I'm fracking the text to really dig in there and really try to extract some more. As I was studying and I just, I was wanting to move forward so that I could time the message as it deals with being thankful with Thanksgiving.

[2:15] I'll work it in somehow next week. But, but, but I got delayed. I got caught up. I start studying the text. And man, I just get, I get caught up. I can look at the clock and it's like, you know, whatever, 6 in the morning or whatever.

[2:28] And I look at the clock and it's 9. Or in the afternoon I'll look at the clock and it's 12.30. The next thing I know it's 5.30. I just get absorbed in it. You know, I just get sucked in.

[2:39] And it's just, you know, it's just kind of great to see the insights of God's Word. Because I'm thinking, man, this is so good for me. And I know it's good for us together. And so, so Ephesians chapter 5.

[2:53] If you find your place there in verse 15. I'm going to read the passage. We've been walking through this the last couple of weeks. We'll go through probably one more week.

[3:03] Maybe eight more weeks. I don't know. We'll see. And we'll get into this this morning, though. Find a place and stand and we'll read it together. Ephesians 5, beginning in verse 15.

[3:28] Look carefully then how you walk. Not as unwise, but as wise. Making the best use of the time. Because the days are easy.

[3:42] Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. Do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery.

[3:53] But be filled with the Spirit. Addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs. Singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart.

[4:05] Giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father. In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.

[4:19] Father, we come to you this morning. And our prayer is that you would conform us to the standard of your word.

[4:31] I pray today that as we learn to walk as children of light, that we would see the example that we have here under the inspiration of your Holy Spirit.

[4:42] That you would instruct us on how we can shine brightly because of the light of Christ that's in us. And our prayer today is that we would shine brightly in every way so that Christ can be seen.

[4:57] So just speak today. Use your word as a scalpel in our hearts. Remove the things that don't resemble you, that don't honor you.

[5:10] That keep us from being healthy. And help us, Lord, to come to a place of health and vibrance and stability and power and strength.

[5:21] All because of Jesus. We pray that you'd be with us today. We pray this all in Jesus' name. Amen. Okay, so let me say a few things before I get into this.

[5:34] Just a little housekeeping things this morning. Just, moms, we love babies in this place. So hopefully you know that by now.

[5:44] We love babies. And they are not only welcomed in here, they're encouraged to be here. We want, we have a great, yeah, hey, let's pray for the Lord. We're very pleased to be with you.

[5:57] And it's what a blessing it represents. But we as a church are making a decision. We do want to encourage a multi-generational kind of faith where we experience together and train our kids to worship.

[6:13] And what better way than for them to even be in here. Now, having said that, I know there are times that you have to run in and out with your kids. And it's okay. It is okay.

[6:25] Anybody that looks at you with a kind of a snooty bean kind of look or whatever, just know they're not with us. They're not one of us. It's a visitor.

[6:36] Okay? And so, just know that, Alana, that you're welcome here. Watch your lesson. And so, welcome here.

[6:47] And we love this. And you walk in and out as you need. And it's okay. And it's okay. When your baby's crying and whatever, it is absolutely okay. In fact, if you need the nurse, probably, it's best probably not right here by the window, but maybe on the far side over there.

[7:04] And as we're online starting next week, then you can stream to your phones and you'll be able to hear the message even on the other side of the building. And it will be great. So, ladies can be down there.

[7:14] Guys, don't go down that way because they're probably nursing down there. A very insecure place. And if you need your kids to run around together, toddlers, and they've got a little energy today, it's okay.

[7:25] You can take, they can go right out here. You can take it. You can be on the other side of the glass and they can hear. They're always welcome. And it's okay. Okay? So, I just want you to know that.

[7:37] And so, a couple of other things. In our giving, the giving basket is back there. I think it's maybe mentioned on the bulletin.

[7:47] Somebody asked me about giving. Hey, how did it get? I don't know. Just drop it in that basket back there. Our people are giving faithfully, generously. We're going to be able to set a budget for this year that we're going to put out.

[7:59] And it's going to be a good, healthy budget for us for the year. And it's because our people are giving faithfully. But if you want to know how to do that, the easiest way is to get it in there. And you've got to get in there quickly before the end of the service.

[8:11] Because they're trying to count it before we leave so that they can make that deposit and all that stuff. So, soon we'll have online ability to do some of those things and all of that.

[8:22] But just know that that's it. Wednesday night. On Wednesday nights right now, we're meeting to discuss things that pertain to us being a church.

[8:36] We're looking at issues like this past Wednesday night. We looked at baptism as an issue. What do we believe about this? How do we practice this? And we're going to be moving into church government and those kinds of things.

[8:46] So, you won't want to miss that. It's going to be... Is it at the Smith's house this week? Yeah. It's at the Smith's house now. I just said it. So, they're like... Is it? So, we're going to be at the Smith's house.

[8:59] If you don't know how to get there, raise your hand, guys. Just talk to one of them. Or we'll have the address on the Facebook page. If you're not on Facebook, talk to one of us.

[9:09] We'll get you on there and make sure that you're up to speed. Okay. So, let's see. Anything else that I left out? Just good, good stuff going on. Next week, the 19th.

[9:21] I know we're going to announce this after because Aaron is such a fantastic announcer. And he does such a great thing. But I just wanted to say that next week, next Sunday after church, don't make lunch plans elsewhere because we'll be eating right here.

[9:38] So, after we worship together, we're going to drag the tables out and we're going to have a little Thanksgiving fellowship after church Sunday. And so, we're providing the turkey and ham and so we're just asking to bring some sides and that's being coordinated by somebody.

[9:59] I'm sure of it. It's almost like magic. Paige and Elise. And Lori Bradley. Lori Bradley. So, raise your hands, ladies. And if you, so if you don't get on the Facebook and you don't know how to be a part of that, our hands are full.

[10:12] Talk to one of them and to see what you can bring. And if you're this, hey, you're single, whatever, or you have no cooking skills, you're like, I don't want to poison everybody. Just come.

[10:23] There'll be plenty of food. There always is. And we'll fellowship together. And don't feel weird or guilty or whatever. Just come. We just want to fellowship together. It's going to be great. And so, this is our first Thanksgiving together as a group.

[10:40] So, it's going to be good. Ephesians chapter 5. As we come through the word here, we started in verse 15.

[10:50] Look carefully at how you walk. Not as unwise as it is wise. Making the best use of the time. Days are in. Don't be foolish and understand what the will of the Lord is. Do not get drunk with wine.

[11:02] Last week, we started giving this. And there's more to be had. So, today, we're going to frack a little in and in this. Okay? I coined that phrase.

[11:13] So, if you hear it from your own office. I don't know. Okay. I was thinking about this. I read a prayer that someone wrote several hundred years ago.

[11:24] 1500s. A guy by the name of Sir Francis Drake. And this guy is important in history because he was the first Englishman to circumnavigate the globe in the 1500s.

[11:39] So, you can imagine. Just incomplete maps. Just going by the stars. No radar. No weather report.

[11:50] No GPS. He circumnavigates the globe at this time. And then, after that, he becomes the first Arctic explorer in the 1500s.

[12:03] Now, you can only imagine just the unbelievable challenges that were involved in some of those things. No satellite imagery. No snowmobiles.

[12:14] No specialized equipment. No access to rescue helicopters, etc. Not like our explorers today that might have GPS trackers and all these kinds of things for safety or whatever.

[12:26] Nothing. And when he wrote out this prayer, it was a prayer that he was writing out. And this is what he said. And I thought, man, what? Considering who he was and all the things that he did is what insight he had to us.

[12:43] He said, disturb us, O Lord. When we are too well pleased with ourselves. When our dreams have come true because we have dreamed too little.

[12:54] When we arrive safely because we sailed too close to the shore. Disturb us, O Lord. Disturb us when in the abundance of things we possess, we have lost our thirst for the waters of life.

[13:14] Having fallen in love with life, we have ceased to dream of eternity. And in our efforts to build a new earth, we have allowed our vision of a new heaven to dim.

[13:26] Disturb us, O Lord. Disturb us, O Lord, to dare more boldly. To venture on wider seas where storms will show your mastery.

[13:38] Where losing sight of land we shall find the stars. We ask you to push back the horizons of our hope. And to push us into the future in strength, in courage, in hope, and in love.

[13:52] Disturb us, O Lord. Oh, man, what? What weight? When somebody's praying that way and you see the things that he was doing. You just, the weight of his words just take on meaning.

[14:05] And I thought to myself, you know, the person who follows the crowd is surely going to go no farther than the crowd. The person who walks in the light of Christ is likely going to find themselves in places that nobody has gone before them.

[14:21] The reality. This is how I imagined the Apostle Paul. No Bible study resources. No mega churches.

[14:32] No denominational mega structures. And not even a building. Right? He writes unto the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.

[14:45] What he writes should disturb us. It should. It should. We should see ourselves in light of the scripture and realize how unconformed we are in our heart.

[14:58] Right? Our hearts are not what we see. And so, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, God's writing these things to show us what we are in Christ and what we can be in Christ.

[15:09] What we get to experience because of Jesus. I mean, this is the road map of circumnavigating the globe and exploring the depths of who Christ is.

[15:20] This is to help us to shine the light of Christ in places where it's not shined. So that you can be the kind of witness to your neighbor next door and spread the light of Christ all the way to the ends of the earth.

[15:37] On continents far away. Dream great things for God. Not because you're great. But because God is great. Because Christ is great. And the light of Christ has shined in your heart.

[15:48] That's the message here. And it doesn't matter what your felt limitations are. With Christ, you have everything you need to shine. You have the Holy Spirit living inside of you.

[16:00] You have His Word in your hands. And with Christ, He breaks every chain. And He mocks every limitation in your life. So that you can mock Him.

[16:13] Like Paul is just saying. Even a thorn in my flesh becomes nothing because of Christ in me. Become rabies.

[16:24] He said in Ephesians 5.8, For you were once in darkness, but now you are in. You are in. You are like in the Lord. Live as children of life. So to the Ephesians, He's encouraging believers.

[16:38] God is encouraging these believers. To live a vibrant kind of life. That radiates in contrast to what you used to be.

[16:50] So that in the world that you live in, around you, which is dark. The days are evil. The darkness around you, He says. You can shine the light of Christ that is shown in your heart.

[17:02] That's the beauty of this. It becomes a road map for us. So how do we do that? Well, it's not just progressively. Although we grow progressively.

[17:14] The light's on or it's off. And He's saying, walk as children of light. Just shine the light. So we mentioned last week. And I can't help. It's not in my notes. So I risk going longer.

[17:26] But thinking about Revelation. And reading Revelation. And how the lampstands of the churches. And I mentioned that last week. And I've been meditating on that all week long. Just chewing on that.

[17:37] Because as I read back through it. I was just reminded. There in Revelation 2. When John gets this vision of the lampstands. You notice how he says it.

[17:49] He says, and then I saw seven lampstands. The light. And so now you're getting the imagery of the darkness of the temple. Only illuminated inside.

[18:00] By what? By the lampstands. It's dark in him. What did he see first? He sees the lampstands. And then. And then I saw walking among the lampstands.

[18:12] The Lord. And so. The light shining to the lampstands. He says. And the lights of the seven churches. The churches. The light. We together.

[18:22] Collectively. In the body of Christ. The light. Shining. And here in this dark room. What is the light shining on? What's it illuminating? Not itself.

[18:33] It is what you see first. But what's it illuminating? It's illuminating Christ. Who is walking among the churches. The whole point of the light. Is that it's illuminated Christ.

[18:43] Not so that the church will be exalted. Although the church isn't a high place. It's only there to illuminate Christ. So that people. Like John. Seeing this. I saw the lampstand.

[18:54] And then I saw Christ. You church. Be careful. Because you've fallen so far. And a light is actually intended to be elevated. So that it illuminates something. And when you fall.

[19:05] You're not illuminating them. I mean think about the lights in a room. And the placement. Some of you ladies. Go through meticulous. You know. Efforts. To illuminate a room.

[19:16] Just right. And there's a science to this. That I don't understand. And so. There's light. There's a light on the ceiling fan. I think that's good enough. Right? One bulb. A thousand watts.

[19:27] Whatever. Light the room. And. And. And. And. And. And. And. It's like. No. No. No. No. No. It needs to be lamps to accent. And. And. And. And. And. And. What. What is the light doing? The light is illuminating things.

[19:38] It's illuminating. Not. Itself. You do see the light. But it's illuminating all that's around it. And. It's obscuring. Whatever's behind it. You put a lamp in a certain place.

[19:50] Because. It not only. Shows you the things around it. But it also blocks some things behind it. That you. Maybe. Don't necessarily want to see. Right? What we see in Revelation.

[20:01] Is that this whole picture. Is that. That Christ. Is. The whole purpose. Of our illumination. He has shined his light in us. So that we can reflect his glory. And people. Can hear about him.

[20:12] Through our words. See him in our lives. See the difference. And the distinction. Very clearly. And he doesn't need us. Right? As we said last week.

[20:23] He doesn't need us. I will remove your lampstand. You know. Your influence will be lost. Your light. Your illuminating. It's too low. It's out of place. It's fallen. I can remove that.

[20:34] I will need you. I want to use you. I want my glory to shine through. I've created you. To walk with me. So people can see my glory. Hear my words.

[20:44] Through your mouth. Tell and rescue. And I exist. So the question. As you think through this. Is how am I going to do that? How am I going to shine the light? And as he unfolds this here.

[20:55] Look carefully how you walk. If you're going to be a child of light. Walk in the light. As a child of light. Look carefully how you walk. Not as unwise but as wise. Making the best use of time.

[21:06] And so we said. It's really a life of urgency. Together. With my discernment. That I get from God's word. And living under the influence of the Holy Spirit. This is the light.

[21:18] That's shining in our life. As we reflect the glory of Christ. As we preach his word. As we proclaim him. Has God enlightened your eyes?

[21:29] Has he shined the light on your path? Today as we continue on. Looking at this influence of the Holy Spirit.

[21:42] This passage is talking about. The contrast. As we said last week. Between being intoxicated on one side. And being filled with the Spirit on the other.

[21:53] Talk about this being filled with the Spirit. As being a baptism of the Holy Spirit. That happens at salvation. That's a one time experience. The only descriptions of that in scripture. Are an initiatory kind of experience.

[22:06] But then. A very light experience. Moving on from that. Is this filling of the Holy Spirit. Where I experience in his fullness. And because of that. He's right at me.

[22:17] Because of his presence in my life. What does it look like. Then. As I was duking in. Doing a little fracking. Thinking through this. Is what does it.

[22:27] What does it. Look like. To be. In contrast. To this. Intoxication. Because this is the contrast. And so. Let's look at the context first.

[22:38] And then let's look at the application. If I did this all last week. It was a four hour sermon. Okay. So. Do any of you guys a favor. Say. Thank you James. Thank you James.

[22:48] Thank you James. We do have to eat lunch after. So context. The practice of drinking.

[22:59] In biblical times. Because. There are arguments out there. That say. You shouldn't drink at all. Because. They only drink grape juice.

[23:10] In the Bible. It is an incredibly weak argument. It is very difficult to make from the text. That is never my argument. On this. It is.

[23:21] It is just not there. And the reality is. That there was drinking in culture. It was everywhere. So. It is not just in some place. It was everywhere. But as we look at it.

[23:33] What we see. Is a different practice. Than what we practice. In our culture. Because. As we see. In. In these times. You look at. Three contexts.

[23:44] Like ancient Greece. And you see. In ancient Greece. That the practice. Of drinking wine. Is not like. In our culture. The practice was.

[23:55] That it was. Almost. Always. Diluted. I say almost. Because. There are times. When it's used. Medicinally. Because wine.

[24:05] Was also medicine. And if you're going to get your leg. Interested. You would. Be given. Undiluted wine. Because you need. Something very strong.

[24:15] As the anesthesia. To help you get through this. And. The wine. Would be poured. On your wounds. As an antiseptic. Because of the alcohol content. In there.

[24:26] It was the closest thing. And the strongest thing. That could help. Cleanse. Some of those things. And so. In. This culture. There's a. There's a moment. Where clearly. Strong drink.

[24:37] Is. Encouraged. But. The regular. Use of alcohol. Even among the Greeks. We're not talking about Christians. We're not talking about believers. We're not talking about Jews. The Greeks.

[24:49] Considered it. Quote. Barbaric. To drink. Undiluted. Or unmixed wine. Believing. That such behavior. Could lead to. Madness. Or even. Death. Does that mean.

[25:01] That they didn't drink wine. Or that people didn't get drunk. During those times. No. People did get drunk. People did drink wine. But. They did not. Drink it. Unmixed. As a practice.

[25:12] Historically. Verifiable. Undeniable. I could sit down. And debate. Anybody. On this historical point. There's. There's too much overwhelming evidence. Diluted. At times.

[25:24] Or typically. Diluted. One part wine. To three parts water. Can you imagine? So. So. So. Here. The intoxicating. Pokesy. Removed.

[25:35] And. People. Were. Drinking. Wine. But. The intention. Was. To remove. The intoxicating. Potency. Because. To do so. At full strength. Was. Considered. Barbaric.

[25:46] And. Could lead to. Madness. Which we would. Probably refer to. As alcoholism. Etc. So. The dilution. The dilution of wine. With water. Was viewed. As a.

[25:57] Quote. Mark. Of civilized. Behavior. Civilized. People. Diluted. In the Greek. Culture. So. This isn't. We're not talking about. The Romans. You come to the Romans.

[26:08] And then. Romans are influenced. By the Greek. Heavily. And. In this culture. It's very similar practice. Among the Romans. Romans diluted wine. Sometimes. Two parts.

[26:19] Wine. To three parts. Water. Or. One part. Wine. To three parts. Water. But. For them. It was. Associated. With. Quote. Barbarism. And. Uncultured. Behavior. So.

[26:30] It's the same. So they. They look at it. The same. Practice. In the biblical time. Is very different. Than what we practice. In our culture. And. The potency. Of the wine. In those times.

[26:41] Is very different. Than the potency. In our time. For the Jews. Even today. Who drink. Wine. At full strength. They acknowledge. That it was.

[26:52] Mixed. In history. But what. They will say. One article. That I read. Was. They were trying to conclude. Well it must have been. Stronger then. So. So we dilute it.

[27:03] And we're probably. Drinking it. At the strength. That they drank it. It was probably. Stronger then. But this is. In the face. Of absolute. All history. And the development. Of fermentation.

[27:14] Processes. And distilling. Et cetera. Et cetera. In fact. In the last 50 years. The distillation. Processes. Processes. Have advanced. So much. And as they have advanced. The potency.

[27:24] Alcohol. Has increased. In wines. And that's why. You see. In our history. The rise. In alcoholism. To correspond. With that. Because. The bible.

[27:35] Is given very. Clear warnings. About this stuff. To be careful. And cautious. And wise. About how to deal with this. Because it's dangerous. Right. The passover. As Jesus.

[27:47] Experienced. The passover. Was done. According to those standards. So that. In the talmud. And in the mission. When it gives. Description. From the rabbi.

[27:58] Of the practice. Of putting together. The cup. That Jesus drank. At the passover. When he did. The lord's supper. That cup. Was diluted. In three parts water. And one part wine.

[28:09] According to the rabbis. So it's not undiluted. It's not unmixed. And so then it starts. To make sense. About the miracles. Of the bible. Well jesus. Turned water into wine. He did. In a large vat.

[28:20] And it made perfect sense. Because that's one of those. Kinds of containers. Where you would mix wine. You would put the water in. You'd mix the wine in. The miracle is still there.

[28:30] He made it drinkable wine. Without any wine. And it's still drinkable. So it's a perfect picture. It correlates to these realities. That people would drink it.

[28:43] And be drunk. And drunkenness. Was a huge problem. Especially. In the pagan temples. In some place like Ephesus. So in Ephesus. As they're drinking. The pagan worship.

[28:55] Involved drunkenness. And drinking. In the temple. And you would go to these pagan temples. Where there were prostitutes. And other. All kinds of experiences. For you. And you could go there.

[29:05] And get drunk. And have prostitutes. And it was just a wild experience. With the gods. Archaeologists find.

[29:17] Large containers of wine. Everywhere in Ephesus. Drinking was certainly. In the culture. So what's it. What's being indicated. By Paul here. Well.

[29:29] Drunkenness. Of course. Is a sin. It's clearly a sin. And. And it is clearly. Something that is experienced. In their culture. The abuse of this. Is happening everywhere.

[29:40] And it's affecting people. In the church. So that there does need. To be some encouragement. To the church. About being wise. About these issues. This isn't something. For us to just slough off. We need to be careful.

[29:50] About these things. But the issue is. This is something. That would commonly. Be seen. By everyone. Everybody understood. Drunkenness. They understood.

[30:00] The abuse of it. Whether you were saved. Or lost. You saw the abuse of it. You saw it happening. Everywhere. And it was a terrible thing. It was something. That was just. Reckless. So reckless.

[30:11] For your life. For your family. For the people around you. It was a reckless thing. So everybody. That read this. Would have heard it. And said. Oh yeah. I'm drunk in this. I saw my neighbor.

[30:22] Last week. I saw. You know. The guy's meeting his wife. His kids. It's terrible. I've seen the effects. Everybody. Just like us.

[30:32] We know people. Who have suffered from these things. We know. And so for them. They readily would have heard this. They would have said. Man. I can completely relate. Paul is indicating here.

[30:45] It is not the limitation of drinking. That's being used. That's being used as the contrast. To teach what he's trying to get up in the church. For the church.

[30:57] Yeah. You understand what drunkenness is. But what he's saying. Is that you should be careful. Not to moderate. Your intake of the Holy Spirit. You should be careful.

[31:08] To not moderate. You. You're reckless. People are reckless in this area. You've been reckless in this area. But this is the contrast. To what you should be in Jesus. In Christ.

[31:18] If your light's going to shine. It means. You should not be moderating. This intake of the Holy Spirit. You should be. You should be a lover. Of the Holy Spirit.

[31:29] Just like someone. Who is a lover of wine. Who is characterized by drunkenness. You are to be a lover of Jesus. A lover of Christ. A lover of his Holy Spirit. To such a degree. That everybody around you.

[31:40] Can see the effects. In your life. Just like you see the effects. Of drunkenness. In theirs. Isn't that beautiful? For you.

[31:52] This is your life. You should drink with abandon. From the well of God's word. You should. You should love. To be around it. And associate it with it.

[32:03] And get together with people that do. And stir each other up in this. This is the contrast of what you used to be. And it will lead you.

[32:13] Even logically. As he goes through here. To sing. Freely. Together. Like drunken people often do. Right? Nobody.

[32:24] I don't know. Sorry. You know. Whatever. I don't know. What song is. But. People get together. And they're drunk. And they're just showing. That just inebriated.

[32:34] And everybody. That's free. And singing. And sometimes celebrating. That's what you used to be. That's detestable now. It's reckless behavior. Now in Christ. There's a contrast. You're to be so affected.

[32:46] By the Holy Spirit. Be filled with him. Filled. Like with wine. Filled to the point. That you are overflowing with him. And it's showing. And demonstrated.

[32:56] In your behavior. In your life. Has Christ affected you? Is he affected you?

[33:08] To be filled is the command. No. I'm not. I'm being affected by him right now. I don't feel affected. Then be filled. Be filled with him. Get in the word. Apply it richly to your heart.

[33:19] And watch what he does. With your life. Get in together with believers. Who are sharing the gospel. Proclaiming Christ. Watch it stir you up. This is.

[33:31] I think as we look at this book. But as I'm fracking here. I'm looking through the whole book. And saying. You know what? The whole book of Ephesians. Is your spiritual sobriety test.

[33:44] So what does it mean to be drunk? And what's the contrast of that. In your life. According to Ephesians. According to Paul. What is God doing in your life.

[33:55] That enables you to shine. In contrast. Of the darkness. That you've experienced. In this other. And so there's. Several characteristics. That you would mask yourself.

[34:08] If you walk through the book of Ephesians. Am I. Affected. By the Holy Spirit. Am I. Filled. With him. Number one. Is. Is your speech affected?

[34:20] And doesn't it affect your speech. When you're. Intoxicated. Does it. Somebody that's intoxicated. Intoxicated. Their speech is. Slurred. Often. Right.

[34:31] Law enforcement. Will tell you that. They'll. Oh yeah. Now I haven't been drinking. I haven't had anything at all. You know. I never touched the stuff. Whatever they might say.

[34:43] I don't know. Reality. Their speech is often slurred. Sometimes it's unintended speech. They. They talk freely. They. They say too much.

[34:54] You know. I mean. When you're. Working for a foreign government. You. You. You. Get. You know. Some American government worker. These foreigners will come in. And they'll try to get them. Intoxicated. So that.

[35:04] When they're intoxicated. They will just talk. And talk. And talk. And spill beans. About everything. Right. Does it affect your speech? So Paul says. In Ephesians 4.

[35:15] 29. Let no corrupt talk. Come out of your mouths. But as only as such. As good. For building up. As fits the occasion. That it may give grace.

[35:26] To those who hear. You. Being affected. By the Holy Spirit. Being. Being filled with him. It's going to affect your speech. It's going to affect you.

[35:37] In such a way. That no corrupting talk. Is going to come out. Things that are edifying. Are going to come out. Things that give grace. To those that hear. That's how you're going to shine. Is your speech affected.

[35:47] Ephesians 5. 4. Paul says. Let neither filthiness. Nor foolish talking. Nor jesting. Which are not convenient. But rather the giving of thanks. And in this.

[35:59] He's highlighting. The importance of speech. That's respectful. And thankful. And appropriate. For those that are. Filled with the Holy Spirit. Drunkenness. Contrasted. With what you are.

[36:10] Full of. In the Holy Spirit. Your speech. Is going to be affected. Number two. Is your perception affected. Perception.

[36:22] Often. People that are intoxicated. Will have a distorted. View of reality. Very distorted. View. And sometimes. Their perception.

[36:33] Is off. That's why you shouldn't be. Driving a vehicle. Under the influence of alcohol. Right? You. It. It. Affects. Your perception. Things. Don't. There's three of those parts. I thought. Just follow the middle. No.

[36:45] It's. Your perception. Is off. You can't trust it. Drunkenness. Is that way. Okay. So what does it look like.

[36:55] When you're full of the Holy Spirit. Paul says. In Ephesians 1. 18. Having the eyes of your heart. Enlightened. That you may know. That you may have full knowledge. Of the hope.

[37:06] To which. He has called you. In Ephesians 4. 22. He says. For you were taught. With regard. To your former way of life. To put off your old self.

[37:16] Which is being corrupted. By its. Deceitful desires. Your perception. Is off. Now. In Christ. You have perception. About those things. And you're to be.

[37:27] As he said. Quote. To be made new. In the attitude of your minds. And to put on the new self. Created. To be like God. In true righteousness. And holiness.

[37:38] Now your perception. About things. In this life. Is changed. And now you can see clearly. Your perception. Is right on these things. That's the contrast. Holiness.

[37:48] Is a pursuit of my life. It's not just something. We talk about. I want my heart. To be in line. With God's word. I read the word of God.

[37:59] So I can make application. To my heart. I don't want to be. Full of falsehoods. I want to speak the truth. If I want to do that. My heart has to be in line.

[38:09] With the Lord. And I've got to wrestle. With these inward workings. Of the Lord. To be holy. It changes the way. I look at these things. Paul's given the characteristics.

[38:20] Of somebody. That's intoxicated. With the right things. Here. Full of something. Influenced by something. When the Holy Spirit. Is influencing you. Your perception. Is going to be.

[38:31] Affected. Number three. Is your judgment affected? Poor decision making. Impaired discernment. Somebody that's drinking.

[38:43] Is not able to make decisions wisely. So when the salesman. Wants to. Sell something. To. This. This business guy. What does he do? He takes him out for drinks.

[38:54] Why? Because he wants to. Get him a little. Intoxicated. Because. Then. He can't think as clearly. And I can persuade.

[39:06] I can encourage. I can convince. I can. I can bring him to a place. Where his poor decision making. Works against him. Impaired discernment.

[39:17] So what Paul says. In Ephesians 3.17. He says. I'm praying. That you. Being rooted. And grounded. In love. May have strength. To comprehend.

[39:28] And to know. The love of Christ. That surpasses knowledge. Your judgment. Will be affected. You. You need to be full. Of the Holy Spirit. So that this word. Is being applied. To your life. So that your judgment.

[39:39] Is right. That you're full. Of the Holy Spirit. So that you can. Think through. The crisis. That you're dealing with. In your life. And be able to come. To godly conclusions. About it. Direction.

[39:51] To deal with that issue. In your family. This week. Not drunken. Impaired. But listening to God's word.

[40:04] Controlled. Directed. Finding wisdom. Is your judgment. Effective. Are your inhibitions.

[40:16] Effective. Number four. Your inhibitions. Drunkenness. Is really marked. By a loss. Of self-control. In your inhibitions. You're inhibited.

[40:27] In a lot of ways. In fact. As I was looking at the statistics. About it. Forty percent. Of sexual assaults. Happen. Forty percent. Happen. When someone. Is under the influence. Of alcohol. That's a conservative guess.

[40:39] Another. Study. Shows. Sixty. Sixty-six percent. Of domestic violence. Happens. When. The use of alcohol. Is. Present.

[40:50] In that home. Forty percent. Of murders. Happen. When somebody's under the influence. Of alcohol. Child abuse. Domestic violence.

[41:02] Seventy percent. Of the violence. That happens. Of violent crimes. That happen. Related. To alcohol. Happen. In the home. Seventy percent.

[41:16] Your. Inhibitions. To do certain things. Are reduced. Because the. The alcohol. So is. Drunkenness. This. Toxication. This influence. Leads to certain things.

[41:27] And what Paul is saying. Is that. This is not. You. This is the contrast. To who you are. In Jesus. When the Holy Spirit. Is in you. And you're full. Of the Holy Spirit. Then the Holy Spirit.

[41:38] Is going to be evident. The light's going to shine. Because of the Spirit. I've been given. Boldness. To preach. To proclaim Christ. Usually that's an intermission. In the church.

[41:48] We're inhibited. I'm nervous. I'm shy. Why don't you share the gospel? Ninety percent of people. Will say. Because of fear. I'm afraid. I'm afraid to look stupid.

[41:58] I'm afraid to offend. I'm afraid for this or that. Reality. It's not fear. That's driving you. Pride. That's driving you. Pride. Will keep you from sharing the gospel. Because you don't like to look stupid.

[42:10] But it's not really. Truly fear. This is a persecution. We're dealing with. But what Paul said. In Ephesians 3. 12. He said.

[42:21] That I was able to preach the gospel. To the Gentiles. And you've got to think of his context. He's talking about. Actual persecution. In the face of. Actually being stung with rocks. Left for dead.

[42:32] Shipwrecked. Left for dead. Etc. Etc. And he says. It's because of the Holy Spirit. Ephesians 3. 12. In whom. We have boldness.

[42:44] And access with confidence. Because of our faith in him. And the Holy Spirit. Now being inside of me. The way this is shining through. Is in inhibitions.

[42:55] Being lowered. In the right way. And in the right things. Not in the wrong way. And in the wrong things. Everybody knows what drunkenness does. But what Paul is saying is. Don't shy away from this well.

[43:08] Drink from this. Drink from Christ. Because if you keep drinking from his word. You keep drinking from his Holy Spirit. It's going to affect you. In such a way. That people will see the effects. In your life.

[43:18] It will lead you. To a place of boldness. To proclaim Jesus. Why are we not proclaiming Jesus. Like we should. I'm not full of the Holy Spirit.

[43:34] That's why. We're shying away so much. From the Pentecostal movement. And their abuses. That we may be guilty.

[43:45] Of denying the work of the Holy Spirit. In our life. The reality is. If the Holy Spirit. Has control of us. And the word of God. Is speaking into our soul.

[43:56] And our soul. Is receiving God's word. And the Holy Spirit. Is resonating these things. Inside of us. The natural outcome of this. Is going to be. The visible.

[44:06] The visible effects. Of intoxication. In a sense. I'm going to be full of him. It's going to shine. People are going to see it.

[44:18] They're going to see it. They're going to witness it. The light is going to shine. Number five.

[44:29] Is your emotional stability affected? I mean. Often. When somebody is intoxicated. You see the emotions. At an extreme. Right? Crying. Laughing. Fighting.

[44:40] You know. Depressed. Just craziness. I mean. It's always. In extreme. It leads to extremes. What happens.

[44:52] When the Holy Spirit. Has control of me. Now. My emotions. Are. Under control. Depression. That's.

[45:03] You can. This is on the negative side. You can look at your depression. In your life. And say. You know what. This is actually not characteristic. Of what I am in Christ. This is characteristic. Of my old life. I've allowed myself.

[45:13] To become intoxicated. With my own depression. But in Christ. When I'm full. And the Holy Spirit. Is evident. What's that going to look like?

[45:24] Ephesians 4. 26. In your anger. Do not sin. And do not let the sun go down. While you're still angry. And do not give a foothold.

[45:35] To the devil. Or Ephesians 4. 31. As he goes on. In this. Therefore. Get rid of all bitterness. And rage. And anger. And brawling. And slander. All these characteristics.

[45:45] Of drunkenness. Right? You hear him. This is a natural progression. As he's leading up. To this. Idea. Of drunkenness. He's been talking about. All these characteristics. So now. When he comes to talk about.

[45:56] Drunkenness. It's like. Hey. You know what? All this sounds. Very vaguely familiar. It's just like drunkenness. That's my old life. That's not what I am in Jesus. And when I'm full of him.

[46:09] When I'm filled with him. And when I obey him. To be filled with him. And I'll be filled with him. And I'll be filled with him. And I'll be filled with him. And I'll be filled with him.

[46:19] And bitterness. And rage. And anger. And anger. And anger. And slander. And every form of malice. And I'll be kind. And compassionate to one another.

[46:30] Forgiving one another. Just as in Christ. God forbid you. All the emotions. That are out of control. Are under control.

[46:41] In Christ. Be filled with the Holy Spirit. Let your emotions get out of control. You're not filled with the Holy Spirit. You're not shining light in that.

[46:53] The whole world is falling apart around us. We could all be depressed every day. Just turn on news for like five seconds. Right? I mean. We've gotten in this habit. Watching the news. I've never felt more depressed in my life.

[47:06] We don't usually watch it all the time like that. So. But now with this war in Israel. All those hostages and all that. It's like. Oh. I just want to see what's going on. Then I watch it. And it's sucked into all this other stuff.

[47:16] I'm just so depressed. Like man. The Lord doesn't want this for me. I don't even need to know what's going on. I need to be aware. I'm going to be a fool living in this world. At the same time.

[47:28] The way we overcome. It's not by being full of the world. Amen. It's by being full of the spirit. Number six.

[47:41] Is my walk affected? Isn't it interesting? When the sobriety test is given from the law enforcement guy. That he'll have you walk the line. Right?

[47:52] The walk of shame. And the intoxicated person is called in front of the car. So the camera can get it. So they use it for evidence later. And on the line. Walk this line.

[48:03] And the guy will. You know. He'll try his best. He'll put one foot in front of the other. And his walk is affected. Right? And I remember Chandler going through this.

[48:14] You knew I was going to bring it up. Right? As soon as I see him. I noticed. Chandler was a teenager. He's driving. And we left a funeral. And it's a lot on his mind.

[48:25] And stuff. And so when he pulls out. He goes the wrong way. On one way street. And of course. The law is right there. You know. He gets him. Goes a moment.

[48:35] And so Chandler goes out. And. And he's got. His knee just had surgery. Or his knee was bad. It's a football. I can't remember exactly. What was going on there.

[48:46] And so. The guy has it. Come on out. You know. Been drinking. No I didn't drink. We just came from the funeral. No. Okay. Well walk this line. And Chandler came walking the line. And he is this close.

[48:58] To being arrested. For driving under the influence. Never touched alcohol. A day in his life. And he's. Why? Because. The officer is looking at the outward signs.

[49:09] Of intoxication. And he can't tell. He doesn't know the blood count. He doesn't know what's going on. But he can go off these signs. And say. You know what. There's something at work here. That warrants me taking him in.

[49:21] And maybe we can do an alcohol breathalyzer. Or a blood test. Or something like that. And we can get a better picture of what's going on. But the signs give me warrant. Blood.

[49:34] And when you're intoxicated that way. It affects your walk. Doesn't it? So when he starts talking. When Paul comes to this place.

[49:45] And he's like. Walk. As children of light. Your walk should be affected by this. Your walk. Everything you do. Chapter 4.

[49:56] Verse 1. He said. I therefore urge you to walk. In a manner worthy of the calling to which you've been called. To walk in such a way that you reflect the feeling of the Holy Spirit.

[50:07] God's word at work on your heart. On your inward man. So that you reflect outwardly. The transformation that Jesus is doing in your life inwardly. And when you do.

[50:19] You're shining the light of Christ. For others to see. They will see it. In your walk. So that Paul would say.

[50:32] Even to the Thessalonian church. In chapter 5 verse 7. For those who sleep. Sleep at night. And those who get drunk. Get drunk at night. But since we belong to the day.

[50:45] Let us be sober. Having put on the breastplate. For faith and love. And for a helm. The hope of our salvation. Live out the contrast.

[50:59] And shine the light of Christ. This is what. This is us demonstrating. Outwardly. That kind of feeling of the Holy Spirit. This is how Paul started the letter.

[51:11] The beginning. He gives this prayer. At the beginning. That the eyes of your understanding may be enlightened. That you may know. What Spurgeon referred to as the three what's.

[51:23] That you may be enlightened. That you may know. What is the hope of your calling. That you may know. What are the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints.

[51:35] And that you may know. What is the exceeding greatness of his power toward us who believe. And how is that known? He said there in the very beginning. According to the working of his mighty power.

[51:48] Which he brought in Christ. When he raised him from the dead. And set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places. That resurrection power now seen in you.

[51:58] So what Spurgeon said. He said. You see the text begins.

[52:10] With a personal experience. Within the mind of the judgment. The eyes of your understanding being enlightened. Everything depends upon the open eye.

[52:22] The scene may be fair. And the light may be bright. But if the sight be gone. All is in vain. Thus it is with us by nature. We have no apprehension of spiritual things.

[52:35] No power to discern eternal good. But our foolish heart is darkened. Therefore the Lord must first enlighten the eyes of our understanding.

[52:45] Or else however precious the truth. And however clearly it may be stated. We shall never be able to apprehend it. The light of Christ must shine in us.

[53:04] So the sobriety test for you. For me. Am I shining the light of Christ? Are the signs of his fullness at work in me?

[53:17] Can it be seen? In my walk. In my inhibitions. In my attitudes. In my knowledge. In my wisdom. In the application tree.

[53:28] In my perception. Of the things going on around me. He said in Ephesians 5. I'll just wrap it here. That everything exposed by the light.

[53:42] Becomes visible. And everything that is illuminated. Becomes light. That's why it is said.

[53:53] Wake up sweeper. Rise from the dead. And Christ will shine on you. Be polite. Be polite. Be filled.

[54:05] Shine brightly. So that you can influence. People around you. That God will use you as influencing people around you. And Christ will be made more.

[54:16]  Father we come to you today. Praise you. We thank you. God as we come to your word.