Wise Walking In Evil Days! Ephesians 5:15-21

October 17, 2021
Rev. Nathan J. Rusert

"Come to the Wedding....All things are ready!" Our God and Father invites us through Jesus Christ to come to the Feast of forgiveness of all our sins, life, and salvation. Sadly many foolishly walk away rejecting His invitation. They choose death to Life. Sermon Text: Ephesians 5:15-21. Sermon Theme: "Wise Walking In Evil Days!" Preached for the Twentieth Sunday After Trinity, 17-October-2021, at Emmanuel Lutheran Church, Tell City, Indiana by Rev. Nathan J. Rusert

Episode Notes

Twentieth Sunday After Trinity           17-October-2021
Sermon Text: Ephesians 5:15-21
Sermon Theme: Wise Walking In Evil Days! by Rev. Nathan J. Rusert

I.N.R.I. “Psa 145:15-16 The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food in due season. (16) You open your hand; you satisfy the desire of every living thing.” David sings forth creation’s song of praise to its loving Creator. The birds of the air, beasts of the forest, cattle on a thousand hills knows Who feeds them. They put us to shame. Mankind the pinnacle and head of God’s creation - doesn’t know, believe, or trust in its loving Creator to open His hand and satisfy our deepest need. Since the day of Adam’s rebellion we forsake the fruit of the Tree of Life for food of lies that cannot and will not sustain us, fill us, or satisfy our hunger. Lusting after perishing food and intoxicating drink we die of thirst and hunger.
    Still our Lord Jesus cries out, “Isa 55:1 "Ho! Everyone who thirsts, Come to the waters; And you who have no money, Come, buy and eat. Yes, come, buy wine and milk Without money and without price.” Jesus cries out through His servants, “Mat 22:4 ... "See, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and fatted cattle are killed, and all things are ready. Come to the wedding." ' The evil world distracts many from listening and walking towards the feast. They walk away from the King’s Son’s wedding feast to their farms and businesses. Evil men grow tired of the heralds preaching Christ’s invitation. They treat some pastors shamefully driving them out of their congregation. Others to silence Christ’s gracious invitations rise up and murder their pastors for inviting them into the King’s Palace.
        God the Holy Spirit warned us through the pen of St. Paul of the days in which we live. He wrote, “2Ti 3:1-5 But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: (2) For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, (3) unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, (4) traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, (5) having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!” The world around us walks in spiritual darkness, blinded by Satan’s lies, worldly wisdom, and their own foolish desires. Beware that you don’t stumble into the darkness. Our Lord Jesus warns us that just warming a pew on Sunday morning doesn’t save you from being cast out into outer darkness. A good member of a congregation in Jesus’ parable is found to be without the freely provided royal wedding garment. He thought his clothes were good enough - he stumbles at the last. Therefore this morning let us all repent and learn: Wise Walking In Evil Days.
        In St. Paul’s letter to the Ephesians God the Holy Spirit instructs us in ecclesiology - that is the study of Christ’s Church. Here we are taught, “God’s kingdom comes by itself, indeed without our prayers.” Do we really believe this? Yesterday’s Evansville Courier Press newspaper ran an article in its “Life” section titled: “Ending The Exodus...Religious Leaders Looking Past Old Ways to Reach the Nones.” “Nones” is spelled “N-O-N-E-S.” a word used to describe many in the U.S. who claim a belief in God but have no church home, attend no services. The idea that we can “sell” the Gospel has infested American Christians since the days of Charles Finney - a business man turned pastor - who was certain there was a winning formula to fill the pews. Horace Greely founder and editor of the New York Tribune from the mid to late 1800's received a letter from a distressed woman. She wrote, “We have tried every device we could think of — fairs, strawberry festivals, oyster suppers, a donkey party, turkey banquets, Japanese weddings, poverty sociables, mock marriages, grab bags, box socials, and necktie sociables,” and then she asked what device he would suggest to keep their struggle church from disbanding. The editor briefly replied, “Try religion.”
      “Try religion”....How does God's kingdom come? God's kingdom comes when our heavenly Father gives us His Holy Spirit, so that by His grace we believe His holy Word and lead godly lives here in time and there in eternity.” God the Holy Spirit adds to Christ’s Church through God’s Name is kept holy among us. How is God's name kept holy? God's name is kept holy when the Word of God is taught in its truth and purity, and we, as the children of God, also lead holy lives according to it. Help us to do this, dear Father in heaven!  
          Listen! (Ephesians 5:15-16) A farmer walking in a cow yard walks “circumspectly” “carefully” so as not to step in the cow pies. Soldiers encountering a mine field, carefully probe, discover, mark, map, and walk around the deadly mines hidden in the ground. Dear Christian - you cannot walk in the white noise darkness of this world. Walt Disney World may be celebrating 50 years of entertaining people, but Christ’s Church isn’t an entertaining distraction - it deals with life and death, heaven or hell realities.       Walk wisely. Avoid evil. What’s evil? Sin is lawlessness. Any thought, word, or deed that breaks any of the Ten Commandments is evil. It doesn’t matter if the majority approve of evil - it is called evil and judged by God’s Word as that which only brings death. As little as you can compromise with an alligator who wants to devour you for lunch by offering him only an arm or leg - so little can you compromise your Christian faith for friendship with this world. God the Holy Spirit warns, Jas 4:4 Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. Or to put it in terms used by Paul in this letter - you cannot be Christ’s beloved Bride the Church while you prostitute yourself with the world.
      Walk wisely. Fools abound in our day who say that there is no God. Pro 1:7 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, But fools despise wisdom and instruction. Walk wisely! Psa 97:10 You who love the LORD, hate evil! Jesus instructs, Joh 14:15 "If you love Me, keep My commandments. Walk wisely! Pro 3:5-6 Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; (6) In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.
      Redeem the Time in these evil days! Rich, poor, old, young - only have 24 hours in each day. Do you squander your time on worthless bread that does not satisfy? In Jesus’ parable of the Kingdom - the farmers and business men had more important things to do than to hear the King’s Son’s Word and Feast with Him at the Wedding. Do you watch the clock longing to leave Jesus’ House as soon as possible on a Sunday? Take a time inventory - how many hours a week do you spend in God’s Word, daily devotions, prayer, meditating on God’s Word, applying and living it? Time is your most precious commodity - how you use or waste it reveals the God or idol that you really worship.
        Redeem the time - everything is sanctified by God’s Word and prayer. Don’t neglect the invitation to feast with Jesus in His House. Don’t think you can wait to get religious when you are older. Satan deceives many into spiritual procrastination - the lie they will have time to hear Christ when they are older. Truth is: “For through the Word and Sacraments, as through instruments, the Holy Ghost is given, who works faith; where and when it pleases God, in them that hear the Gospel, to wit, that God, not for our own merits, but for Christ’s sake, justifies those who believe that they are received into grace for Christ’s sake.” If you wilfully refuse to listen to the Gospel invitation preached within your local congregation - you reject the work of God the Holy Spirit and refuse the gift of saving Faith.
        Repent! (Ephesians 5:17) Understand God’s will. God’s ways are not your ways, nor or His thoughts your thoughts! Isa 55:6-7 Seek the LORD while He may be found, Call upon Him while He is near. (7) Let the wicked forsake his way, And the unrighteous man his thoughts; Let him return to the LORD, And He will have mercy on him; And to our God, For He will abundantly pardon.”   God’s good and gracious will is to keep us in His Word and Holy Spirit gifted Faith in Christ Jesus until we die. He does this by breaking our stubborn sinful will, the will of Satan, and our corrupt culture - which don’t want to hallow His Name or let His Kingdom come!
          Understand God’s Will...after the feeding of the 5,000 the crowds asked Jesus what should they do to do the work of God. Joh 6:29 Jesus answered and said to them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent." God’s Will is clearly revealed in His Word. Read, mark, learn, memorize, chew on, inwardly digest the Holy Bible. Pray without ceasing. 1Ti 2:3-4 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, (4) who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. The Truth that there is only One Mediator between God and Man - the Man Christ Jesus who died for our sins to bring us to the Feast of forgiveness life and salvation!
    God’s Will is your sanctification. He sets you apart to be His Holy people. (Ephesians 5:18-19) Paul isn’t a teetotaler. He would instruct Timothy to “drink a little wine” for the sake of his frequent stomach problems. Paul is speaking against the false worship of the Romans and Greeks. The Greeks would gather around a symposia cup of wine that held up to five gallons. Then passing it around they would drink until intoxication set in and they perverted God’s gift of sexuality. Christian’s confess that the wine in the cup of the Lord’s Supper is Christ’s living and forgiving blood. We don’t come to the Table to get drunk, but filled with Christ’s life by God the Holy Spirit who gives us faith in Jesus’ promise.
      Instead of debauchery, the cup of Christ fills us with Faith towards God and fervent love towards one another. Be filled with God the Holy Spirit. What is in our hearts will be upon our lips. The Christian Church is a singing Church. The Lutheran Reformation restored congregational hymns and singing. We sing Psalms - the hymnbook that connects us to David. We sing the hymns of Moses, Hannah, Miriam, Isaiah echoing down through the ages into our hearts and lives. We sing the spiritual songs of Zechariah, the Virgin Mary, the Christmas angelic choir, John the Baptist, Simeon, and the whole company of heaven. We sing for in Christ we are freed from all sins, from death, and from the power of the devil. Even if pipe organs fall silent the Church won’t stop singing for the song arises from the heart - implanted by the Holy Spirit and we breath it forth in joyous song - even if it’s just a joyful noise. Song and singing belong to Christ and His Church. Sing hymns at home, while you drive, when you work - never tire of joining in the Church’s joyful song.
        Understand God’s good and gracious will is done even when it seems only evil to your fleshly reason. (Ephesians 5:20) Give thanks! Come to the Feast of Thanksgiving - as Jesus gives you His living flesh and blood He assures you - “You are forgiven! Your suffering isn’t punishment, but meant for your eternal good, as it strips off your rags of good deeds and clothes you with My Wedding robe of perfect righteousness.”
          Jesus has put His Name upon you in your baptism. God the Father calls you His beloved child. God the Holy Spirit keeps you in this Faith - (Ephesians 5:.21) Now you are freed humbly serve one another - not to get your way, but to rejoice together at the marriage feast of the Lamb!
      The dark present evil days will soon end. Jesus is coming again visibly in glory! The eternal wedding feast is about to break:, “Rev 19:6-9 And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude, as the sound of many waters and as the sound of mighty thunderings, saying, "Alleluia! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigns! (7) Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready." (8) And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. (9) Then he said to me, "Write: 'Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!' " And he said to me, "These are the true sayings of God." Amen.






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