Ephesians 5.1-14 (3)
Pray Psalm 42.1-3.
As the deer pants for the water brooks,
So pants my soul for You, O God.
My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.
When shall I come and appear before God?
My tears have been my food day and night,
While they continually say to me,
“Where is your God?”
Sing Psalm 42.1-3.
(Nettleton: Come Thou Fount)
As the deer pants for fresh water let my soul, LORD, pant for You!
Let my soul thirst as it ought to for the Savior, ever true!
Tears by day have been my portion, tears by night have been my food,
while my foes add to my sorrow, saying, “Where now is your God?”
Read Ephesians 5.1-14; meditate on verses 6 and 7.
What would be some examples of “empty words”?
Preparation
1. To what do “empty words” lead?
2. What should be our stand concerning them?
Meditation
What are “empty words”? We can’t be warned against something without knowing what it is. In Paul’s day that phrase may have packed a bit more meaning than it does today. Then, empty words were those which lacked truth and seemed to be without any good purpose, but merely to deflect or mislead or deceive.
Empty words are all around us. Our world majors in empty words. Advertisers, academics, politicians, preachers even—almost everybody we know uses words carelessly, incautiously, or even maliciously at times. Empty words seek deception, misdirection, advantage, or ego advancement. We’ve all used them, and in the wrong-believing world, empty words are almost the new normal.
God hates empty words. Why? Because He is truth and He loves truth. He does not want His people to be “fellow travelers” with those who traffic in empty words. People for whom the use of empty words is no big deal will discover they’re wrong. God’s wrath is already coming on those who have exchanged the truth of God for the lie (Rom. 1.18-32), and He has more wrath in store for them yet.
Our calling is to not be deceived and not to go along with empty words. We are heralds of the truth. We seek to edify, not to deceive. Make sure that no empty words are creeping into your Christian faith, unrecognized (Schaeffer). Stay in the Word of truth and let the Word of truth stay in you. This is the only way to combat the rampant and virulent plague of empty words that is ravaging our world.
Treasure Old and New: Matthew 13.52; Psalm 119.162
Paul warns us: “Let no one deceive you with empty words” (Eph. 5.6).
Normally we think of being deceived by lies. Untruths. Falsehoods.
But “empty words” are those of omission rather than commission.
And the most alarming “empty words” today are coming from the pulpits of the world.
“Get saved.” “It’s all of grace.” “Get saved, again.” “The Law has no relevance in our day.” “Are you having fun?” “Is everybody happy?” “Oh, and get saved again, when things aren’t going as planned.” “You must come to church to have a relationship with God.” “The truth is found by listening to me preach.” “Let’s all get saved again.” “The Word of God is hard to understand; you need me to tell you what is says.” “And by the way, are you saved?”
Church is for worship. It is not an evangelistic outreach.
Having a Shepherd/Pastor to lead that worship is a gift.
Praising God together through song, sharing, and prayer is a delight to our heavenly Father. And to us.
Yes, Pastors, please open the Word of God to lead your people into a greater awareness and practice of the Presence of God. Teach the Law and the importance of following it.
Growth and sanctification are important. Discipleship is important.
Discipled people tend to share their faith—as a process, not as an event—evangelistically.
Lead, guide, disciple. Give your people some meat to eat.
These words would not be idle words; they would be life-giving and enhancing words.
Growth encouraging words. Not milky. Not empty.
Pastors must trust their lambs to be sheep.
“For though by this time you ought to be teachers,
you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God;
and you have come to need milk and not solid food.
For everyone who partakes only of milk
is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe.
But solid food belongs to those who are of full age,
that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised
to discern both good and evil” (Heb. 5.12-14). Yes, please. Big, full words.
When the children of Israel finally got into the Promised Land, God expected them to be responsible.
He was no longer going to feed them. He had given them a land flowing with milk and honey. “Then the manna ceased on the day after they had eaten the produce of the land; and the children of Israel no longer had manna, but they ate the food of the land of Canaan that year” (Josh. 5.12). God was giving them an opportunity to exercise their senses for growth and discernment. He had been feeding them the Law for their souls, and manna for their bodies for 40 years. Sadly, of course, we know they made a mess of it; but God had prepared them and fed them “full words”—the results of what they did with the words rested upon them.
It was said of Jesus, prophetically, “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His Name Immanuel. Curds and honey He shall eat, that He may know to refuse the evil and choose the good” (Is. 7.14, 15). Not empty food, nor words; but sustenance for growth and discernment (Lk. 2.52).
We must never be satisfied with “empty words” when God has prepared a table for us to feast upon, and our cup runs over with blessings from Him and His Word (Ps. 23.5).
Reflection
1. How would you explain the difference between empty words and full words to a new believer?
2. What can you do to make sure you are always feeding on full words?3. To whom will you minister the full words of Jesus today?
There are always people among us who want to diminish the force of words. When Paul clearly says that covetousness is idolatry, they immediately argue that this is an exaggerated saying and in this way compromise all the commandments. It is to these that the blessed Paul is alluding when he writes to the Ephesians, “Be sure of this, that no one who is covetous, that is, an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom.” Empty words are words that are for a moment attractive but in no way are proved by deeds. They become a flimsy deceit. John Chrysostom (344-407), Homily on Ephesians 18.5.5-6
Pray Psalm 42.4-11.
Pray that the Lord will keep you in the Jesus path throughout this day, and that none of your words will be empty or wasted, but gracious and edifying.
Sing Psalm 44.4-11.
(Nettleton: Come Thou Fount)
Now I pour my soul out in me as these thoughts come to my mind.
And I long to once again be where true worship I might find.
Oh my soul, be not despairing! Hope in God, and praise His Name!
For the LORD, your burden bearing, will restore your peace again.
Oh my God, my soul is weary, therefore I remember You.
Let Your grace and goodness near be, and Your promise, firm and true.
LORD, when trials and fears surround me, Your commands will be my song!
When distresses sore confound me, Your great love will keep me strong.
LORD, forget me not in mourning ’neath my foes’ oppressing hand.
See their mocking, hear their scorning; help my weary soul to stand.
Hope in God, praise Him forever when despair on you has trod.
Look to Jesus; never, never doubt your gracious, saving God.
T. M. and Susie Moore
If you have found this meditation helpful, take a moment to give thanks to God. Then share what you learned with a friend. This is how the grace of God spreads (2 Cor. 4.15).
Other columns of interest: This week: In our ReVision series on “The Kingdom Economy” we are looking at the place of God’s Law in the life of the Church. Our Read Moore podcast continues working through The Gospel of the Kingdom, looking for the true Gospel of the Lord. The Crosfigell teaching letter is pursuing the life of Brigit, a contemporary of Brendan. Click here to see all the other columns and writers available to you.
And please prayerfully consider supporting The Fellowship of Ailbe with your prayers and gifts. You can contribute online, via PayPal or Anedot, or by sending a gift to The Fellowship of Ailbe, P. O. Box 8213, Essex, VT 05451.
Except as indicated, all Scriptures are taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. For sources of all quotations, see the weekly PDF of this study. All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter.
