Pastor John will be preaching this morning from Ephesians 5

verses 15 through 20. I invite you to follow along as I read.

Ephesians 5, 15 through 20.

Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of the time because the days are evil.

Therefore do not be foolish but understand what the will of the Lord is.

And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery,

but be filled with the Spirit,

addressing one another in Psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making

melody to the Lord with all your heart, always and for everything giving thanks in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God the Father.

One of the ways to describe the Christian life is to say that it's the living of many paradoxes.

Things that just don't make sense in our experience, as far as we can see with our limited perspective.

Two things that we're called to do in scripture that we can't seem to put together, and

yet one of the marks of a Christian is that we've walked with God long enough to know his goodness and his wisdom and his power so that we know that at root they must be one if the scriptures commend them to us and that someday

when we no longer look through a glass darkly our experience and his word will unite and be harmonious.

Let me illustrate from the Apostle Paul,

what I mean by the paradoxes that we are called to live.

Paul described his own life as sorrowful,

yet always rejoicing,

as poor yet making many rich as having nothing and yet possessing everything.

That's what I mean.

By paradoxes we must live.

Sorrowful, yet always rejoicing.

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