Ephesians 5 Part 1
Bible Study Time 1-8-06
Church links:
Bible Study Time 1-8-06
Last week we started the new year off with some instructions for living as members of the Church which is the Body of Christ. In Ephesians 4 the Apostle Paul reminds us that sin causes a hardening of the heart. Even people who are saved are susceptible to this terrible disease which causes so much pain and suffering. If we live in sin, we will eventually develop hardening of the heart.
We will lose our sensitivity to the needs of others, and as a matter of fact, we will not even be able to determine our own needs. We will pursue a path that leads to our own destruction and to misery for those around us. We will lose sight of the fact that we need fellowship with God and fellowship with other believers. We will become totally self absorbed. After all, the essence of sin is selfishness.
However, when we walk in the light of Jesus Christ, we have fellowship with God, and the Holy Spirit teaches us the joy of crucifying self upon the cross of Calvary. When we believe that Jesus Christ died for our sins, we are baptized into the death, burial and resurrection of Christ. The old man dies, and the new man comes to life.
In Ephesians 4, Paul says that while the old man is characterized by lewdness and greed, the new man is characterized by true righteousness and holiness. The new man does not lie and neither does it carry a grudge. It does not steal from others, and it does not use coarse language. All bitterness, wrath, anger, and evil speaking are crucified with the old man upon the cross.
The last verse in Ephesians 4 is one of the most beautiful verses in all of the Bible. Very simply Paul says:
Ephesians 4:32 (KJV)
32 . . . be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.
This verse is beautiful in its simplicity, but it is so powerful and so practical. Most of the psychological problems that people face are simply a result of internalized anger and hatred. Oh the freedom and liberty that we find in Jesus Christ when we learn to forgive and be kind one to another.
We live in a time when about half of all marriages end in divorce, and I can not help but wonder how many marriages could be saved if husbands and wives could just learn to be kind to one another and forgive one another. Can you just imagine what our homes would be like if husbands and wives could put everything else aside and learn to live by this verse.
I think it’s no coincidence that Paul follows this verse with an inspired marriage counseling session in the last part of Chapter 5, but before Paul gets into that he has a few more things to say about living for Jesus Christ. In verse 1 of Chapter 5, he says that we should not only forgive one another as God has forgiven us, but we should imitate God in everything and in every way.
What! Do we really have the power to be like God? Well, it’s obvious we’ll never be perfect like God is perfect as long as we live in this body of flesh, but we should follow God’s example in all things.
I often recommend Max Lucado’s book, Just Like Jesus, because Jesus Christ is the embodiment of God’s perfection. In Jesus Christ we see the fullness of God’s perfect love, His perfect compassion, His perfect purity. All that is good and holy, we see in Jesus Christ, and we should make it our daily goal to be the kind of person that Jesus was and is.
Verse 2 of Chapter 5 says that we should love others with the same kind of love that Christ had for us when he gave Himself as the sacrifice for sin, and then in verse 3 he spells out for us what it means to walk in love, saying:
Ephesians 5:3 (NKJ)
3 But fornication and all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not even be named among you, as is fitting for saints;
According to Paul, believers do not have to work for sainthood, but all believers are saints, and God has ordained that saints should live a life of purity. This life of purity is not a sacrifice; it’s a blessing. God has determined that all sexual activity is reserved for the marriage relationship. Sexual activity outside of the marriage relationship is unclean or impure in the sight of God, and it is a form of covetousness. Believers are to be known as people who are content with that which God supplies without coveting what we don’t have.
Fornication, uncleanness and covetousness are not to be named among the saints, and then in verse 4:
Ephesians 5:4 (NKJ)
4 neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks.
I like what Paul said to the Colossians when he said:
Colossians 4:6 (NKJ)
6 Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.
Grace means getting what you don’t deserve, so if our speech is seasoned with grace, that means that we speak to people with love even when they don’t deserve it. I have to say that God seems to be asking a lot from us in this. Indeed, He is. He is asking the impossible. But remember, with God all things are possible. We are now new creations in Christ with the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit.
It’s hard to speak graciously to someone you find disgusting? It’s hard to be speak with heart felt kindness to someone who has really hurt you? You bet it is. But when you do, you reveal the new creation of God within you.
Is it hypocritical to speak with kindness when you feel disgust? It’s not hypocritical at all if you speak the truth in love. God might even give you the opportunity to say, I love you brother but I really have a hard time with what you did the other day. Or God might give you the opportunity to say, I love you sister, but I have heard that you said this the other day, and I was just wondering if that’s true. Yes, with God’s help, we can speak the truth in love, and we can always speak graciously without hypocrisy, and certainly we should never use filthy language.
When we’re joking around, we’d better really be careful then too. It’s easy to lose our sense of what’s appropriate when we’re just kidding around, but every word we say is important in the sight of God. The words we say are merely a reflection of what’s really on the inside. Verse 5 tells us why these things are so important.
Ephesians 5:5-6 (NKJ)
5 For this you know, that no fornicator, unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.
6 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.
This reminds me of the Lord’s words to Israel in Isaiah 66 where the Lord said:
Isaiah 66:2-5 NLT
2 My hands have made both heaven and earth, and they are mine. I, the LORD, have spoken! "I will bless those who have humble and contrite hearts, who tremble at my word.
3 But those who choose their own ways, delighting in their sins, are cursed. Their offerings will not be accepted. When such people sacrifice an ox, it is no more acceptable than a human sacrifice. When they sacrifice a lamb or bring an offering of grain, it is as bad as putting a dog or the blood of a pig on the altar! When they burn incense, it is as if they had blessed an idol.
4 I will send great troubles against them — all the things they feared. For when I called, they did not answer. When I spoke, they did not listen. They deliberately sinned — before my very eyes — and chose to do what they know I despise."
5 Hear this message from the LORD, and tremble at his words: "Your close relatives hate you and throw you out for being loyal to my name. 'Let the LORD be honored!' they scoff. 'Be joyful in him!' But they will be put to shame.
It is one thing to struggle with sin in your life. All of us struggle with sin. Or maybe I should say, all who are sensitive to the Holy Spirit, struggle with sin, because as I said earlier, none of us is perfect yet. But Isaiah and Paul were talking about the skeptics who mock God and scoff at His word. These people will not inherit the eternal blessings of Christ. On the contrary, they will be cast into outer darkness and will be separated from God.
Paul says, don’t let anyone deceive you about this. It would be a grave mistake to think that things will always be as they always have been. Paul says that someday the wrath of God will come upon the children of disobedience. Then in verse 7 he says:
Ephesians 5:7-13 (NKJ)
7 Therefore do not be partakers with them.
8 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light
10 finding out what is acceptable to the Lord.
9 (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth),
11 And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them.
12 For it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret.
13 But all things that are exposed are made manifest by the light, for whatever makes manifest is light.
This world has been in spiritual darkness since the time of Adam’s sin, but Jesus Christ is the light of the world. John said that Jesus Christ was in the beginning with God and that all things were made by Him, but when He took a body of flesh, the light came shining out of the darkness.
One bright spot of light in a sea of darkness. Every other human being since the time of Adam has been born into darkness, but Jesus Christ come into this world as a ray of light from heaven. The good news is that in Him was life and the life was the light of men. The bad news is that:
John 3:19-21 (NKJ)
19 " . . . this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
20 "For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.
21 "But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God."
Paul said:
Ephesians 5:8,10 (NKJ)
8 . . . you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light
10 finding out what is acceptable to the Lord.
Notice that we have to find out what is acceptable to the Lord. Don’t think you can just trust your instincts or that you can just trust what feels right. No, you can’t trust your neighbor either. Your neighbor might be wrong too. This is a serious matter, and we have to try to find out what God thinks. That’s what really matters.
To do this we have to study God word. We must study it diligently because that’s the only way we’re going to find out what is acceptable to the Lord. God could speak to our hears with a voice from heaven, but He has chosen to speak to our hearts through His word. His word is quick and powerful and shaper than any two edged sword, and God has made the declaration that His word will accomplish its mission. If you read it you will learn. God has declared it to be so.
Ephesians 5:14-16 (NKJ)
14 Therefore (the Lord) says: "Awake, you who sleep, arise from the dead, and Christ will give you light."
15 See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise,
16 redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
Seeing that we are surrounded by great darkness, we must never take a step without prayerfully considering the consequences. Failure to do so would be like skipping through a minefield. The devil goes about like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour, and only those who walk circumspectly with care and diligence can expect to avoid the pitfalls along the path.
Ephesians 5:17 (NKJ)
17 Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.
18 . . . do not be drunk with wine, in which is (every kind of debauchery); but be filled with the Spirit,
19 speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord,
20 giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,
21 submitting to one another in the fear of God.
If anger is a source of disease, then thanksgiving is certainly a source of healing. Let us give thanks always for all things to God the Father in name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Well, I’m certainly thankful for the time we’ve had this morning to study God’s word and find out some of the things that are acceptable to the Lord. Before we close this morning I’d like to ask you if you have put your faith and trust in this One who is the light of the world. If you are still walking in the darkness of sin, there is deliverance for those who come to the light of Jesus Christ.
If you hear the voice of Jesus Christ calling you this morning, do not hesitate for another moment. Open your heart to Him, and the One, who in the beginning commanded the light to shine out of darkness, will shine in your heart and fill your life with the glory of God.
Thank you for listening, and I’ll look forward to being with you again next week at this same time.
Write me at: jimjoan77@juno.com
We will lose our sensitivity to the needs of others, and as a matter of fact, we will not even be able to determine our own needs. We will pursue a path that leads to our own destruction and to misery for those around us. We will lose sight of the fact that we need fellowship with God and fellowship with other believers. We will become totally self absorbed. After all, the essence of sin is selfishness.
However, when we walk in the light of Jesus Christ, we have fellowship with God, and the Holy Spirit teaches us the joy of crucifying self upon the cross of Calvary. When we believe that Jesus Christ died for our sins, we are baptized into the death, burial and resurrection of Christ. The old man dies, and the new man comes to life.
In Ephesians 4, Paul says that while the old man is characterized by lewdness and greed, the new man is characterized by true righteousness and holiness. The new man does not lie and neither does it carry a grudge. It does not steal from others, and it does not use coarse language. All bitterness, wrath, anger, and evil speaking are crucified with the old man upon the cross.
The last verse in Ephesians 4 is one of the most beautiful verses in all of the Bible. Very simply Paul says:
Ephesians 4:32 (KJV)
32 . . . be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.
This verse is beautiful in its simplicity, but it is so powerful and so practical. Most of the psychological problems that people face are simply a result of internalized anger and hatred. Oh the freedom and liberty that we find in Jesus Christ when we learn to forgive and be kind one to another.
We live in a time when about half of all marriages end in divorce, and I can not help but wonder how many marriages could be saved if husbands and wives could just learn to be kind to one another and forgive one another. Can you just imagine what our homes would be like if husbands and wives could put everything else aside and learn to live by this verse.
I think it’s no coincidence that Paul follows this verse with an inspired marriage counseling session in the last part of Chapter 5, but before Paul gets into that he has a few more things to say about living for Jesus Christ. In verse 1 of Chapter 5, he says that we should not only forgive one another as God has forgiven us, but we should imitate God in everything and in every way.
What! Do we really have the power to be like God? Well, it’s obvious we’ll never be perfect like God is perfect as long as we live in this body of flesh, but we should follow God’s example in all things.
I often recommend Max Lucado’s book, Just Like Jesus, because Jesus Christ is the embodiment of God’s perfection. In Jesus Christ we see the fullness of God’s perfect love, His perfect compassion, His perfect purity. All that is good and holy, we see in Jesus Christ, and we should make it our daily goal to be the kind of person that Jesus was and is.
Verse 2 of Chapter 5 says that we should love others with the same kind of love that Christ had for us when he gave Himself as the sacrifice for sin, and then in verse 3 he spells out for us what it means to walk in love, saying:
Ephesians 5:3 (NKJ)
3 But fornication and all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not even be named among you, as is fitting for saints;
According to Paul, believers do not have to work for sainthood, but all believers are saints, and God has ordained that saints should live a life of purity. This life of purity is not a sacrifice; it’s a blessing. God has determined that all sexual activity is reserved for the marriage relationship. Sexual activity outside of the marriage relationship is unclean or impure in the sight of God, and it is a form of covetousness. Believers are to be known as people who are content with that which God supplies without coveting what we don’t have.
Fornication, uncleanness and covetousness are not to be named among the saints, and then in verse 4:
Ephesians 5:4 (NKJ)
4 neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks.
I like what Paul said to the Colossians when he said:
Colossians 4:6 (NKJ)
6 Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.
Grace means getting what you don’t deserve, so if our speech is seasoned with grace, that means that we speak to people with love even when they don’t deserve it. I have to say that God seems to be asking a lot from us in this. Indeed, He is. He is asking the impossible. But remember, with God all things are possible. We are now new creations in Christ with the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit.
It’s hard to speak graciously to someone you find disgusting? It’s hard to be speak with heart felt kindness to someone who has really hurt you? You bet it is. But when you do, you reveal the new creation of God within you.
Is it hypocritical to speak with kindness when you feel disgust? It’s not hypocritical at all if you speak the truth in love. God might even give you the opportunity to say, I love you brother but I really have a hard time with what you did the other day. Or God might give you the opportunity to say, I love you sister, but I have heard that you said this the other day, and I was just wondering if that’s true. Yes, with God’s help, we can speak the truth in love, and we can always speak graciously without hypocrisy, and certainly we should never use filthy language.
When we’re joking around, we’d better really be careful then too. It’s easy to lose our sense of what’s appropriate when we’re just kidding around, but every word we say is important in the sight of God. The words we say are merely a reflection of what’s really on the inside. Verse 5 tells us why these things are so important.
Ephesians 5:5-6 (NKJ)
5 For this you know, that no fornicator, unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.
6 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.
This reminds me of the Lord’s words to Israel in Isaiah 66 where the Lord said:
Isaiah 66:2-5 NLT
2 My hands have made both heaven and earth, and they are mine. I, the LORD, have spoken! "I will bless those who have humble and contrite hearts, who tremble at my word.
3 But those who choose their own ways, delighting in their sins, are cursed. Their offerings will not be accepted. When such people sacrifice an ox, it is no more acceptable than a human sacrifice. When they sacrifice a lamb or bring an offering of grain, it is as bad as putting a dog or the blood of a pig on the altar! When they burn incense, it is as if they had blessed an idol.
4 I will send great troubles against them — all the things they feared. For when I called, they did not answer. When I spoke, they did not listen. They deliberately sinned — before my very eyes — and chose to do what they know I despise."
5 Hear this message from the LORD, and tremble at his words: "Your close relatives hate you and throw you out for being loyal to my name. 'Let the LORD be honored!' they scoff. 'Be joyful in him!' But they will be put to shame.
It is one thing to struggle with sin in your life. All of us struggle with sin. Or maybe I should say, all who are sensitive to the Holy Spirit, struggle with sin, because as I said earlier, none of us is perfect yet. But Isaiah and Paul were talking about the skeptics who mock God and scoff at His word. These people will not inherit the eternal blessings of Christ. On the contrary, they will be cast into outer darkness and will be separated from God.
Paul says, don’t let anyone deceive you about this. It would be a grave mistake to think that things will always be as they always have been. Paul says that someday the wrath of God will come upon the children of disobedience. Then in verse 7 he says:
Ephesians 5:7-13 (NKJ)
7 Therefore do not be partakers with them.
8 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light
10 finding out what is acceptable to the Lord.
9 (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth),
11 And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them.
12 For it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret.
13 But all things that are exposed are made manifest by the light, for whatever makes manifest is light.
This world has been in spiritual darkness since the time of Adam’s sin, but Jesus Christ is the light of the world. John said that Jesus Christ was in the beginning with God and that all things were made by Him, but when He took a body of flesh, the light came shining out of the darkness.
One bright spot of light in a sea of darkness. Every other human being since the time of Adam has been born into darkness, but Jesus Christ come into this world as a ray of light from heaven. The good news is that in Him was life and the life was the light of men. The bad news is that:
John 3:19-21 (NKJ)
19 " . . . this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
20 "For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.
21 "But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God."
Paul said:
Ephesians 5:8,10 (NKJ)
8 . . . you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light
10 finding out what is acceptable to the Lord.
Notice that we have to find out what is acceptable to the Lord. Don’t think you can just trust your instincts or that you can just trust what feels right. No, you can’t trust your neighbor either. Your neighbor might be wrong too. This is a serious matter, and we have to try to find out what God thinks. That’s what really matters.
To do this we have to study God word. We must study it diligently because that’s the only way we’re going to find out what is acceptable to the Lord. God could speak to our hears with a voice from heaven, but He has chosen to speak to our hearts through His word. His word is quick and powerful and shaper than any two edged sword, and God has made the declaration that His word will accomplish its mission. If you read it you will learn. God has declared it to be so.
Ephesians 5:14-16 (NKJ)
14 Therefore (the Lord) says: "Awake, you who sleep, arise from the dead, and Christ will give you light."
15 See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise,
16 redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
Seeing that we are surrounded by great darkness, we must never take a step without prayerfully considering the consequences. Failure to do so would be like skipping through a minefield. The devil goes about like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour, and only those who walk circumspectly with care and diligence can expect to avoid the pitfalls along the path.
Ephesians 5:17 (NKJ)
17 Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.
18 . . . do not be drunk with wine, in which is (every kind of debauchery); but be filled with the Spirit,
19 speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord,
20 giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,
21 submitting to one another in the fear of God.
If anger is a source of disease, then thanksgiving is certainly a source of healing. Let us give thanks always for all things to God the Father in name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Well, I’m certainly thankful for the time we’ve had this morning to study God’s word and find out some of the things that are acceptable to the Lord. Before we close this morning I’d like to ask you if you have put your faith and trust in this One who is the light of the world. If you are still walking in the darkness of sin, there is deliverance for those who come to the light of Jesus Christ.
If you hear the voice of Jesus Christ calling you this morning, do not hesitate for another moment. Open your heart to Him, and the One, who in the beginning commanded the light to shine out of darkness, will shine in your heart and fill your life with the glory of God.
Thank you for listening, and I’ll look forward to being with you again next week at this same time.
Write me at: jimjoan77@juno.com
Church links:
No comments:
Post a Comment