Ephesians 5:5 Outline

The New Walk (1): More Reasons Why
Introduction (review):

1. In the previous section of Ephesians (4:17-5:4), Paul is calling us to live like Christians, to live out grace, to enhance the unity of the body and to promote the glory of God, in six specific areas of the Christian life.

2. We saw there that Paul specifically addressed six significant areas of Christian life: (1) in v. 25, he emphasized that we were to promote the unity of the body of Christ and bear witness to the glory of God in the church through our truth-telling; (2) in vv. 26-27 he emphasized that the glory of God and the unity of his family are at stake in the way we manage and express or anger; (3) in v. 28 Paul deals with stealing or honesty; (4) in vv.29-30 Paul challenges corrupt communication by Christians, commands us to be edifying in our speech, and bids us to take care not to grieve the Holy Spirit with our unwholesome talk; (5) in vv. 4:31-5:2 Paul charges us to put away attitudes words and actions that show resentment of God’s providence, and instead are to live lives of kindness and forgiveness, because of God’s kindness to and forgiveness of us. Indeed, we are to aim to be like God in our behavior, love like Christ loved us. In short, we are to confront our own bitterness and instead be characterized by a kind and forgiving spirit; (6) in vv. 5:3-4 Paul explains that sexual immorality, impurity, coveting and vulgarity are all inconsistent with who we are, and that we should rather be thankful to God for the gift of sex than speak about it crudely or act immorally.

3. One of the grand themes in Ephesians 4:17-5:4 is that the Christian life is not self-centered, but God-centered, church-centered, other-focused.

4. Now Paul enters a section in which he supplies motivations for the living of the Christian life. He wants to arm us with arguments to use with ourselves in the fight against sin. This section comprises Ephesians 5:5-21.

5. Today Paul, in Ephesians 5:5-7, Paul speaks of the certainty of coming divine judgment as a motivation to Christian behavior.

5 For this you know with certainty, that no immoral or impure person or covetous man, who is an idolater, has an 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. 7 Therefore do not be partakers with them;

The New Testament gives Christians many reasons, incentives, motivations to right living, to our avoidance of sexual immorality

I. No unrepentant sexually immoral person has the rewards/blessings of the kingdom (5)
[Whatever they claim, those who live an immoral life, show that they are not in the kingdom of grace]
5 For this you know with certainty, that no immoral or impure person or covetous man, who is an idolater, has an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.

II. Don’t let anyone tell you _________ (6)
[The _____ of God to come has always been popular to deny]
6 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience

III. Don’t find yourself under God’s searching, __________ __________ with them (7)
[It is absolutely certain that __________ will be weighed in God’s balances and found lacking]
7 Therefore do not be partakers with them;