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;
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Husbands Loving Wives

Ephesians 5 is coming men. Here are some helpful articles to get us prepared.
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The Church: beaten but not destroyed

The picture to the right is that of First Presbyterian Church, Gulfport, now looking decidedly worn a year after the Katrina hurricane tore into its lower section. As I took this picture (a week ago) it served, I thought as a parable of the church as a whole. Every day, new strains of the enemy's attack seem more and more evident. Each news bulletin seems to bring with it fresh evidence of Satan's desire to destroy the purposes of God in building his church "within sight of the gates of hell" (Matthew 16:16ff). But we have a promise given to us by the King of Kings: Satan will not be victorious!

Jesus shall reign where’er the sun

Does his successive journeys run;

His kingdom stretch from shore to shore,

Till moons shall wax and wane no more.

(Isaac Watts)

(Apologies for no post yesterday--I think I crashed the entire system)

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A Life Well Lived: Charity and Its Fruits (3)

"Rest, then, on nothing that you have done or suffered, or that you can do or suffer, but rest on Christ."

Jonathan Edwards

"And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I deliver my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing" (1 Cor. 13:3, NASB).

From Lecture Three: "The Greatest Performances or Sufferings in Vain Without Charity."

"But doings or sufferings will not avail. They will not atone for your sins, or give you God’s favor, or save you from the overwhelming storms of his wrath. Rest, then, on nothing that you have done or suffered, or that you can do or suffer, but rest on Christ. Let your heart be filled with sincere love to him; and then, at the last great day, he will own you as his follower and as his friend."

Edwards calls upon all Christians "earnestly to cherish sincere Christian love in their hearts." He continues, "If it be so, that this is of such great and absolutes necessity, then let it be the one great thing that you seek. Seek it with diligence and prayer, and seek it of God, and not of yourself. He only can bestow it. It is something far above the unassisted power of nature. For though there may be great performances, and great sufferings too, yet without sincere love they are all in vain. Such doings and sufferings may indeed be required of us, as the followers of Christ, and in the way of duty. But we are not to rest in them, or feel that they have any merit or worthiness in themselves. At best they are but the outward evidence and the outflowing of a right spirit in the heart. Be exhorted, then, as the great thing, to cherish sincere love, or Christian charity, in the heart. It is that which you must have; and there is nothing that will help your case without it."
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Joe in the far north!

Revs. Phillip Palmertree and Joe Holland

Thought you'd like a photograph of Joe Holland at his installation service as Assistant Minister at the PCA church in Kosciusko last Sunday evening. Yours truly gave the charge to Joe--not $25 as I was tempted, but a reminder of the solemn charge given to Dr James Henley Thornwell and Rev F Mullally in May, 1860 at First Presbyterian Church, Columbia. Ligon gave a wonderful 5-point charge to the congregation based on Ephesians 6 (you'll be getting it soon I'm sure in another form when we are done with Ephesians 5! It's another scorcher!). Our own Bebo Elkin also took part, leading us in prayer.

We passed on your regards and wished Joe and Hallie God's blessing on their new sphere of ministry in Kosciusko. Joe, we'll miss you!

And you should have told me that there are so many family connections with First Pres. Jackson before I started saying all things about you folks in Jackson!

Mississippi!

O well, it's too late now.

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"No clergy, No Problem"

The Washington Post notes the disconcerting trend toward house churches in "Going to Church by Staying at Home: Clergy-Less Living Room Services Seen as a Growing Trend."
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A Life Well Lived: Charity and Its Fruits (2)

"What could God have done more for you than he has done?"

"God is seeking your love, and you are under unspeakable obligation to render it."

Jonathan Edwards

"If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. [2] And if I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing"
(1 Cor. 13:1-2, NASB).

From Lecture Two: "Charity More Excellent Than The Extraordinary Gifts of the Spirit."

"What could God have done more for you than he has done? What privilege could he have bestowed, better in itself, or more worthy to engage your heart in thankfulness? And consider how you are living — how little you have done for him — how much you do for self — how little this divine love hath wrought in your heart to incline you to live for God and Christ, and for the extension of his kingdom. Oh, how should such as you, show your sense of your high privileges, by the exercises of love! Love that is manifest toward God in obedience, submission, reverence, cheerfulness, joy, and hope; and toward your neighbor, in meekness, sympathy, humility, charitableness, and doing good to all as you have opportunity."

"God is seeking your love, and you are under unspeakable obligation to render it. The Spirit of God has been poured out wonderfully here. Multitudes have been converted. Scarcely a family has been passed by. In almost every household some have been made nobles, kings, and priests unto God, sons and daughters of the Lord Almighty! What manner of persons, then, ought all of us to be! How holy, serious, just, humble, charitable, devoted in God’s service, and faithful to our fellowmen! As individuals and as a people, God has most richly blessed us, and as both individuals and a people, it becomes us to be a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people, showing forth the praises of him that hath called us out of darkness into his marvelous light. "
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Ephesians 5:3-4 Outline

Sexual Immorality, Coarse Talk, Thanksgiving, and the Glory of God

Introduction (review):
1. In this whole section of Ephesians (4:17-32), 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. So far, Paul has specifically addressed five 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. 28-29 Paul deals with stealing; (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; and (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.

3. This brings us to Paul’s sixth life example and application of how we are to live distinctively as Christians, it appears in Ephesians 5:3-4.

3 But immorality or any impurity or greed must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints; 4 and there must be no filthiness and silly talk, or coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks.

Introduction:
Throughout the passage, Paul is concerned that we are not self-centered, but rather God-centered, church-centered, other-focused.

I. Christian behavior is not to be characterized by sexual immorality, impurity and coveting (3a) [Sexual immorality]
3 But immorality or any impurity or greed must not even be named among you, . . .

II. Christian conversation is not to be vulgar (4a) [Coarse talk]
. . . 4 and there must be no filthiness and silly talk, or coarse jesting, . . .

III. Christian behavior and conversation is to be informed by what is fitting for Christians (3b, 4b) [Fitting/not fitting]
3 But immorality or any impurity or greed must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints; 4 and there must be no filthiness and silly talk, or coarse jesting, which are not fitting, . . .

IV. Christians, instead of being sexually immoral and vulgar, are to give thanks to God for sex (4c) [Giving thanks]
3 But immorality or any impurity or greed must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints; 4 and there must be no filthiness and silly talk, or coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks.
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Hope in tragedy

Noticed this on my visit to the Gulf last weekend! Reminded me of a verse of Scripture:

"After this I will return, and I will rebuild the tent of David that has fallen; I will rebuild its ruins, and I will restore it, that the remnant of mankind may seek the Lord, and all the Gentiles who are called by my name, says the Lord, who makes these things known from of old"

(Acts 15:16-18 citing from Amos 9 about the gathering of the gentiles into the kingdom in new covenant days)

Congratulations to Dr. Guy Richard on passing his viva. It is now official!

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The Cubs lose--again! Another postcard from 'The Windy City'

I have been reading the sports pages! I know, wonders never cease! Actually, it was the headline that caught my eye: "'God has definitely a hand in the Rockies rise,' team manager says."

The man in question appears to be Dan O'Dowd, the team manager of the Rockies.

Now, that's about all I know of the Rockies, but the article (USA Today, May 31 2006) makes for fascinating reading. Apparently, Playboy magazine is banned from the Rockies' locker room--part of the basis, it seems, for the opinion that this is a more Christian baseball team.

I'm not questioning whether some of the team members are genuine believers, but allow me a moment to ask: Is God really interested in baseball? Is the fact that the Cubs have consistently done so poorly for the best part of a century mean that God put a hex on the team (something about a billy-goat and a curse pronounced by a William Sianis when told he and his goat had to leave)? And the fact the Red Sox won the World series in 2004, does this mean that a similar curse on them had now been lifted? Certainly, it's the folklore in the Windy City, and billboards still play on the curse theme.

It's useful (and superstitious) to blame bad players and bad management on a shaman-pronounced curse on people, singularly or collectively. And, to put it the other way around, it's equally superstitious to think that good things (more money, better jobs, my team winning) is an indication that God has pronounced a blessing. Does this mean that God is happy with (as I read in this article) a player making $22 million a year?

That the relative outcome of a baseball team is part of God's decree, his sovereign control in providence of everything that happens, is beyond question. But to suggest that the fortunes of a baseball team are indicative of answered prayer is, well, a stretch to say the least. Mounting a biblical argument that it really is God's will for this team or that to win would be a difficult thing to do; but you're welcome to try.

And, if you were wondering about the Cubs-Reds game we attended? The Cubs lost!

I think I heard a billy-goat in the third innings!
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