Living in the Light Ephesians 5:1-21

Blake Jennings Grace Bible Church - Suthwd Living in the Light Ephesians 5:1-21 Turn t Ephesians 5 Last week: - Our gal in life = help peple find and fllw Jesus - But we can t d that successfully unless ur lives STAND OUT lk different than the rest f the wrld Paul cntinues that theme in tday s passage but uses a new metaphr: LIGHT - read 5:8-9 - We live in a dark wrld amng peple stumbling arund in darkness - Hard fr us t imagine because we always have the lights n - Gd has called us t help rescue thse still in darkness - But will nly happen if we live in the light S, in a dark wrld HOW d yu live in the light? - Same answer as last week - Hw d yu live a cunter-cultural life? By depending n the HS living in yu - Read v18 One f the mst imprtant and mst famus verses in Eph filled is ften misunderstd the HS is nt a fluid and yu are nt a cntainer! makes sense when yu cmpare t getting drunk what d we say abut a persn wh drinks and then drives? DUI driving under the influence f alchl that s what Paul has in mind fr us we wuld be living under the influence f the HS allwing Him t lead us t righteusness and faithfulness - What we talked abut last week hw d we walk by the Spirit? like a child hlding up a hand t a parent humbly submitting t the parent s directin and strength t guide the child safely acrss the street - When yu allw the HS t lead yu results: Read Gal 5:22-23a fruit = what the Hly Spirit prduces in the life f the believer wh depends n Him T live in the light means that yur life is full f this fruit yu are lving, jyus, peaceful, etc. But just like last week, Paul desn t leave the discussin at that thelgical level. He gets specific. What exactly des a Spirit-filled life lk like? What des it lk like t live in the light? That s what mst f the passage is abut. WHAT it lks like t live in the light 4 things 1. Imitate Jesus sacrificial lve - Read 5:1-2 - Exactly what we talked abut last week I think 5:1-2 are a summary f last week s passage - We stand ut frm the rest f the wrld by lving ne anther sacrificially Means reslving ur anger prmptly and prductively Frgiving ne anther Speaking grace and truth t each ther even when it s hard Sharing with ne anther even when it s cstly

- That s what it lks like t lve as Jesus lves - But that lve is cstly. Why shuld we? Answer fund in what we re called belved children In classical literature belved carries the idea f being an nly child. The idea is that Gd lves each f us in the way He wuld lve an nly child we receive a full measure f His lve and devtin. S why shuld we sacrificially lve thers? Because we are sacrificially lved s deeply by the Creatr f the Universe that it s as if each and every ne f us was His nly child. Gd didn t just care abut humanity as a whle; He cares abut each ne f us individually as much as if we were the nly humans He ever made. - S, we sacrifice t lve ne anther because Gd sacrificed t lve us first. - Paul takes us back t what we studied last week we stand ut frm the wrld by lving ne anther sacrificially - And then he takes us frward by adding 3 new pieces. - He starts, just like last week, with what we must avid 2. Run frm darkness - read v4-5 - Paul names 6 related sins 3 behavirs and 3 types f speech: immrality sexual sin including sex utside f marriage, hmsexual behavir, prngraphy, prstitutin any frm f sexual expressin utside the bunds f marriage. impurity brader wrd that includes any actin that is cntrary t Gd s law greed t want mre than Gd has prvided = cveting yu want what Gd has given t smene else filthiness bscenities; saying things that are shameful silly talk saying things that are flish and hurtful includes gssip and slander carse jesting inapprpriate humr such as sarcasm that tears peple dwn - All f these sins are inapprpriate - And yet all f them are s, s cmmn in the culture we live in Western culture lives and breathes these sins Turn n the TV t any channel and yu will quickly find at least ne f these! Find them n the internet, radi, mvies - Paul says d nt even name NOT: dn t ever talk abut it clearly we shuld! We re ding it right nw! = Dn t talk abut these things as thugh they were acceptable Run frm them dn t give even an inch - S nw we ve gt t get a little uncmfrtable Mst f us knw that prngraphy is nt k Desn t mean Christians never give in! Recent studies indicate the vast majrity f men and significant minrity f wmen lk at prn at least mnthly. Even thugh mst reasnable peple knw it s bad fr us. Even the NYT nt exactly a bastin f scial cnservatism has published articles recently abut the destructive effects f prngraphy n ur sciety. It s destrying marriages, hurting ur kids, and ruining ur sex lives. But mst f yu have heard that befre What I want t fcus n is what seems like an even bigger prblem: the narrwing gap between prngraphy and regular televisin. It has shrunk dramatically ver the last decade

Sme f the mst ppular shws n televisin right nw: shws like Game f Thrnes shw graphic nudity, sex, and vilence and yet s many peple even many Christians are watching thse S many shws n Netflix and Amazn Prime that are TVMA because f nudity, vilence, prfanity and yet they re sme f the mst ppular shws in ur sciety at the mment. I dn t think Gd is k with His kids watching that stuff I knw that s hard t hear fr sme f yu. And I m nt here t judge yu. There s n verse in the Bible I can pint t that says, Watching Game f Thrnes is sin. I culd be wrng. Ultimately, this is between yu and Gd. What I am saying is that I believe TV shws full f graphic sex and vilence d vilate Paul s cmmand in Ephesians 5 They are darkness... and they will fill yur mind and heart with darkness. And beynd the 2 shws I ve mentined, we ve gt t be careful abut any shw r mvie that prmtes immrality r vilence that s hw they change yur mind and heart n this stuff. First, they make yu think it s funny. Then they make yu think it s acceptable. That s exactly what we re seeing happen in ur culture. Recall hw culture changed arund the shw Friends. At the time it came ut, it was edgy prtrayed mdern life as a string f sexual encunters with multiple partners free f any real cnsequences. Nw it s quaint! It s nthing cmpared t what s n TV tday. Friends and ther shws like it nrmalized the idea f hk-up sex and reset the bar f what s acceptable. Nw I m nt telling yu whether it s k r nt t watch Friends. What I am saying is that we must be careful abut what we let in t ur minds and hearts because it will change us fr the better r wrse. Ben Stuart Single, Dating, Engaged, Married writes abut a cnversatin between a Scilgy Prfessr and a cnvicted child rapist. He tld her abut hw predatrs grm yung girls by telling them that what matters is hw ht she is because when she believes that her wrth is fund in her vert sexuality, the predatr can explit that. And then he said, Nw the culture des a lt f the grming fr me. I dn t knw anything mre sickening r cndemning f mdern sciety than that cmment. That s why I find this whle Harvey Weinstein / Kevin Spacey situatin t be mre than irnic. They re leading men in an industry that has been prducing and prmting immrality in mvies and televisin fr decades and we re surprised that they cmmitted sexual crimes?! Have yu seen the what they sell as entertainment these days?! It s full f darkness. And yu can t prduce r cnsume that darkness withut it effecting yu fr the wrse. We must prtect ur minds and hearts frm the darkness f sin And we must prtect ur kids I m truly cncerned abut kids and teenagers watching shws that nrmalize sexual immrality and vilence When yu watch things like that, especially at a yung age, it has a pwerful effect n yu. N matter hw mature and gdly yu think yu are, if yu fill yur mind with the darkness displayed in shws like that, it will tear yu dwn. - We cannt cmprmise with evil in ur wn persnal lives. We must run frm the darkness. Think abut what Jseph did when Ptiphar s wife came calling

She was likely a very beautiful wman wife f a pwerful man f a pwerful natin he wuld have chsen an attractive wife She prpsitins Jseph and what des he d?... He runs. Desn't debate with her. Desn t chat with her. Desn t just g t the ther side f the rm. He runs. Because yu cannt cmprmise with darkness in yur life. Flee immrality, impurity, greed - Why? Read v5-6 NOT saying that anyne wh ever des any f these is ging t hell Saying that this is what unbelievers d, and it s what earns them the wrath f Gd. S why wuld we d smething that clearly ffends Gd and deserves His wrath? We ve been saved ut f that darkness. Why wuld we ever g back?! We run frm immrality and greed because we knw there s n life there n blessing, n peace, n freedm. There is nly death and pain and slavery in sin. - S, walk in the light f purity Read v7-14 Live a righteus life, a mral life a life full f light - And let s help each ther d that by Expsing darkness when we see it = cnfrnting thse chsing darkness Critical distinctin: NOT fr unbelievers read 1 Cr 5:12 It s nt ur jb t judge the wrld r cnfrnt them abut sin What they need is the gspel the gd news abut Jesus Cnfrntatin is fr believers thse inside the church Call ut sin in each ther s lives when we see it Nw let s be clear: it matters hw yu d it! We cnfrnt in GRACE means we d it privately, face-t-face, with humility we surrund any wrds f cnfrntatin with LOTS f wrds f encuragement we speak nly after we have prayed and inspected ur wn lives take the lg ut f yur wn eye befre yu address the spec in yur brther s eye But if we re gracius when we cnfrnt sin, then it s crucial t understand, we are NOT being judgmental s many Christians are s quick t say, If yu cnfrnt sin, yu re being judgmental That s true if it s the sin f nn-christians but if it s sin in ne anther s lives then it s nt judgmental at all it s lving. Jesus didn t say, Take the lg ut f yur wn eye and then mind yur wn business! He said, Nw, help yur brther with the spec in his eye It is nt lving t ignre sin in each ther s lives. That s why I mentined particular TV shws by name this mrning nt t anger r embarrass thse f yu wh watch thse shws, but because I care abut yu and want better fr yu. Nw here s the prblem: s many Christians fixate n this just fcus n what t cut ut f their lives. But if all yu ever fcus n is what t avid, yu are guaranteed t fail. - like telling an alchlic t chant t themselves all day lng, Dn t drink a beer dn t drink a beer - All they re thinking abut is beer!! It s very bad advice. - Hw d yu stp thinking abut smething bad? By thinking abut smething gd! - That s the 3 rd quality f living in the light yu practice gratitude 3. Practice gratitude - Read 5:15-18

- The careful, wise persn f v15-17 flees the sins previusly mentined and instead is filled by the Spirit v18 - And the result f being filled by the Spirit is v19-20 - Read 5:19-20 - T live in the light = yu practice gratitude = yu speak wrds f praise & thanksgiving Yu give thanks and praise t Gd and thers all the time It is yur nrmal pattern f life - That will prtect yu frm sin If yu want t succeed at the first half f the passage fleeing frm darkness yu ve gt t d the secnd half practice gratitude. - Our prf is the natin f Israel: Hw did they d verall in the Old Testament in fllwing Gd? BAD! Mst f the time they were knee deep in idlatry and greed. Why? read Psalm 106:13-14,19-21 Frgt nt abut literally frgetting smething abut chsing nt t remember and give thanks fr what Gd has dne fr yu Frgetting their blessings always led t sin and darkness - S it will be fr us! Jimmy Needham GBC alum wh s a gifted sngwriter and pastr qutes 2 Timthy 2:22, pursue righteusness, faith, lve, and peace, alng with thse wh call n the Lrd frm a pure heart. Here s what he says abut this verse, Many Christians, myself included, keep the first part f the verse, flee yuthful passins, but frget that Paul never had in mind fr us merely t flee frm sin Real freedm came fr me when I began, by Gd s grace, t see that my cravings were fr mre than just fd r sex. All my appetites were, at rt, fr an allsatisfying Gd. Gd will always be the better treasure, the mre pleasing sng. Jimmy recgnized that the antidte t temptatin is gratitude! Yu fcus n all the gd yu have in Christ all the lve, peace, security, purpse, frgiveness and all f a sudden, the sinful cravings f darkness becme far less appealing t yu. It s like when yu re inside lking at yur phne and the screen lks nice and bright it s attractive. And then yu step utside int the sunlight and yu can t even see yur screen anymre! It s ttally washed ut by the light f the sun. S it is when we practice gratitude the allure f sin is washed ut in the glry f the blessings f Gd. Gratitude is the antidte t temptatin - S let gratitude permeate all f yur life, including yur prayer life Read Phil 4:6-7 It s very easy t read these verses and ttally miss the call t praise that s what lts f peple d yeah, when I feel anxius I shuld turn t Gd in prayer, gt it. Wait dn t miss it if yu want yur prayers t be effective, yu must cuch yur prayers in thanksgiving. That means when yu pray, first give thanks t Gd fr what He s dne fr yu. Start there. Every time we pray we shuld begin with gratitude. yur thught life Read Phil 4:8 Paul is talking here abut ur mental free time. There are many times thrughut the day when ur minds are fcused n sme task r prblem r cnversatin we re having. But there s als times when ur minds are free. When we re driving, waiting in line, walking the hall, waiting fr a meeting t start yu get t chse what t

d with yur mind at such times, and Paul s encuragement is t fcus n gd things wrthy f praise think abut what yu re grateful fr. Let gratitude permeate yur mental free time. It s just like yu always have that antivirus sftware running in the backgrund n yur cmputer, s yu ught t have thughts f gratitude always running in the backgrund track f yur mind. That will help yu live in the light and run frm the darkness yur family life Read Psalm 78:4bc Parents, this may be the mst imprtant thing yu hear tday ne f yur greatest respnsibilities is t teach yur children the discipline f gratitude. Teach them abut why Gd is wrthy f praise. Help them understand all the gd things Gd has dne fr us. Tell them abut Jesus, His death and resurrectin, the gd news f the gspel. Teach them abut Gd s kindness in Creatin; His faithfulness t Israel; His prmises t the church. And then as yu teach them abut Gd mdel t them what it lks like t give thanks. Praise Gd when yur children are arund... when smething gd happens when yu see smething beautiful give thanks ut lud s yur kids can hear that and learn frm yu. When yu sit dwn at a meal, give thanks ut lud and d it fr real! Nt just perfunctry wrds but heartfelt gratitude fr hw Gd has blessed yur family. If yur kids hear yu give thanks t Gd every day fr years and years it will shape them int grateful men and wmen. That s ne f the greatest gifts yu can ever give yur kids mdel gratitude fr them. - If we want flee the darkness, run fr the light and yu d that by practicing gratitude all day, every day. - That s step 3 t living in the light. Step 4 begins in v21 read v21 4. Serve ne anther - that s what we ll lk at next week as we discuss ne f the mst cntrversial passages in Ephesians the passage n rles in marriage