Ephesians 5:1-7

[Shield]

Shield> Hello and welcome everyone:)
Shield> Lets pray
Shield> Our Father and our God again we come before you
Shield> in the simplicity of this moment
Shield> may this brief time we have together have eternal implications
Shield> may we be open to the teaching of your Word
Shield> and may we be willing to make personal application of the principles found therein
Shield> in the matchless name of Jesus we pray amen
Shield> last week we completed chapter 4
Shield> tonight we shall move on to chapter 5
Shield> so lets get to it together:)
Shield> Ephesians 5:1 Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children;
Shield> Ephesians 5:2 and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma.
Shield> what is he saying?
Shield> the word therefore certainly is an indicator
Shield> he is building upon his preceding argument regarding our behavior
Shield> Ephesians 4:32 Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.
Shield> Ephesians 5:1 Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children;
Shield> Ephesians 5:2 and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma.
Shield> he is drawing a distinction
Shield> the contrast between being unlike God...and as snapette points out...being like God
Shield> here we see Paul pointing to Jesus
Shield> Jesus Christ loved us
Shield> and his love was demonstrated by virtue of his life....and his willing sacrifice on our behalf
Shield> but there are certain things that tend to derail God's design
Shield> and they are very potent
Shield> and distructive
Shield> as a Pastor and human being I witness the affects daily
Shield> everyday I walk over the ash heaps of broken families and lives
Shield> and broken children
Shield> Ephesians 5:3 But immorality or any impurity or greed must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints;
Shield> yet it must have been an issue
Shield> indeed it was
Shield> the Apostle was not speaking theoretically
snapette> i.e. sins derailed God's design
Shield> yes
Shield> particularly sins that pertain to immorality and greed
Shield> Ephesians 5:4 and there must be no filthiness and silly talk, or co**** jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks.
Shield> this verse lends itself to some explanation
Shield> as does the previous one
Shield> Here we see some very specific issues
gara> satan is very subtle and often not reconginzed until you are in the middle of negative actions.
Shield> yes thats very true gara
Shield> the issue of sexual immorality is probably the most potent and prevalent both then and now
Shield> although this venue is not designed to explore it in detail given both males and females and often children may be present
Shield> the point remains valid
Shield> and is noteworthy
Shield> beyond that in verse 4 we see the term silly talk
Shield> this refers to innuendo
Shield> wittiness
snapette> or idle talk?
Shield> not here...
Shield> tho that is valid
gara> leading someone to believe what is not true without actually stating it.
gara> in plain words the "white Lie"
Shield> here it is referring to witticisms that refer to sexual innuendo
Shield> since that was and is the most common form of inapropriate joking
writer> mmm, good one
Shield> co**** jesting refers to more overt types of inappropriate conversation
Shield> i find it interesting that the writer provides a substitute to these behaviors
Shield> thanksgiving
Shield> Ephesians 5:4 and there must be no filthiness and silly talk, or co**** jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks.
Shield> so he says...don't do these things....
Shield> rather..be thankful!
Shield> and we have so much to be thankful for!
Shield> Ephesians 5:5 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.
Shield> This is a very pointed passage
Bride> the thankfulness turns our focus to HIm and away from that which we are tempted to do in the flesh
Shield> amen Bride!
Shield> very good point
Shield> if we would focus on being thankful for Gods free gift of salvation and his many blessings...we wouldnt have time to be miserable in all these sinful behaviors!
Bride> well
Bride> thankfulness gives way to praise ... and we should find it hard to praise out of one side of the mouth and use it to be immoral at the same time
Shield> very very true
gara> there is actually no satisfaction in those behaviors-they are at best fleeting and short lived-thankfulness and praise keep your mind on the fact taht you are a vistor here and a citizen of the heavenly kingdom.
Shield> yes indeed gara
Shield> Ephesians 5:5 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.
Shield> what is God saying in this text?
Shield> well
gara> that you can have your impure thoughts and jokes-run after things that will pass away in the twinkling of an eye when Jesus returns or you can follow the Lord
gara> into the fields of the world and build up the kingdom and reap a much more lasting joy and love
Shield> basically he is saying that there are specific measureable ways to determine the validity of a persons commitment to Jesus Christ
Shield> amen gara
Shield> God really doesnt pull any punches here
Shield> he states it like it is
Shield> God is holy
Shield> and no unholy person or thing can be in his presence
snapette> that no sin enters into Heaven
Shield> amen snapette
gara> amen
Shield> Ephesians 5:6 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.
Shield> Ephesians 5:7 Therefore do not be partakers with them;
Shield> there are some teachers who would teach that its ok to partake in certain sinful behaviors
Rock> Empty words are words that do not glorify Christ...that do not lead to his kingdom...right?
Shield> yes Rock I would agree
Shield> and in fact they lead away from his Kingdom
Rock> The "new-age" teachings are hollow...contain no hope.
Shield> they are not neutral
Shield> but they offer false hope
Shield> ergo they deceive
Rock> Hope in anything except Jesus is hollow...or false.
snapette> aman
Shield> yes indeed
Shield> the thing is
Shield> there is only one way
Shield> 1 Timothy 2:5 For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,
Shield> let me ask you all something
Shield> in the privacy of your own thoughts and home
Shield> how is your relationship with God going?
Shield> first of all...
Shield> do you have a relationship with God?
Shield> if not and you would like to ....
Shield> please feel free to pc me now
Shield> open the pc window and in a moment we can talk some more
Shield> but if you do know Jesus
Shield> and you struggle with some area of sin
Shield> please know that God has not abandoned you
Shield> nor has he turned His back on you
Shield> He loves you
Shield> repent of any sinful behavior and confess your sins to someone either here or in real life
Shield> and God will forgive you
Shield> 1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Shield> lets pray
Shield> Our Father you know the hearts of each one here
Shield> please help us not to turn aside from this opportunity you have given us
Shield> may we be willing to turn away from our sin
Shield> and may we be willing to confess our sins to one another so that we may be forgiven and find freedom from these behaviors
Shield> in the mighty name of Jesus I pray
Shield> amen