Click here to download the sermon file.
Recap of the sermon from November 21st (Ephesians 5:22-24):
1. Paul teaches the need for order in the Christian home. He begins in 5:22-33 with the husband and wife relationship. There is a God-ordained order in the Christian home expressed by the terms “headship” and “submission.” This order is based, not on culture, but on creation (Genesis 2 & 3; 1 Corinthians 11:3; 1Timothy 2:13).
2. What Paul writes in Ephesians contrasts the deplorable situation women found themselves in in Jewish, Greek, and Roman culture. As one writer states: “It is this admonition to wives which has made Paul the object of most bitter attack. The apostle has been declared to be the enemy of women. His teachings have been attributed to an age of darkness when women were degraded and debased by men. On the other hand, more careful study will show that Paul has been their great emancipator. He is the one who has instead upon their spiritual equality with men. Whenever his teaching have been accepted women have been enfranchised, ennobled, and given their just and proper rights.”
3. Christian wives are called to submit (hupotasso-a Greek military term meaning to “line up on ranks,” “fall in line.” It has to do with order, not with value, being, equality or inferiority. It does not imply “slavish obedience.” It does mean to place oneself under the leadership of another, not usurping another’s authority. She is called to submit “to her own husband,” limiting Paul’s admonition to Christian marriage, not to all of society.
4. This call to submission is not the only call to submission in the Scriptures. Christians are called to submit to each other in the Body of Christ (Ephesians 5:21); to submit to governmental authorities (Romans 13; Titus 3:1; 1 Peter 2:13); to submit to church leaders (Hebrews 13:17; 1 Thessalonians 5:12), to name some.
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
What it Means to be Spiritual
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Recap of the sermon from November 14, 2010 (Ephesians 5:18-21):
1. Paul issues a call to live a Spirit-controlled life. As we allow the Holy Spirit to direct our lives, we will walk in wisdom and in the will of God.
2. “Of all the doctrines in the realm of the person and work of the Holy Spirit, there is none more important, as it relates to the believer’s Christian life, than that of the filling of the Spirit.” (J. Dwight Pentecost)
3. “[To be filled with the Spirit] seems to describe a state in which one is under the control of the Spirit of Christ and impelled and empowered to do His will. It was not a mystical—nor was it regarded as an exceptional—experience. It was not the prerogative of any one believer or of any one class of Christians. It was an experience frequently repeated in the life of individuals and of the church. To be ‘filled with the Spirit’ is indeed the normal state of every follower of Christ. The supreme condition is surrender to Christ…” (William Erdman)
4. The analogy Paul uses to illustrate the filling of the Spirit is that of drunkenness. Even as alcohol completely controls and dominates a person’s walk, talk, perception, sight, judgment, so the Holy Spirit should dominate a believer’s walk, talk, perception, etc.
5. The conditions for the filling of the Spirit are: yielding to God (coming to the place where we surrender our wills, our ways, our wisdom, our goals, our ambitions and our desires); confessing sin to God (1 John 1:9); and consciously submitting to the Spirit’s control moment-by-moment.
6. The results of being controlled by the Spirit are: 1) vocal expression, speaking encouragingly to others, building them up; 2) heart expression to God, “the silent music of the rejoicing heart;” 3) continual thankfulness, not only for good things, but also for challenges, hardships, etc., and especially for God’s amazing love which has saved us; and 4) mutual submission, not insisting on our rights, demanding our own way, or pleasing ourselves.
Recap of the sermon from November 14, 2010 (Ephesians 5:18-21):
1. Paul issues a call to live a Spirit-controlled life. As we allow the Holy Spirit to direct our lives, we will walk in wisdom and in the will of God.
2. “Of all the doctrines in the realm of the person and work of the Holy Spirit, there is none more important, as it relates to the believer’s Christian life, than that of the filling of the Spirit.” (J. Dwight Pentecost)
3. “[To be filled with the Spirit] seems to describe a state in which one is under the control of the Spirit of Christ and impelled and empowered to do His will. It was not a mystical—nor was it regarded as an exceptional—experience. It was not the prerogative of any one believer or of any one class of Christians. It was an experience frequently repeated in the life of individuals and of the church. To be ‘filled with the Spirit’ is indeed the normal state of every follower of Christ. The supreme condition is surrender to Christ…” (William Erdman)
4. The analogy Paul uses to illustrate the filling of the Spirit is that of drunkenness. Even as alcohol completely controls and dominates a person’s walk, talk, perception, sight, judgment, so the Holy Spirit should dominate a believer’s walk, talk, perception, etc.
5. The conditions for the filling of the Spirit are: yielding to God (coming to the place where we surrender our wills, our ways, our wisdom, our goals, our ambitions and our desires); confessing sin to God (1 John 1:9); and consciously submitting to the Spirit’s control moment-by-moment.
6. The results of being controlled by the Spirit are: 1) vocal expression, speaking encouragingly to others, building them up; 2) heart expression to God, “the silent music of the rejoicing heart;” 3) continual thankfulness, not only for good things, but also for challenges, hardships, etc., and especially for God’s amazing love which has saved us; and 4) mutual submission, not insisting on our rights, demanding our own way, or pleasing ourselves.
Tuesday, November 09, 2010
Urgency in the Christian Life
Click here to download the sermon file.
Recap of 11/7/10 (Ephesians 5:15-17):
1. If Christians are to be light in a world of darkness we must live wisely. That’s Paul’s exhortation to Christians. To live unwisely is to live: in disunity (4:1-16); sin (4:17-32); selfishly (5:1-6); and in darkness (5:7-14). A wise walk is a walk which reflects our dependence upon God, not drifting through life but setting a proper course (the example being how we plan our professional and personal lives but seem to have no direction for our spiritual lives. Time in the Word and prayer, church attendance, and service must be priorities for us, not just if I feel like it or if I haven’t had too hard a week. Spiritual life can too easily be seen as secondary to our recreational life, our professional life, etc.; Paul classes this as unwise.
2. Warren Wiersbe has said: “It is sad to see many professed Christians ‘drift’ through life, like sleep walkers, who never really make the most of opportunities to live for Christ and serve Him.”
3. We must be live wisely (“Biblical wisdom is not an intellectual achievement, but an attitude to life which begins with a knowledge of God and an avoidance of all that displeases Him.” –Ralph P. Martin) because:
-we don’t have any more time to waste on the “old life,” the old way of living
-the days are evil (morally corrupt, hostile to Christian values, and desperately needs the light we can bring)
-God has a purpose and plan for us that must take precedence in our lives.
Recap of 11/7/10 (Ephesians 5:15-17):
1. If Christians are to be light in a world of darkness we must live wisely. That’s Paul’s exhortation to Christians. To live unwisely is to live: in disunity (4:1-16); sin (4:17-32); selfishly (5:1-6); and in darkness (5:7-14). A wise walk is a walk which reflects our dependence upon God, not drifting through life but setting a proper course (the example being how we plan our professional and personal lives but seem to have no direction for our spiritual lives. Time in the Word and prayer, church attendance, and service must be priorities for us, not just if I feel like it or if I haven’t had too hard a week. Spiritual life can too easily be seen as secondary to our recreational life, our professional life, etc.; Paul classes this as unwise.
2. Warren Wiersbe has said: “It is sad to see many professed Christians ‘drift’ through life, like sleep walkers, who never really make the most of opportunities to live for Christ and serve Him.”
3. We must be live wisely (“Biblical wisdom is not an intellectual achievement, but an attitude to life which begins with a knowledge of God and an avoidance of all that displeases Him.” –Ralph P. Martin) because:
-we don’t have any more time to waste on the “old life,” the old way of living
-the days are evil (morally corrupt, hostile to Christian values, and desperately needs the light we can bring)
-God has a purpose and plan for us that must take precedence in our lives.
Tuesday, November 02, 2010
Lighting the Darkness
Click here to download the sermon file.
Recap of 10/31/10 (Ephesians 5:7-14):
1. Believers are changed people, we once lived in darkness, now we live in the light. We are children of light and must therefore live “true to our place in God’s family.”
2. The contrast between light and darkness is a common Biblical theme: we must put aside the deeds of darkness, and put on the armor of light (Romans 13:12); we must not be yoked with unbelievers since light can have no fellowship with darkness (2 Corinthians 6:14); we are sons of the light and of the day and do not belong to darkness or the night, thus we must be alert and self-controlled (1 Thessalonians 5:5); we can’t claim to have fellowship with God and walk in the darkness (1 John 1:5-7).
3. When one walks in the light, their life is characterized by goodness (“generosity of spirit,” ”love in action”), righteousness (“right character before God and right actions before men”); and truth (truth lived out, “conformity to the Word and will of God”). (Quotations by William Barclay and Warren Wiersbe)
4. As believers walk in the light they expose (or reprove) those living in darkness (carnal Christians and non-Christians alike). J. Vernon McGee express well the intent of this passage: “This does not mean that the believer is to become a reformer. It does mean that by the light of his life he is a rebuke to the works of darkness. Darkness is not driven away by preaching at it; darkness is dissipated by the presence of light.”
Recap of 10/31/10 (Ephesians 5:7-14):
1. Believers are changed people, we once lived in darkness, now we live in the light. We are children of light and must therefore live “true to our place in God’s family.”
2. The contrast between light and darkness is a common Biblical theme: we must put aside the deeds of darkness, and put on the armor of light (Romans 13:12); we must not be yoked with unbelievers since light can have no fellowship with darkness (2 Corinthians 6:14); we are sons of the light and of the day and do not belong to darkness or the night, thus we must be alert and self-controlled (1 Thessalonians 5:5); we can’t claim to have fellowship with God and walk in the darkness (1 John 1:5-7).
3. When one walks in the light, their life is characterized by goodness (“generosity of spirit,” ”love in action”), righteousness (“right character before God and right actions before men”); and truth (truth lived out, “conformity to the Word and will of God”). (Quotations by William Barclay and Warren Wiersbe)
4. As believers walk in the light they expose (or reprove) those living in darkness (carnal Christians and non-Christians alike). J. Vernon McGee express well the intent of this passage: “This does not mean that the believer is to become a reformer. It does mean that by the light of his life he is a rebuke to the works of darkness. Darkness is not driven away by preaching at it; darkness is dissipated by the presence of light.”
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