Ephesians 5:15-20 Sing and Make Music!

Ephesians 5:15-20  Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.  Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.  Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery.  Instead, be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit.  Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

In the above verses, Paul continues to instruct Christians on how to live their daily lives.  He has already told them in the previous verses we have read to imitate God in everything they do because they are his dear children.  He points them to a life filled with love, following the example of Christ.  He reminds them of the Lord’s love for them and that he offered himself as a sacrifice for them as pleasing aroma to God.  But Paul knows the Ephesians live in a crooked and perverse world.  In such a caustic and challenging environment to their new lives, they need to carefully determine what pleases the Lord.  They should never take part in the worthless deeds of evil and darkness; instead, expose them.  So now we hear Paul say, Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.  How then should they live their lives?  They should live as lights in a dark world, exposing by the light they possess the dark deeds of the world.  The contrast that they bring to the world will reveal the darkness in the lives of the people around them.  Paul warns the Ephesian Christians not to participate in the things of the old man and his debauched environment.  They should not cope with the vicissitudes of living with the old routine of getting drunk on wine to dull their senses.  Instead he desires for them to be filled with the Spirit.  The Holy Spirit is the engine to a positive, overcoming life.  Without his presence minute-by-minute, day-by-day, Christians' lives will flounder in this world of darkness and sin.  A doldrum, lacking the Holy Spirit’s wind in their lives, will set them adrift from real life in God.  An existence without the wind of God is a wilderness journey, caught in the mundane activities of life, hiding in work and entertainment for a reason to live.  Paul warns the Ephesians not to go back to their former lives of waywardness and self-indulgence; instead, he encourages them to live lives full of the Holy Spirit’s presence—lives that are filled with the Holy Spirit's presence will interact with others in the body of Christ with psalms, hymns, and songs.  Christian people should be so full of the Spirit’s presence that in their gatherings they will desire to share what they have learned from walking with God.  In the Corinthian church this excitement was so great that Paul had to teach them to gather to edify the whole church, not just tell or sing what God has done for them.  They came together happy and with enthusiasm about the work of the Spirit inside of them, but their lack of control within their meetings often caused confusion and not edification.  He tells the Corinthian church to come together in an orderly fashion regardless of their enthusiasm in knowing the Holy Spirit in their lives.  What then shall we say, brothers and sisters?  When you come together, each of you has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation.  Everything must be done so that the church may be built up.  (1 Corinthians 14:26)   Paul cautions the believers about their gathering  without focusing on edifying the whole church.  But with the Ephesians, he is encouraging them that in their personal lives, they should live IN THE HOLY SPIRIT’S presence, allowing the Spirit of God to energize their daily lives, creating new songs in their hearts each day.  Praise the Lord.  Sing to the Lord a new song, his praise in the assembly of his faithful people.  Let Israel rejoice in their Maker; let the people of Zion be glad in their king.  Let them praise his name with dancing and make music to him with timbrel and harp.  For the Lord takes delight in his people; he crowns the humble with victory.  Let his faithful people rejoice in this honor and sing for joy on their beds.  (Psalm 149:1-5)  The presence of God in their lives should give them a new song in the morning and a song of gladness as they retire for the night.  The Spirit of God should be singing in their spirits all day long.  Anything else is less than what God desires for them.  If the song of the Spirit is absent from their hearts, they will experience the anxieties and fears of this world rather than the joy and love of God.  Therefore, for the Christian,  Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. (Praise the Lord!)  (Psalm 150:6)

The Spirit's presence in our lives changes us to a new person.  We see this happening to king Saul.  He was a humble man when he first was filled with the Holy Spirit.  When Samuel selected him to be the first king of Israel, Saul was not able to accept the words of Samuel, for he thought of himself as a man not worthy of such an exalted position.  Samuel knew this of Saul, and God knew Saul could not accept the reins of king unless he knew that God had his hand on him in a special way.  So after Samuel anointed him with oil and told him that he has been selected by God to be the king of Israel, Samuel gave him three signs that Saul would experience as he left Samuel to go to his home.  The first one was that he would meet two men who would tell Saul that the donkeys that Saul had been looking for were found.  The second sign would be that he would meet three men who would have three young goats, three loaves of bread and a wineskin full of wine.  And they would offer to give Saul two of the loaves of bread.  Samuel tells Saul he should accept those two loaves.  And then the third sign that Saul would meet on his way home to confirm that he really had been chose by God as the first king of Israel is a band of prophets on the road.  After that you will go to Gibeah of God, where there is a Philistine outpost.  As you approach the town, you will meet a procession of prophets coming down from the high place with lyres, timbrels, pipes and harps being played before them, and they will be prophesying.  The Spirit of the Lord will come powerfully upon you, and you will prophesy with them; and you will be changed into a different person.  (1 Samuel 10:5-6)  We see in this scene the presence of the Holy Spirit changing the heart of Saul from just an ordinary man to a man of God.  Saul prophesies with them.  He is changed into a different person.  This is exactly what happens to a born-again believer.  He or she is changed into a different person.  And because of that, the new believer will prophesy, sing songs, express the glory of the Lord in their mouths daily, for they are no longer part of the world of debauchery, but everything is now new.  All life is brighter, more vivid, and the understanding of what has changed from a finite existence to an eternal one is more clear.  We see this experience as Jesus is with the disciples at the Lord’s table.  As with Saul not knowing he could take the mantle of being the first king of Israel, we see Jesus sharing something with the disciples that will change their whole lives.  He is anointing to change their total perspective on life.  No longer will they just be men who follow Jesus: they will be new creatures, born-again, made new by the advent of the cross.  While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is my body. ”Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you.  This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.  I tell you, I will not drink from this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.”  When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.  (Matthew 26:26-30)  They left that gathering with a song, for the Spirit was singing a new song in their hearts.  Jesus anointed their heads with a purpose beyond their understanding when they left that supper, just as Saul did not really know what Samuel was doing, but on his day of Pentecost, he received full knowledge that he really was the king.  These disciple did not really know what this eating of the bread and drinking of the wine was about until the day of Pentecost.  Then the reality of being born-again set in.  They were really now people with crowns on their heads.  A fire of the Spirit descended on their heads, anointing them with the living Spirit.  Now they could walk away from that scene as children of the Living God, intimately involved with the Creator of all things.

In the above verses, Paul teaches the Ephesians that they are more than just human beings who believe in Jesus Christ as the Lord.  But they are people who are filled with the Holy Spirit of God, and because of that they should live as people of light.  They should sing and make music in their hearts to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.  They are new creatures, who embody the presence of God himself through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.  the Bible says the stars sing; now we who are lights should be singing God’s glory.  In the Old Testament we read, I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry.  He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand.  He put a new song in my mouth,  a hymn of praise to our God.  Many will see and fear the Lord and put their trust in him.  (Psalm 40:1-3)  We were lost, unable to find our way home in this desert of life.  But God came to our aid and directed our steps through his indwelling Spirit.  Paul desired the Ephesians to live the life God had planned for them, not for them to go back to the beggarly elements of the world, for only death reigned there.  He desired for them to live lives of joy with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit in their hearts.  Where the Spirit is there are the words of God dwelling in our spirits.  The message of God never quits in our spirits.  He knows his children and will lead them tenderly and kindly as a good father.  We who are alive IN CHRIST will treat each other in the same way, for we will emulate the Father God who loves us, and does not condemn us.  For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.  (John 3:17)   Rather than condemn, criticize, judge others, we will come along the side of all, the weak, wayward, and troubled.  We will reiterate the Good News to the faltering, telling them to stay close to the flock.  As a good friend to all in the church of the living God, Let the message of Christ dwell among us richly as we teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in our hearts.  (Colossians 3:16)  When we gather together, when we meet fellow believers, let our hearts be in tune with the music from the Spirit that we hear in our souls.  Let everyone know that God’s song of redemption is rich in us.  Paul tells the Ephesians that life is hard without the song of God in their hearts.  The desert is long and unending without the presence of God, but with God and the song of the renewing Spirit in our hearts, we live with joy and not despair.  Therefore as Paul says, walk with wisdom in your hearts, knowing who you are and where you are going.  Use every opportunity to win some to the Lord for the glory of God.  Walk as wise, not unwise.  Amen!  

Ephesians 5:1-14 Wake Up!

Ephesians 5:1-14  Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.  But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people.  Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving.  For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person—such a person is an idolater—has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.  Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God’s wrath comes on those who are disobedient.  Therefore do not be partners with them.  For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord.  Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord.  Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them.  It is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret.  But everything exposed by the light becomes visible—and everything that is illuminated becomes a light.  This is why it is said:  “Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you."

What is the image of God?  Paul once again in the above verses tells us the difference between living in the light of God and living in darkness.  As Christ’s life illustrates, we should walk in love as a sweet smelling fragrance to God.  When we reflect God through our lives hidden IN CHRIST, we bring a loveliness to the world.  We bring the glory of God, the Holy Spirit’s attributes, to the world: The fruit of the SPIRIT: love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.  (Galatians 5:22-23)  Jesus' walk is cohesive, helpful, generous, and caring.  If all humans functioned in the light of Jesus, there would be no need of law to control the flesh.   But because we are not like God, we need law in almost every corner of our lives, for we are natural law breakers.  We tend to display the carnality in us readily, the works of death: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like.  (Galatians 5:19-21)  With that kind of fleshly behavior in us, we need a myriad of laws and many enforcers to keep us from destroying each other.  Because of our innate nature of sin, there will be wars and rumors of wars as long as humans exist on earth.  People have a destructive and hurtful substance within them that will never be totally peaceful and loving, caring for others above themselves.  Presently, we see people migrating all over the world to get away from destruction and violence.  Sadly, as they move away from a caldron of violence and hurt, they just move to another difficult situation, for violence is in mankind, and they bring their own disfunctions to the new land.  For evil does not occupy territory, it occupies the hearts of men and women.  In the focus for this week, Paul talks to a people, the Greeks, who exist in a society where licentiousness, impurity, and greed are engrained deeply into their culture.  Of course, this kind of behavior is universal, so the Greeks are not a unique people, but just as all people since the fall, they are fleshly and self-oriented.  He reminds them that in their former lives before Christ's saving grace came to them, they were dead to God and dead to the knowledge of God.  They were dead to God because they were slaves to sin, captivated by the devil’s spirit of darkness, and they did not know the God of light because they did not have the written law as part of their culture. The Jewish law was given to Moses by the hand of God.  Then Moses passed on to the Jewish people what it means to be children of God or people of light.  Of course, the law expresses through all of its commandments and regulations the basic character of God: love.  Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law.  The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not covet,” and whatever other command there may be, are summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”  Love does no harm to a neighbor.  Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.  (Romans 13:8-10)  To satisfy the law and its commands completely is to love others as yourself, in such an environment no additional laws or regulations are needed, nor is there any need for enforcers.

Paul in his advice to the Ephesians of how they should live and think, talks about the content and intentions of the heart. The Ephesians should not entertain within their hearts such things as foolish talk, coarse joking, or obscenities.  All of this kind of activity is disruptive, hurtful, not focused on the purity of God or his goodness.  God’s love extends to all people, so such words, thoughts, and actions are detrimental to imagining God to the world.  Jesus warns us about the heart not being right with God.  If our hearts or our minds are focused on impurity and the hurting of others, we will manifest in our lives the products of sin and shameful acts.  The things that come out of a person’s mouth come from the heart, and these defile them.  For out of the heart come evil thoughts—murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander.  (Matthew 15:18-19).  Paul is warning the Ephesians not to allow their thoughts to sink into unprofitable areas of darkness.  Instead, they should focus their minds on good things, on the love of God and his graciousness to them.  They should determine to live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord.  Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them.  Obscenities, coarse joking and foolish talk create a reservoir that does not produce the fruit of goodness, righteousness and truth, but just the opposite.  Those things of darkness should be exposed, not tolerated or hidden by unprofitable talk and behavior.  Everything in our lives should be brought to THE LIGHT.  We should no longer be in a deep sleep in the deadness of the world, but we should wake up to the new life in us and shine in the world as Christ shines in us.  If we wake up, we will be as Peter wishes for us, Dear friends, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from sinful desires, which wage war against your soul.  Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.  (1 Peter 2:11-12)  Our stable lives and gracious talk should reveal the light of God in us.  We ought to be a reflection of him in and out of season.  We should live consistent and peaceful lives regardless of the circumstances around us in contrast with the behavior of unbelievers.   As new creatures, born anew, our lives should reveal the new clothing we wear, born-again attire. 

As God’s dearly loved children, we should avoid the unprofitable nature of the old man.  Our fleshly desires should always give way to the Spirit of God in us.  We are the fragrance of new life; therefore, we should avoid the impurity of the flesh.  We should follow God’s example as dearly loved children and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.  Among us there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people.  As children of God we should live worthy lives of the redeemed.  Once we were dead in our transgressions and sins, caught in the ways of the world.  In our ignorance we believed our lives were acceptable to a righteous God, that a holy, eternal God could accept us into his eternal presence forever.  Our minds were caught up in gratifying our fleshly desires, not knowing we deserved the wrath of God, not his acceptance.  But God in his eternal love for mankind made a way for us to be right with him.  He made us alive IN CHRIST even when we were dead in our sins and transgressions.  His grace saved us from damnation and the eternal absence away from the only life that exists.  We see God’s eternal love for mankind in the children of Israel’s walk through the wilderness.  God had rescued them from slavery, where even their baby boys were put to death.  Now, one month away from that awful existence, the children of Israel are complaining to Moses about being brought out of slavery.  They wanted to go back to Egypt, for at least they had meat and bread to eat there.  They wanted to go back to their fleshly existence, even though it was a life of slavery.  But God was kind to them, rather than wipe them off the face of the earth because of their unthankfulness about his salvation plan for them.  He gave them meat to eat at night and bread in the morning to sustain them through the wilderness.  He showed his cloud of glory to them, the presence of the Holy Spirit.  He made them realize it was not Moses and Aaron who brought them out of slavery: it was He who rescued them from certain death in the household of slavery.  God’s enduring love was revealed that day to them, not the discipline that they deserved, but bread in the morning and meat at night to sustain them to live in this alien land.  Peter tells us we are living in an alien land, a land that is hostile to our existence.  Paul is saying to the Ephesians not to go back to Egypt and live as a slave.  Yes, this land is hostile to our born-again lives.  But God has provided for us.  His Spirit is our constant companion.  Live his life, think as He thinks, and most of all put on the image of God in everything we do.  Paul tells the Ephesians to wake up, to understand fully who they really are in this wilderness.  The new clothing will not wear out in this hot, oppressive climate.  Even the shoes of the Israelites did not wear out as they traversed the wilderness.  Neither will our shoes wear out or our clothes become tattered.  God is our supplier, our provider.  Therefore breakfast companions, do not grumble, do not complain about your circumstances; instead, give thanks that you are no longer in the land of the dead.  Yes, the climate is adverse to holy existence, but God will sustain you, and you will find your way home to the Promised Land.  And then you will hear, Well done my good and faithful servant.  You will enter your eternal home, prepared for you and all the saints of God.          

  

Ephesians 4:25-32 Be Kind to Each Other!

Ephesians 4:25-32  Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body.  “In your anger do not sin”:  Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold.  Anyone who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with their own hands, that they may have something to share with those in need.  Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.  And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.  Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.

The devil always seeks a foothold in people's lives.  He is roaring and prowling, seeking those who will not commit totally to living for Christ, completely obedient to the authority of God.  When people keep one foot in the world and one foot in faith, they are open to the ravaging of the devil.  He will destroy lives, families, communities and nations if given an opportunity.  The call for mankind to turn from the Evil One’s destructive behavior has been from the beginning of existence.  Before the flood, men’s desire to be free from God led them into behaviors that were selfish, hurtful, and violent.  God put an end to their existence.  Rather than freedom, death became their destiny.  Man’s lifestyle outside of God’s authority will always be judged.  Ezekiel prophesied to the Israelites this awful condition of living outside of God’s will.  “Son of man, give the people of Israel this message: You are saying, ‘Our sins are heavy upon us; we are wasting away!  How can we survive?’  As surely as I live, says the Sovereign Lord, I take no pleasure in the death of wicked people.  I only want them to turn from their wicked ways so they can live.  Turn!  Turn from your wickedness, O people of Israel!  Why should you die?  (Ezekiel 33:10-11)  Why should you die is the operative question in life for everyone.  Why take on the devil’s evil attributes?  In the above focus we see Paul encouraging the Ephesians to put away the old self and its clothing: stop lying, stop allowing anger to fester in your lives, stop stealing; work instead of stealing.  He says, get rid of unwholesome talk, bitterness, rage, anger, brawling, slander, and every form of malice.  When James writes to Christians, he tells them to get rid of their double-minded attitude about living.  You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God?  Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.  (James 4:4)  James goes on, Submit yourselves, then, to God.  Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.  Come near to God and he will come near to you.  Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.  (James 4:7-8)  Willful sinning interferes with God’s desire for people  He wants people to be as He is: good, loving and caring.  As Ezekiel said, sin causes a wasting away of those who were called to be children of the living God.  But praise God we are not like those who dwell permanently in sin.  Paul advises the Christians of Ephesus to take inventory of their lives and to get rid of the old lifestyle and put on the new clothing that is available to all Christians in and through the Holy Spirit.  Instead of anger and bitterness towards others, each of us should, Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave us.  But the wisdom from above is first of all pure.  It is also peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others.  It is full of mercy and the fruit of good deeds.  It shows no favoritism and is always sincere.  And those who are peacemakers will plant seeds of peace and reap a harvest of righteousness.  (James 3:17-18)  We are to plant seeds of peace.  Not just one seed but seeds.  Seeking every day to accommodate other people’s needs, to be sensitive to a hurting world, providing life for those we meet, not death.  Sin and a self-willed nature can bring death to people, but if we live by and in the Holy Spirit, light will come to people, and because of our lives many will be convinced of the cause of Christ.  Therefore we should not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom we were sealed for the day of redemption.

As children of God in a very troubled and violent world, we should bring as much peace as we can into every situation, especially within the community of believers.  Don’t speak evil against each other, dear brothers and sisters.  If you criticize and judge each other, then you are criticizing and judging God’s law.  But your job is to obey the law, not to judge whether it applies to you.  God alone, who gave the law, is the Judge.  He alone has the power to save or to destroy.  So what right do you have to judge your neighbor?  (James 4:11-12)  What law is James speaking about?  Love your neighbor as yourself.  This law plus loving God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength fulfills all the commandments given in the written law.  Paul tells the Ephesians to stop sinning, for they are violating both of these cardinal laws.  First, by doing what they are doing, they reveal they are not completely dedicated to God’s authority, and secondly, by acting adversely to others, taking advantage of others by stealing and lying, they are not obedient to loving others as themselves.  With such self-willed behavior, they are not living born-again lives.  James is very hard on the actions of this kind of Christian.  What causes fights and quarrels among you?  Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you?  You desire but do not have, so you kill.  You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight.  You do not have because you do not ask God.  When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.  (James 4:1-3)  These kind of Christians are captivated with worldly desires, even to war and kill for their selfish wants.  These words of James are hard for us to understand, but sadly people have been willingly to war and kill for reasons that amount to winning the world for themselves.  In the above focus we see Paul telling the Christians in Ephesus Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold.  He warns them not to let anger despoil their Christian testimony.  If they allow anger to rule their lives, they will blend in well with the secular world, a world full of rage, hatred, and violence.  How will the world know that the Christ-life is different from theirs if Christians look like the world, clothed with dissension, hurt, discord, division, and criticism.  These characteristics of the evil one should not control a Christian’s life.  We see cultish religions fully clothed with violence and hate.  As Christians, we should not wear such a uniform.  We are to bring restoration, healing to a sick and dying world.  Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.  See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.  See that no one is sexually immoral, or is godless like Esau, who for a single meal sold his inheritance rights as the oldest son. Afterward, as you know, when he wanted to inherit this blessing, he was rejected.  Even though he sought the blessing with tears, he could not change what he had done.  (Hebrews (12:14-17)

Jesus knew as he was leaving his disciples to go back to heaven that the world will hate them as they hated him, for his disciples would bring a contrast to the dark, self-willed nature of men and women.  The world functions around discord, envy and lust for power and recognition.  Christians bring into this context servanthood to a living and loving God.  We see the attributes of God so clearly in Galatians 5: love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.   As ambassadors of God, we should reveal his nature to the world.  But if our lives are wrapped up in the world with one foot in the secular realm and one foot in faith, we will find ourselves reflecting the world’s attitude about life.  Jesus knew He was leaving his disciples with very little physical protection in this world.  He knew his message would not be accepted by the majority of the people.  His disciples were chosen by God to be his constant companions: they slept by his side, they ate with him, they touched him, and they told Jesus how much they loved him.  Yet, except for John, these men who Jesus loved would all die a violent death.  They would experience no love from the world.  Jesus left them with his name only.  They would do everything in the name of Jesus; his name would heal, cast out demons, and restore people to eternal life.  HIs name was eternal life, a born-again life.  But even under his powerful name, the vicissitudes of life would reach the disciples, and finally death would take the lives of these new creatures.  People of which the world was not worthy.  But Jesus did not pray for them only, for He had other loved ones of his that would follow these dedicated disciples.  My prayer is not for them alone.  I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you.  May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.  I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one—I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity.  Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.  (John 17:20-23)  Paul is dealing now with Greek people who have come to the Lord in faith.  These are some of the people that Jesus was praying for before the ascension.  He knew their lives would be difficult as they were for his own disciples, but He prayed that the Ephesians would be one with him and one with the Father.  Paul wanted them to focus on that fact of being one with the Father God and one with the Lord Jesus Christ.  He knew oneness meant total commitment to God and that oneness meant loving others as God loved the world.  Without loving God with all their hearts and loving others as themselves, they were separating themselves from the eternal God.  So Paul tells them to put off these fleshly elements of the world.  He reminds them that they have been sealed for eternal life by the Holy Spirit.  Jesus at his water baptism received God’s full recognition by the Holy Spirit's presence on him.  Jesus told the disciples to receive this presence of the Holy Spirit.  Jesus said, “Peace be with you!  As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.”  And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit."  (John 20:21-22)  In Jesus' prayer to the Father, He says, I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one.  The disciples received the glory through the presence of the Holy Spirit within them.  Paul reminds the Ephesians that they have received the same Holy Spirit; therefore, they should live as one in Christ and the Father.  They should remember they are leaving behind their old lives and putting forth the new life that now is resident in them.  We who are around this breakfast table should do likewise.  Because of Christ's redeeming blood on the cross, we are possessors of new life, guaranteed by the Holy Spirit within us.  Christ prayed for us.  Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name, the name you gave me, so that they may be one as we are one.  (John 17:11)  We are to be one with Christ, not displaying the old nature, but manifesting the new nature that comes from the glory of God that is in us: the Holy Spirit.  Paul tells the Ephesians to put off the old man, discard his clothing, burn it with the purity of God in them, and walk in their new garments of life.  Amen!  

Ephesians 4:17-24 Put on Love!

Ephesians 4:17-24  So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking.  They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts.  Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, and they are full of greed.  That, however, is not the way of life you learned when you heard about Christ and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus.  You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

In the above verses, Paul insists that the Christians in Ephesus clothe themselves in Christ and put off the clothing of the old man.  The old man is full of deceit and self-willed thoughts and activities.  The innate nature of men and women because of the sin of Adam is filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity.  (Romans 1:28)  Paul iterates this theme of the depravity of mankind in the above verses.  Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, and they are full of greed.  This fallen state of man, away from the purity, holiness, and eternal nature of God is a recurring theme in Paul’s letters.  Paul knows in his own life, even when thinking he was doing good in his zealousness for Judaism, he was full of hatred toward others, persecuting both men and women of the Christian sect, raising his hand for their execution.  This obstinate nature of separating ourselves from God’s goodness and love remains endemic in mankind.  Even today in a supposedly civilized, advanced, well-educated world, we see the sinful nature of mankind manifesting itself in wars, killings, rapes, and the abuse of others.  However, in this caldron of sin and exploitation there is Good News.  Paul proclaimed this Good News of salvation to the Jew and Gentile.  Christ Jesus can change the hearts of men and women; He can free people from their Adamic nature.  He can clothe them with Godly attributes: compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.  Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone.  Forgive as the Lord forgave you.  And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.  (Colossians 3:12-14)  In this letter, Paul emphasizes to the Ephesians, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.  How can such a transition happen?  Jesus said it was impossible for individuals to change themselves.  Men and women are not going to find a godlike goodness within themselves and then somehow let this goodness rise to the top as almost all religion and cults believe.  No, He said you must be born again.  There must be a new creature with a new heart within men and women, a new purpose for life, a generator of goodness that does not come from human efforts.  Good intentions, good teaching, good philosophies, beautiful makeup on the old man and woman will never make a new creature.  Only those who accept God’s gift to mankind: Jesus Christ, will become new creatures. These people only will wear the new clothing of God’s attributes.  This message of Good news, newness IN CHRIST, was Paul’s ministry to the Ephesians and to the world. 

As Paul works with the Gentiles, he knows their present state of being away from God came to them because of the hardening of their hearts from the very beginning of creation.  Jesus talks about this way of living in his story of the farmer who became very prosperous.  The farmer’s life was focused on his fleshly pursuits: eat, drink and be merry.  When he found himself well off, he determined to live his life for himself.  This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain.  And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years.  Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.”’  “But God said to him, ‘You fool!  This very night your life will be demanded from you.’  (Luke 12:18-20)  Of course the resolution of this story is frightening: You fool!  This very night your life will be demanded from you.  When sin entered the world at the beginning of time, living only for self became an central part of life.  Our focus today describes this self-willed attitude as being full of greed.  Humans were made in God’s image, displaying love, caring for others, selflessness.  Adam and Eve were given the assignment to take care of all that God put on earth.  They were designed to focus outwardly, not inwardly.  But sin entered the world, and the fleshly pursuits of self became predominant in the lives of men and women.  Satan informed Eve she could have a better life, a more informed life if she would just eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil.  She ate of this tree and found herself destined for death, for evil became part of her existence.  Later on we see the human race inflicted completely with this virus of death, for violence permeated the whole world.  The Lord saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time.  (Genesis 6:5)  The hardening of the heart infiltrated man’s nature.  As with all people, the Ephesians carried this fleshly nature of the heart, willing to live without God in their lives.  Now we see Paul telling them to concentrate on the new man or woman who has accommodated God in their hearts.  He is insisting that they must live by the dictates of the new heart and not by the hardened heart.  They must not live subserviently to the old heart's nature, but to the new heart in Christ Jesus. They are to live unto Christ, taking on his Spirit of love and caring for others.  As new creatures IN CHRIST they are completely free from the consequence of sin, which is death.  Therefore, they should use this freedom of a new life for the purposes of God.  You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free.  But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love.  For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”  If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.  (Galatians 5:13-15)  Paul is encouraging the Ephesians to display God’s nature in their lives so they might please the Holy Spirit within them.

The Ephesian Christians comprehend the way of life: they know the truth of the gospel that Jesus Christ died for all people.  They recognize that God, who is rich in mercy, made us (them) alive with Christ even when we (they) were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.  (Ephesians 2:4-5)  They know their old way of life brought only conflict and self-willed actions.  They understand everything about the Good News in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus.  However, Paul did not want them to function in life with one foot in the world and one foot in faith.  Paul’s total life reflects that Christianity is a complete commitment to Christ, not just a lifestyle of the flesh, with Christ added to a mixture of selfish pursuits.  A new creature IN CHRIST is a servant of Christ in new clothing.  The Ephesians as with all Christians today must appreciate that IN CHRIST they have died to this world and now IN CHRIST they are alive to God in a new dimension of grace and mercy.  God has placed us in heavenly places, for we are new creatures that will never experience eternal death.  Now we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.  (Ephesians 2:10)  Gentile, Jew alike are God’s handiwork.  No longer is there a separation between those who received the glorious, perfect law and those who lived by their conscience of right and wrong.  All people whether inheritors of the law or the possessors of right or wrong in their minds need to be new creatures to be right with a holy, perfect God.  Everyone has rejected God’s absolute control over life.  Rather than reflect God’s love for others, revealing God’s goodness to people, humans have sought their own will of self-interest.  People from the time when sin entered creation have gone their own ways.  When there seems to be no god in the land it is like it was for the Jews when there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes.  (Judges 21:25 KJV)  But, there is a God in the land today.  He is in the hearts of men and women through the work of Jesus Christ on the cross.  Now, in the hearts of born again men and women is the abiding presence of God through the Holy Spirit within them.  New life exists in the land of the living.  No longer must life end without people knowing God.  For God has come to men and women in the form of Jesus Christ.  No one has to live in ignorance about God and his purposes.  Christ through his blood has cleansed all who take his sacrifice of death for their own death.  No longer is the penalty of death on the sins of people who fail be like the eternal God.  Righteousness has come to mankind through the cross.  The Ephesians fully recognized that salvation had come to them because of God’s grace poured out to them through the blood of Jesus Christ.  Jesus Christ had ransomed their souls.  Paul encouraged the Ephesians since you know the way of life, live it as instruments of God’s nature to the world.  We who are sitting around this breakfast table know also that we are to be instruments of the will of God in our lives, but sometimes we need encouragement to discard the clothing of the old man, and to put on the new clothing of the born again.  We have been resurrected with Christ; now we are resurrected IN CHRIST.  Let us live as Paul encouraged the Ephesians, in new clothing that belongs only to new creatures.  This clothing does not depict death, but eternal life!  Amen.  

   

 

Ephesians 4:7-16. Greatest Gift Is Love!

Ephesians 4:7-16  But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it.  This is why it says:  “When he ascended on high he took many captives and gave gifts to his people.”  (What does “he ascended” mean except that he also descended to the lower, earthly regions?  He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.)  So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.  Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming.  Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ.  From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.

As Paul writes this letter, he categorizes himself as a prisoner, a captive of the Lord Jesus Christ.  He, as a captive of the Lord, now is making a defense that the church of God should be one in unity for the glory of the Lord on earth.  He states to the Ephesians: Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.  There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.  (Ephesians 1:3-6)  Now since Jesus has ascended to the heavens, He provides the body of Christ with people who possess special assignments given to them by the Holy Spirit: apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers.  These special positions within the body of Christ are to equip his people for works of service, all within the framework that there is one God, one faith, one Lord and one baptism.  The body of Christ is to act in unison, revealing the love of God to all people.  People who are IN CHRIST should be speaking the truth in love of the nature of God: God is love.  When the church is focused on God’s love, which is emblematic of Christ on the cross, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ.  From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.  As is true for Paul, all within the church of the living God are prisoners of the Lord.  We all belong to him and are fully committed to him.  This world holds no everlasting truth for us, for the world is full of division, hurt, shame, and a self-willed spirit.  Jesus did the works of his Father.  He chose to be ONE with the Father even on the cross, Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”  (Luke 23:34)  Jesus continually prayed, not my will be done, but your will be done, Father.  We see Stephen dying in the same way as one with God, Lord, do not hold this sin against them!”  (Acts 7:60)  Both of these scenes at death’s door reveal the love of God, manifested in the final words of those who are dying.  Jesus tells his disciples, “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you.  Now remain in my love.  If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love.  (John 15:9-10)  We know the disciples except for John gave their lives remaining in God’s love, in his oneness of love.  Jesus said that all the commandments and regulations of the law could be summarized in two cardinal laws: love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, and love people the same way, or be one with the Father in your heart and actions.  Paul is telling the Ephesians to stay in unity with God, a God of love who cares for all people, everywhere.  The Lord is merciful and compassionate, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love.  The Lord is good to everyone.  He showers compassion on all his creation.  (Psalm 145:8-9)

In this letter, Paul advocates for the Ephesians to move on to more maturity in the Lord.   He knows if they stay immature, their religious fervor will weaken and their testimony of God and his love for all people will be threatened by their worldly lives.  They need to move on IN THE LORD, developing in their lives a passion for God and his will on earth.  As with Paul, an apostle, placed by the Lord in that position in the body of Christ, special assignments have been given to the church to help the body of Christ reach a status of maturity, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.  What is maturity and what is immaturity?  What should all of these special assignments given to the church by the Lord Jesus Christ propagate within the body of the church?  Is it stating over and over the fundamentals of how to be saved?  Is it maturity to know the first works of how to be alive IN CHRIST?  The Hebrew writer encourages us to go beyond these first works.  Therefore let us move beyond the elementary teachings about Christ and be taken forward to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God, instruction about cleansing rites, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment.  And God permitting, we will do so.  (Hebrews 6:1-3)  Yes, these works are critical in the act of salvation.  People should know the fundamentals of knowing God.  But for Christians to dwell in this knowledge only can lead to a place of disservice to the body of Christ.  For the cleansing act of salvation is an individual process that all new believers must go through to enter the kingdom of God.  But to live in unity as the earthly body of Christ, we must know God as a Father of love, patience, caring, and mercy.  We are no longer a self-willed entity, but we are now an integral part of the body of Christ.  Unity demands loving others as we love ourselves.  We place ourselves in a subservient role to the body of Christ.  Even church attendance is not merely seeking only what we can get out of our attendance.  No, we attend church for the body of Christ, for others, not just for ourselves.  The spirit of division, separation, is contrary to the body of Christ.  Division is for yourself, unity is for others.  We see Jesus in Capernaum ministering powerfully in that city.  He is healing people and casting our demons.  A large crowd gathers around him and his disciples.  Rather than staying in Capernaum, ministering to the crowd of people, Jesus tells the disciples to get ready to move across the lake to other communities.  As they were preparing to move, a teacher of the law cries out to them to take him along too.  When Jesus saw the crowd around him, he gave orders to cross to the other side of the lake.  Then a teacher of the law came to him and said, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.”  Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.”  (Matthew 8:18-19)  Jesus tells this spiritual man that to be one with him will cost him everything.  Paul in this letter is telling the Ephesians, to be one with the Lord will cost you everything.  Maturity will cost you your will, your feelings about others and even your closest relationships.  In the Capernaum scene, we  also see a disciple tell Jesus not to move across the lake yet, but wait for him to bury his father.  Another disciple said to him, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.  ”But Jesus told him, “Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead.”  (Matthew 8:21-22)  Jesus said, if you want to be one with me, to be where I am, you must be devoted to me completely.  The Ephesians to be one with Christ in unity with God, to grow into maturity, must be committed to follow Christ without concern of their self-will.  They must follow him readily, even across the lake, leaving everything for him.

Are we willing to cross the lake, to be where Jesus is regardless of the cost?  Will we leave everything behind to follow Jesus as Lord of our lives?  Maturity can be costly to our self-willed nature.  Unity can be costly.  Enduring love can be costly.  As members of the body Christ, we are to reach maturity, which is not our will but your will Father God. The Father’s will is always for us to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ.  To know Christ we must be as David, seeking him with our whole heart, willing to spend time with him every day.  David said he was like a dry land without water.   I thirst for you as parched land thirsts for rain.  (Psalm 143:6)  David found God: he was a man after God’s own heart.  He lived as a mature man of God.  We who are now in the body of Christ have the Holy Spirit within our hearts.  He leads us to all maturity if we are willing.  He has placed us in the body of Christ as integral parts for the unity of the body.  We work together, not separately for our own will.  We have willingly crossed over to the other side of the lake.  We are implements of spreading God’s will, his love to the whole world.  We are fixated on the fulness of God in our lives.  When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child.  When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me.  For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face.  Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.  And now these three remain: faith, hope and love.  But the greatest of these is love.  (1 Corinthians 13:11-13)  Paul is encouraging the church in Ephesus to go on into maturity.  He wants them to leave behind the elemental teachings of salvation, and now to go ahead into the fulness of Christ Jesus who is one with the Father.  Therefore, he desires them to know the whole body of Christ is put together for the express purpose of revealing God’s great love for humanity.  Today, look for ways God will use you to reveal God’s love in your home, your neighborhood, your work place, and in the church.  You have a wonderful gift to share!