49 Ephesians 5-6 - Pastor Chuck Smith - C2000 Series

so we turn in our Bibles to Ephesians chapter 5 be there for followers of God as their children now therefore immediately points you back back to the last verse of chapter 4 where we are exhorted to be kind one to another tender-hearted forgiving one another even as God for Christ's sake forgave us so Paul's topic here is God's forgiveness as our example of forgiveness so be followers of God or follow the example that God has established for us in forgiveness you know really the Bible does have the keys to good mental health and a very important thing for mental health is a forgiving spirit if you are holding bitterness or animosity in your heart toward someone else that bitterness is going to do you a lot more harm than it is then it can just eat at you the Bible constantly is emphasizing the importance of our forgiving and being forgiving just to have a forgiving spirit when Jesus was giving to the disciples the model prayer incorporated into that prayer was and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us asking for forgiveness but also acknowledging the fact that I have received forgiveness or I must myself be forgiving forgive us and help me to be forgiving as we forgive others and then there was only one petition of that prayer that Jesus emphasized at the close of the prayer and that was the petition on forgiveness he said for if you will not forgive men their trespasses against you neither will your father forgive you your trespasses Jesus taught so much on forgiveness Peter one day felt he was getting the lesson and was looking for some extra strokes and he said Lord how often should I forgive a brother the same offense seven times and I'm certain the Peter felt that he was really growing in grace in that he could conceive of forgiving a man the same offense seven times and imagine his chagrin when jesus answered him no Peter seventy times seven 490 the Lord I am certain was demonstrating to Peter that forgiveness is not a matter of mathematics before you get to the 490 you would have forgotten count and you just go on forgiving it isn't a matter of mathematics it's a matter of spirit and God wants us to have a forgiving spirit yes you have been wronged yes you have a right to be angry yes you have a right to be upset over this whole situation go ahead eat yourself up or forgive and and be freed from that so be kind one to another tender-hearted forgiving one another even as God for Christ's sake has forgiven us be therefore followers of God as their children so you see how it ties to the previous verse in the previous chapter God is the example for us and forgive we are to be followers of God who has forgiven us and walk in love now as we've pointed out in the first three chapters of Ephesians Paul has dealt with the spiritual blessings wherewith God has blessed us in Christ in heavenly places having seated us together in Christ made us heirs together with him and having spent three chapters telling you all that God has done for you and all that God has promised to do for you and all that God is planning to do for you having thoroughly rehearsed the resources that God has made available to you he finally starts to talk to you about your walk now unfortunately we don't follow that same example in our preaching today but we start immediately preaching the people how they ought to walk how they ought to act how they ought to respond but the Bible doesn't do that until it lays first the foundation of God's love God's grace God's goodness God's blessings God's provisions and now walk in love because you've been so loved of God so blessed of God so taught of God to love walk in love as Christ also has loved us so forgiveness God is the example we are to forgive as God has forgiven us be followers of God in walking in love Jesus is our example who loved us and gave himself for us so that self-sacrificing love that giving love he has given himself for us as an offering and a sacrifice to God of a sweet-smelling savour now in beginning now to list some of the unloving things whereby men often relate to each other it is interesting that he puts at the top of an unloving thing fornication and we see how Satan has so deceived and distorted things because the world equates fornication with love in fact they use the term let's make love when they are referring to the act of fornication quite often calling it love making but here in the scripture it is the prime example of something that is lacking in love that is lacking in true love a person who entices someone else into the act of fornication is not really considering the other person but only considering themselves and their own desire for some kind of fulfillment emotional sexual or otherwise they are not really considering the other person that they are leading them into a damning sin into one of those works of the flesh which Paul tells us that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God and so it is a very unloving thing to lead a person into an action that is so destructive to that person's spiritual walk in life which is total disobedience to the commands of God and so it is not really loving and considering the other person it's a very unloving act and it is only Satan's deception and lies that would cause a person to even think of that as an act of love it's an act of lust but true love is not really involved if you really love the person you would be considerate of their conscience of their feelings you would not want to place them under that guilt that they would feel afterwards that that shame and and all that they would experience as the result of the relationship and so it is interesting that Paul would place that at the top of the list of an unloving Act walk in love the second is uncleanness which of course is a sexual uncleanness or impurity covetousness and of course that's at the heart of unloving actions self love covetous but that isn't a real love or consideration for others and let them not once be named among you you are the children of God walk in love not in these unloving ways neither filthiness nor really foolish jesting or foolish talking or justing which are not convenient really he's referring here to dirty jokes to never never be done by a child of God the passing on of a dirty story because what you are doing is planting filth in that other person's mind filt that they will not be able to get rid of it's tragic but I can remember dirty jokes that were told me when I was just a little kid that filth was planted in my mind and I cannot get rid of it it still lingers there oh I don't think on it all the time thank God but you know how the dumb mine works every once in a while one of those dirty little diddies that I learned as a kid some kind of a sight sound word will trigger a DNA molecule and it will pop that thing out of the file flash it across my brain I think oh god help me that filth is still there but what a shame to plant filth in someone else's mind like that filt that they can't get rid of permanent stains that's not loving not loving at all rather than that kind of stuff we should be giving thanks plants stuffed in their minds that will edify that will bless that will be good that will build them up for this you know now I hope you know it no whoremonger nor unclean person sexually impure nor covetous man who is an idolater has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God Paul says now you know this the tragedy is a lot of people don't know that they think that they can get by with these things they think that somehow God will smile at these things their God will excuse these things or pass over these things God is a righteous judge and everything will be called into account that is not covered by the blood of Jesus Christ let no man deceive you and unfortunately so many men have deceived in these areas but let them not deceive you with vain words as they get into their speculations and as they get into their rationales and into their philosophies for because of these things comes the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience is he in the early church they had a heresy that was known as Gnosticism and according to the Gnostic heresy basically everything that was material was evil the material world was not really created by God God in the beginning sent forth emanations and one of these emanations got so far from God that it wasn't related to God anymore and this emanation created the material universe and thus the whole material universe is just given over to evil it's just evil and you can't do anything about it only the spiritual is pure therefore they taught that Jesus was not in a real body of flesh he was actually a phantom just in appearance when he would walk along the beach there wouldn't be any footprints you know and and they created all of these fanciful stories to deny that Jesus had come in a body and so that's why John to counteract this Gnostic heresy said if any man denies that Jesus Creek came in the flesh he's the Antichrist now going along with this teaching that the material is all evil they said in as much as the material is given over to evil it doesn't matter what you do with your body because it's you know it's all wiped out anyhow that's just all evil it's part of the material things which is totally evil so it doesn't count and God really doesn't count it it's what's in your spirit that counts so you can go ahead and commit fornication you can go ahead and and do all of these things and it really doesn't matter because you see that's all a part of the material body and God is so disassociated from the material world that anything done in the material world doesn't really count in the spiritual realm that was the teaching of the Gnostics and so Paul is saying hey don't let any man deceive you with vain words and as you get in the Gnostic heresy there was a lot of rationale and possibilities and all but they were deceiving people with the vain words and telling them hey you can do what you want in your body it really doesn't matter it isn't wrong because the body is material and it's all going to be done away with it's what spiritual that only counts with God don't be partakers Paul said with them actually he said don't you realize that these are the very things that is going to that are going to bring the wrath of God on man these are the things for which God is going to judge the world and if you're guilty of doing these things and you will be judged with the guilty world you were one time in darkness but now you are light in the Lord actually not quite you were one time darkness not in darkness you were darkness now you are not in the light you are the light one time your life was darkness now your life is light if Christ is dwelling in you for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth proving what is acceptable unto the Lord and have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness but rather reprove them when Paul was writing to the Corinthians he said what fellowship hath light with darkness I'll think about that for a moment light and darkness are mutually exclusive they cannot coexist when you turn on the light the darkness goes but they don't coexist there not one their separate mutually exclusive entities so spiritually you cannot walk in darkness and walk in light if a man says that he has fellowship with God who is light and he is walking in darkness he lies he's not telling the truth but if we walk in the light as he is in the light then we do have fellowship with God as the blood of Jesus Christ his son is continually cleansing us from all sin so again don't be deceived if you are walking in darkness then you cannot have fellowship with God so have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness but rather reprove them now we are to take more than just a passive attitude towards darkness when someone comes and starts to tell a dirty story and it's obvious from the look in their eye and the sinister smile that it's going to be one of the dirty ones stop them reprove them don't just listen and then smile politely in chuckles hmm let's say that's filthy there are some men whose minds are like racehorses they run best in a dirt track but don't let them pour out their filth on you don't have any fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness reprove them speak up tell them that that's wrong you don't appreciate it and that way you'll keep them from coming back with more filth later it's a shame Paul said even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret and of course a lot of times they want to come along and tell you the weekend that they just had and all of their exploits and all it's a shame to talk about those things but all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light for whatsoever does make manifest is light jesus said I didn't come into the world to condemn the world but that the world through me might be saved and he that believeth not is not going to believe it does not condemned but he that believeth not is condemned already in as much as he has not believed on the only begotten Son of God and this is the condemnation light came into the world but they would not come to the light because their deeds were evil and if they would come into the light their deeds would be manifested so they will not come to Christ because of their evil deeds Christ is the light and they don't want to come into that light because it will reveal the truth about them they love to stay in the darkness they stay away from the light wherefore he said awake thou that sleepest arise from the dead and Christ will give you life to those that are sleeping in darkness the call of the gospel arise from that death that spiritual death and Jesus Christ will give you spiritual life see then that you walk circumspectly not as fool's but as wise so here we are told walk in love in verse eight walk as children of light and here walk circumspectly redeeming the time because the days are evil how much time is wasted even by the most careful planner in a sense I consider all time that is not is that is not spent in spiritual development of some kind is really in a sense wasted time now I am NOT saying that I feel that a person should never do anything for just recreational purposes I think you have to but I think that even our recreation can be centered around a spiritual base I think that God gave us all things to really enjoy I think that God gave us the surf to enjoy I believe that God gave us the mountains to enjoy the rivers the streams and how can you have dominion over the fish of the sea if you don't get a hook and go after them but you know when I am engaged in these recreational activities when I'm sitting out there waiting for a set to come my heart is in the things of the Spirit I look at the ocean I look at the surf I look at the beauty of God's creation and I and I just there you know in fellowship with the Lord in fact I think that I enjoy probably a lot more than a lot of people because of the fact that I do have such neat times the fellowship with the Lord while I'm there I like what Jim Elliott said concerning his going out for the wrestling team at Wheaton College when he won the national AAU Championship and his weight division he wrote home to his parents in Washington and he said you'll probably hear of certain honors that I've received recently in wrestling the national AAU Championship he said but I want you to know that it wasn't for this purpose that I went out for wrestling my purpose in wrestling was to develop a stronger more coordinated body that I might offer to God for him to use in whatever way he might see fit the motive behind physical fitness do I want to walk down the street and have everybody say wow you know look at that bill or am i seeking to give to God a more qualified instrument for him to do his work through makes a big difference redeeming the time we waste so much wherefore be not unwise but understanding what the will of the Lord is so many people are confused as far as God's will for their life the purpose and the plan of God for their life and they go on just sort of continuing wasting time still doing their own things never really seeking God never really searching for the will of God for their lives God why did you put me here what do you have in mind for me what work is it Lord that you want me to accomplish for you why have you placed me on this planet and God placed each of us here with a purpose Paul the Apostle in writing to the Philippians that I have not yet apprehended that for which I was apprehended by Jesus Christ in other words when the Lord stopped me on the road to Damascus he had a definite plan for my life I have not yet accomplished that which God has planned for me but I'm on my way I forget those things which are behind and I'm pressing towards those things which are before reaching forth pressing towards the mark no that should be the story of every one of us pressing towards the purpose of God and fulfillment of that purpose of God and plan of God for my life redeeming the time knowing what God wants me to do and being about my father's business be not drunk with wine wherein is excess but be filled with the spirit and in the Greek its present perfect tense which would indicate a continual filling of the Spirit ve being filled but with that isn't good English grammar but that's Greek we don't have a present perfect tense or any in English as such now these are two interesting things that he would couple together and relate here's a man staggering down the strake he's had too much wine and Paul would equate that to a man being filled with the spirit now they seem like opposite things be not drunk with wine wherein is excess but be filled with the spirit they are closer than a person would expect and the surface what is a person searching for who turns to wine the man who turns to alcohol what she's seeking what's he searching for there's an emptiness deep inside I'm trying to find something that will fill that void in my life I'm reaching out for something will satisfy I'm looking I'm searching and some people search in alcohol to find a piece a content with a relaxation or whatever what does the person experience who is filled with the spirit piece relaxation a contentment a fulfillment so the one man is looking in the wrong place he's looking in a place where he will never discover it the other man has come to the answer being filled with the spirit that void spiritual void in my life is now complete and full and I'm no longer searching and seeking after something to satisfy I am satisfied through my relationship with God in the spirit so rather than being entirely separate things there's a real tie in behind the injunction be not drunk with wine wherein is excess but be continually filled with the spirit speaking to yourselves in Psalms and hymns and spiritual songs singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord when you sing for recreation what do you sing about when you're just unconsciously sort of humming a tune what is it all about I love to observe my grandchildren when they're not aware even the grandpa is watching and listening I like to watch them at play I like to watch their inventiveness and and the interest that they take in different things and oh how I love it as they're going around the yard riding the trike or engaged in some activity and they're singing about Jesus singing about the Lord and oh how beautiful how beautiful that should be true of all of us singing songs hymns spiritual songs making melody in your heart to the Lord that it just be a part of the subconscious I do it when I'm not even aware of doing it now that will be the case if that's the kind of music you're listening to but if you're listening to some of these other stations all the time who knows what you'll be whistling about giving thanks always for all things unto God and the father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ giving thanks always for all things now that's impossible to do unless I realize that all things are working together for good to those who love God if I don't have that confidence and I can't give thanks for all things I can't give thanks for all things if I don't fully believe that God loves me supremely and that God is wiser than I so that those things that God has allowed to come into my life he has a wise plan and purpose motivated by love which caused him to allow them to come to me and thus I can give thanks for all things but if I don't realize that I can't because some things that happened to me on the sir look to be so adverse and so horrible that I'm prone to really cry out to God against these things but if I know that God is in control of my life that nothing can happen to me except the father allow it to happen and that the father loves me supremely so that all things that happen happen for his purpose because he loves me I love him and he's called me according to his purposes then I can give thanks even for those things that I do not understand yet what the purpose is that explained submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God now he's been talking about a lot of fleshly characteristics covetousness and these other things the characteristic of the flesh is actually selfishness or self-centeredness from which comes the covetousness and all these other things the greed all of it comes and stems from my self-centeredness in my selfishness I want my way I want people to yield to my desires I want people to play by my rules I want them to yield to me but here we are told that we are to submit one to another yielding to each other now the insistence on our own way is what brings all of the strife and all of the problems I remember when I was a kid there used to be along the highway these burma-shave signs I'm not going to ask you how many remember that because I wouldn't date you back to my tintype flash powder days but I remember as a kid reading one of those signs along the road between Los Angeles and Ventura up in the area of Thousand Oaks when the Lions Gobles lion farm used to be out that way and that old durable that they were building alongside of the road and the sign said famous last words of lights that shine if he doesn't dim his I won't dim mine I won't yield first I won't give in you've got a yield to me and that's the basis of so much striving and so much fighting how much strife could be avoided if we would just submit to one another in love yield the point and so wives submit yourselves unto your own husband's as unto the Lord for the husband is the head of the wife the word head meaning Authority there even as Christ as the authority or the head of the church and he is the savior of the body therefore as the church is subject unto Christ so let the wives be subject to their own husbands and everything now this is the one rule for marriage that God has given to the wife only one should be simple enough for her to keep the one rule why would you suppose God would make such a rule because God understands men and God knows that in man there is that male macho image that somehow a man needs to feel that he's in control that he is able that he can handle the situation that he is boss I mean that's just a part of the male ego and God understanding the male ego and man's needs gave to the wife the one rule by which her husband can feel that he is really the man of the house and in control and thus be very compatible and loving towards her and so he gave the women just one simple rule which if she would follow would make her husband a very responsible loving person easy to get along now God gave one rule to the Osmonds just one God knows we're prone to forget so just one rule for each husband's love your wives even as Christ loved the church and gave himself for it now why would God command the husbands to love their wives so totally and supremely because God understands women and he understands the needs in women and he understands that one of the greatest needs that a woman has is to feel the security that she is loved supremely by her husband that there is no one else that can attract his eye or attract his attention that she is queen and that she is loved supremely she needs that and so God commanded the husbands to fulfill that need in the woman so that she could feel the security of her husband's love knowing I am number one in his life now all marital problems stem out of the disobedience of these two rules there are only two rules for a happy marriage one for the husband one for the wife but marriages get in trouble because these rules are broken and when they are broken they begin to compound when the husband fails to show his wife that kind of love that Christ had for the church and she begins to feel insecure and I don't know if he really loves me or not she then feels the necessity of beginning to protect herself because I don't know if he is going to protect me or not and so she begins to challenge the decisions that he makes are you sure you're doing the right thing but as she begins to challenge the decisions that he makes that upsets him because that means he's not the boss and supreme you oughta know and so as she begins to challenge his decision-making processes he begins to feed he begins to feel that he is being challenged and I must now show that I am boss by becoming tough and hard and cold and unresponsive and as he becomes tough and unresponsive she gets all the more insecure so she challenges him all the more you know I don't know if this character really loves me or not and I don't think what he's planning to do is that smart and if we lose everything he's probably going to walk out himself because I'm not really assured that he really loves me and so she's challenging but this challenging has a reverse effect upon him causing him to become cold and aloof and I'll show you I'm boss you know and so the marriage is torn apart on the other hand as the wife is submitting unto him and to his decisions honey well you know I just leave that with you you're you know you're the one that takes care of that I didn't distrusting you he gets the feeling ah this precious little doll I don't know what I'm doing right or not but oh boy she trusts me and that's you know alright nobody gets to feel that oh you're a sweetheart come here honey you know a hug sure and you're just a doll I love you ain't Julian on and he feels a freedom of of expressing and showing his love to her and the more he expresses and shows that loved her the more secure she feels she doesn't feel that she has to challenge his decisions I was probably dumb lose everything but I still got him and he loves me and on after all we can give I we've got love and she feels that security of love and does she feel the freedom of submitting to him and because she does submit he feels that total freedom of expressing that love that he has for her and it just gets gooder and gooder as we are following the rules but you see it has a way of compounding you start going one way and it starts building up to drive you further and further apart and so if you find yourself way out here in your marriage you know where every decision is challenged why are you wearing that shirt this morning you sure want to wear that tie if I were you I'd wear different pair of shoes and you know you may even agree with what he wants to do but still you're going to challenge it I think I'll take you out for dinner tonight honey oh I don't know if I want to go for dinner or not challenge it I'm going to get by making a decision now somewhere someone has to give you have to break this routine that's driving you and tearing you apart you've got to break the routine and someone has to give in the husband has to begin to show more love to his wife he has to cause her to really feel secure in that lot he's got to feel you know he's got to go ahead and just express his love let her know that there's no one else and there will never be anyone else that she is it for life till death do us part and he has no intention or desire for anybody else she is it and as she begins to feel that security then she'll be able to be free or to allow him to do those things that he feels that he ought to do or wants to do and and you can get the thing going the other direction and until it becomes heaven on earth as we are following now God's rules which takes into consideration the basic need of the husband as a man and the basic need of the wife as a woman God's so smart you know he has it all set out and he puts it so simply rather than here are the you know fifty-five rules for a happy marriage he knows you'd forget them say gives you one but even we have difficultly with a one doing we forget so readily well she ought to know I love her I come home for dinner after all you know there's something interesting about women of course that's why we're attracted to them but I really don't think that you can tell your wife enough times that you love her you know if when she first opens your eyes in the morning you look over and you see her in bed and you say oh darling you're beautiful I love you then as you're sitting across from her at the breakfast table and you just look into her eyes and say sweetheart I love you so much and then as you kiss her goodbye and head off for work and you say love you honey see you later and if two or three times during the day you call up and she says hi what do you want all I just want to tell you anything I love you and I think you're great believe me when you go to bed at night you're going to hear the question honey you love me take a hint fellas they need assurance of love and not just verbal love is demonstrated in its actions and love is demonstrated in its giving love your wives as Christ loved the church and gave himself for it giving of yourself to her showing your love in your giving yourself to her the rules for a happy home Paul goes on and draws on this illustration of Christ in the church as an illustration really of the perfect marital kind of a relationship he gave himself for the church that he might set it apart and cleanse it with the washing of the water by the word that he might present it to himself a glorious church you know the wife who is smothered with love will just blossom forth so beautifully as we blossom forth in the love of Jesus the purpose is that he might present to himself a glorious church without spot or blemish or wrinkle or any such thing so ought men to love their wives as their own bodies and he that loves his wife is really doing himself a favor he's loving himself you're the one that's going to benefit from your showing your love to your wife for we are members of his body of his flesh and of his bones and for this cause shall a man leave his father and mother and she'll be joined unto his wife and they two shall become one flesh it's a great mystery but I am speaking Paul said concerning Christ and the church nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself and the wife see that she reverence her husband so relationships submitting ourselves to one another wives submitting to their husbands husbands loving their wives supremely no parent-child relationships children obey your parents in the Lord for this is right that in the Lord I think is important if your parents are not godly and if your parents are demanding you to do things or requiring you to do things that are improper from a spiritual base then I do not believe that obedience is required but obey your parents in the Lord there is the higher conscience to God where we must obey God rather than man if what is being required of me would violate my conscience towards God then that has to be the guiding standard of my life even in wives submitting to their husbands again there is the guiding standard of your conscience towards God if your husband is requiring something that would affect your conscience before God then I do not believe that you have to submit your husband isn't really loving you as Christ loved the church or he wouldn't require you to do that so in all of these issues there is that higher authority of God in our lives in our conscience towards him so children obey your parents in the Lord for this is right honor thy father and thy mother which is the first commandment with promise now a lot of Commandments this is the first one that had a promise attached to it honor thy father my mother that their days may be long upon the earth that it might be well with you in your days long upon the earth now your father's provoke not your children to rat I think one of the cruelest things that I have observed fathers doing sometimes is teasing their children to the point of distraction getting a kick out of the frenzied little child you know holding out a piece of candy or a cookie and then as they're reaching out pull it back then holding it out and pulling it back and and and creating a child front just creating frustration until the child can't handle itself provoke not your children to wrath that's a cruel thing to do it's cruel to derive humor or whatever from this kind of teasing of a child that isn't right it's mentally abusing the child but some people get sort of a kick out of seeing the little child just scream and a frenzy by frustration can't do anything about it provoke not your children to wrath I think that we can provoke our children to wrath by demanding unreasonable achievements from them after all it's my child they've got to be a genius they're so smart they're talking before anybody else they're walking on and in my child just has to be super smart smart and special and so we sometimes are trying to push them beyond their capacities and thus that creates frustration we need to be careful that we don't push them to the point of frustration provoke not your children to wrath but bring them up in the nurture and the admonition of the Lord teach them about God teach them the things of God in the ways of God servants employees be obedient to your bosses according to the flesh with fear and trembling and singleness of heart as unto Christ not with eyeservice as men pleasers but as servants of Christ doing the will of God from the heart now we're told in the scriptures that whatsoever you do in word or deed do all to the glory of Christ or do what you do as unto Christ no matter what kind of a job I am doing I am a witness for Jesus Christ and therefore I want to do it good for his sake so that people will think well of Christianity because the job that I am doing is super special I'm giving an extra effort I'm not complaining I'm going an extra mile I'm doing more than what is required of me that my life might be a good witness for Jesus Christ we have many young people that have gone from Calvary Chapel onic on these Bhoots programs over in Israel and they have left a good witness because of the way that they work without complaining they're good attitudes why because they go over and they are working as unto the Lord they've taken the right attitude with them doing their work as unto the Lord and it leaves a powerful witness as these in the kibou team observe their work some of the first groups that went over those in the kibbutz scene were determined to really break them they gave them the dirtiest jobs around the kyboot scene and just press them all kinds of stuff and yet these kids would do it smiling and read joy singing and with good attitudes and what they did was break down the caboose caboose Nix you know I mean they said wow you know can't believe the way these people respond and react why because I'm doing it is under the Lord now there are a lot of times when we are required to do things that are galling to us sometimes the boss may ask you to do something that you think hey come on I'm above that sweep the floor are you kidding I used to work for alpha beta markets in my work for alpha beta markets I was called on to do just about everything I was going around at the various stores substituting for managers and all kinds of work they anything that would come up they call me to hotshot for them and sometimes I'll go into a store and it would be filthy and so the janitor wouldn't be there I go ahead and clean the restrooms and sweep the floors I thought hey they want to pay me what they're paying me I don't care what I do also he floors do whatever they're you know paying me and I developed a reputation of a guy that will just go for it because I was doing is under the Lord and I figured hey they're paying for my time and so I'll do what they require me or ask of me when I'm here without complaining or murmuring and that's exactly what we're told to do here do what you do as unto the Lord not to please men but to please the Lord as a good witness for him with good will doing service as to the Lord and not to men knowing that whatsoever good thing any man does the same shall he receive of the Lord whether he be a slave or a free man I'm ultimately looking to the Lord for my rewards for my life and for my work and so you masters if you're in the position of an employer do the same things unto them for bearing threatening knowing that your master also is heaven and neither is their respective persons with him in the early church of course when slavery was such a popular thing it was quite interesting because many of those in the early church were slaves and many of those in the early church were masters who had many slaves and the interesting thing was is that here's the fellow that all week long is taking orders from his master and he goes to church and he's the elder in the church and his master is just one of the people in the church and and so that the whole order was reversed when they got to church with God there is no respect of persons we're all one before him now finally brethren be strong in the Lord and in the power of his mind put on the whole armor of God that you might be able to stand against the wiles of the devil for we wrestle not against flesh and blood but against principalities and powers against the rulers of darkness of this world against spiritual wickedness in high places wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God that you may be able to stand in the evil day and having done all to stand stand therefore so we now come to the final section of the book the warfare of the believer the first three chapters Paul dealt with the wealth of the believer the next two and a half chapters he dealt with the walk of the believer and now he deals with a warfare or in the first three chapters he dealt with a position seated with Christ in the next two chapters and a half chapters he dealt again with a walk and now he deals with standing be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might know that you don't have the strength in yourself it's the Lord who gives me strength apart from him I can do nothing but I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me be strong in the Lord and the power of his might put on the whole armor of God and so Paul sees the Roman soldier dressing himself for war and we as Christians are in a warfare it's the spiritual warfare we wrestle not against flesh and blood but against principalities and powers which are spirit entities there they are captains and lieutenants of the demon's ranks they are called principalities powers authorities dominions and they have various rankings of evil spirits and that's where the real warfare lies in the realm of the spirit fighting these spiritual battles and thus the weapons of our warfare our spiritual weapons it is a spiritual battle that cannot be fought with physical weapons we must arm ourselves with spiritual weapons we wrestle not against flesh and blood but against these principalities and powers against the rulers of darkness of this world against the spiritual wickedness in the high places so you have to take the whole armour of God that you might be able to stand in that evil day and having done all just stand there for as we arm ourselves the first bit of armament that we put on is the truth because the enemy is always coming with his lies jesus said that the devil is the father of all lies and he tries to lie to you about God about the nature of God about the character of God about the attitude of God or Jew he tries to lie to you about God's attitude towards sin oh it really doesn't matter you can get by with it God will you know judge you God will forgive and so forth and he presses the point of causing you to use the grace of God as a cloak for lasciviousness deceiving yourself the truth it's important that I be armed with the truth secondly the breastplate of righteousness that commitment in my heart to do that which is right before God I've got to have that as just a a commitment of my life I want to do the right thing not to observe the situation and then determine you know which way I'll balance but just have that determination that I'm going to live a right kind of life righteousness righteousness actually constitutes the right actions towards those around me and unrighteousness is not doing the right thing toward my neighbor godliness is doing the right thing towards God the right relationship with God ungodliness is the wrong relationship with God so there is ungodliness my relationship with God and unrighteousness my relationship with man now he's talking here about righteousness I've got to have that just as a basic foundation the breastplate of righteousness I'm going to do as fast as God enables me the right thing I want to live right your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace it is God's desire that we live in peace with each other and with him we live in a world that is filled with strife we talked about marriage relationships but how many homes are so filled with strife the atmosphere is continually tense as we are failing to obey the Scriptures in submitting one to another in love but we're trying to dominate over each other we're trying to rule over each other and there is no love involved we get to arguing over the most ridiculous things and we won't give in we won't yield the point we will press our point get the last word in leave a sour taste and yet as the scripture says that yielding will pacify great offenses how many times in a tense situation where there's just you know the drawn sword and the clash taking place can the whole issue be defused by just one person saying I think you're right I just you know stupid to go on arguing like that you're probably right and it just diffuses only suddenly the strife is gone why do we find that so hard to do to admit to being wrong or to admit to the other person possibly being right even when we know they're wrong help us Lord above all taking the shield of faith that faith and confidence in God is what is being talked about here we're with you shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked Satan it's constantly attacking us my faith in God God's ability God's power God's working in me I can stand against these attacks of the enemy take the helmet of salvation thank God I've been saved through Jesus Christ from that tyranny of a life mastered by the flesh I have been saved in order that I might walk in fellowship with God through the spirit and finally the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God not finally but next the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God God's Word a tremendous defense against sin John said I write unto you young men because you are strong because you have overcome the wicked one because his word abides in you the power of God's word within my heart against sin it's the greatest defence that I can have in this spiritual battle that I am in God's Word hidden in my heart and then finally praying what a powerful spiritual weapon prayer is in this spiritual warfare prayer is often the deciding factor in the spiritual battle praying with all prayer and supplication in the spirit watching with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints and pray for me Paul says that utterance may be given unto me that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel interesting that so often in the early church their prayer was for boldness in proclaiming the truth of God the reason for that being the heavy persecution against those who were proclaiming the gospel imprisonment often oftentimes killed there are some estimates that range as many as 6 million people were put to death for their faith in Christ in the first 270 years of the churches exist some six million people martyred and that is why I no doubt they needed boldness because my witness may cost me my life you can be intimidated by that kind of pressure into silence in the early church after one of the first persecutions when the disciples were beaten and told not to speak anymore in the name of Jesus Christ warned severely not to preach any more they came to their own company having been beaten and they shared with him the experience that they had before the magistrates and they said let's pray that God might give us boldness to continue to speak the truth and so they prayed and the place was shaken and the Holy Spirit came upon them and they went forth boldly proclaiming the truth Paul is praying asking for prayers that God would give me boldness in utterance opening my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel for which he said I have I'm an ambassador in bonds or for which I've been placed in prison and that I might speak boldly as I ought to speak that I will not be intimidated by this imprisonment by the persecution by the beatings but that I will continue to speak boldly for Jesus Christ as I ought to speak I I think so many times of our attitudes when someone has given us a dirty look or someone has put us down because we testified of Jesus in are you one of those Jesus freaks in it you know and we you know keep quiet we've been intimidated by someone's remark imagine what they went through in the early days here's Paul in prison because he's been proclaiming the gospel and he's saying hey please pray that God will give me boldness to speak as I ought to speak that I won't be intimidated by the fact that I've been thrown in prison that my life has been threatened that Nero is going to take my head what we need is the grit of those early apostles but that you may also know my affairs and I'm doing Taichi cos a beloved brother and faithful minister in the Lord will make known to you all of these personal things about me whom I have sent to you for the same purpose that he might let you know our affairs and that he might comfort your hearts peace be to the Brethren and love with faith from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ peace and love these glorious gifts of God and then finally grace be with you be with all them that love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity amen next weekly going to the Philippian epistle it is called the prison epistle because Paul wrote it from prison now if you had a friend and thrown into prison with an indeterminate sentence what kind of a letter would you expect to get from him it is interesting that the Epistle of Philippians is the most joyful epistle in the New Testament in which he is continually urging them to rejoice in the Lord Paul's epistle to the Philippians next week you'll find it very rich very blessed very full now made the Word of God abide in your hearts richly through faith that you might comprehend the length the breadth the depth the height of God's love for you and that you might live in fellowship with God as light in a dark place so may your life give forth of the beauty and the radiance of Jesus Christ that it might bring hope unto others may God use you as his instrument this link in Jesus name

Channel: Ken Zenk

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Keywords: Bible, God, Jesus, Christ, Love, Hell, Death, Sex, Marriage, Drugs, Satan, Porno, Cancer, Sports, Girls, Music, Holy Spirit, Children, Family, Heaven, Healing, Pregnant, Aids, Gay, Movies, TV Shows, Animals, Israel Prophecy, Last Days, Christian, Jewish People, Gentiles

Id: vK4sCCrAvVY

Length: 75min 27sec (4527 seconds)

Published: Tue May 28 2013