- As far as our study in
Ephesians is concerned, we're looking at the different obligations that Paul the apostle explains that the church has a response
to God's gracious offer of blessings to all
those who come to Christ. Whew! That's as compact as I can make the, the first four chapters. You know, God invites all
mankind, no distinctions, Greek, Jew. He invites all mankind to receive precious spiritual blessings that he has reserved in heaven and in response to this, those who receive these
blessings are obliged to live in a certain way. So that's the premise, that's
what we've looked at so far. That's what we're working our way through, the first part of the epistle explains the nature of the blessings
that an individual receives because they are in Christ,
because they become Christians. And then the next part
of the epistle explains, well, what are the
responsibilities of the individual who receives these blessings? How is that person to respond or to react to what God has done? So far, we've seen that
one of these obligations is that the church preserve the unity that God has established
by making the church part of the Godhead through Christ. The church enters into a
relationship with the Godhead. I mean, think about that. I mean, try to wrap your
brain around that idea. God invites the church into
the Godhead through Christ. And one of the responsibilities
of that great blessing is that we preserve the unity
that already exists there, that we work to preserve
that unity of the Spirit, they call it, in the bond of peace. So that was one of the
obligations that we talked about. Another obligation is to live righteously. And Paul broke this righteous lifestyle down to several features which
we began studying last week. So one response, preserve unity. Next response, live a righteous life. So what does Paul mean by
living a righteous life? Well, the two first features
of this righteous lifestyle, again, I'm still reviewing here, were number one, a loving
attitude towards others. That's one feature of
a righteous lifestyle. A loving attitude towards one another. Another feature is a
lifestyle that was holy and beyond reproach by the world. He broke that down into
a variety of things. So today, we're going to
continue with more elements of this righteous lifestyle that Paul began describing
in chapter 4:17. And we'll actually go all the way through chapter six verse nine. So the features of a righteous lifestyle, remember, loving attitude number one, a lifestyle that is holy and
beyond reproach by the world, number two, and then number three, which we're going to pick
up today, the idea of piety, piety. I mean, how many times has the word piety crossed your lips in the last year? I would guess zero. It's just not a word that we use, right? We may use it in a church
setting, if you wish, from time to time, but
certainly out in the world, we never use that word. The dictionary defines piety as actions that show devotion
and reverence for God. A pious person is a person
for whom the things of God or the activities connected
with God are very important. Of course, there's a
great danger in this area, because some use false
piety as a cover for sin, a most insidious activity that takes place in the church at times. You know, TV evangelists who pray and they sweat and they
cry and they jump around, but really what they're
interested in is money. That's false piety. Or people who fight over
every little tradition, defending piety, when
what they really want is just to get their own way. Another false sense of piety. In the Bible, the Pharisees,
they were the worst offenders in this area of false piety. Their many rules and traditions created the image of piety when in reality their hearts were truly
not turned towards God. It was all about ego. It was all about power, it
had nothing to do with piety. So, it's easy to look pious, but it's not that easy
to actually be pious. And so Paul encourages the
Ephesians towards true piety in bringing together the
features of Christian piety. What are the features of Christian piety? In other words, he coaches
them how to truly express their devotion to God
and the affairs of God. So he says, the way to
true Christian piety lay in the following. First of all, he says, be prudent. You wouldn't think the two
are connected, would you? Christian piety has first and foremost the element of prudence. Let's look at chapter five, I told you we were in chapter five, beginning in verse 15,
let's read that together. It says, therefore be
careful how you walk, not as unwise men but
as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil. So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. So Paul is saying, if you
want to live a pious life, you have to be careful
how you live your life. Don't take chances with your soul and the precious blessings that have been freely
given to you in Christ. Remember, this passage is all based on the original idea that God has given us these magnificent blessings, eternal life, forgiveness of sin, righteousness, which is the
same as Christ's righteousness, and so on and so on. He's given us all these
things, money can't buy it, we can't imagine it,
we can't trade for it. He's given these things to us freely. So, part of Christian piety, part of our response is be careful. I remember my mother had received a vase, not a, you say vase, I say vase, you say potato, I say
potato, you know, a vase. It was like, and all manner of fruit, you know, in this crystal
vase were embossed in it and color, anyways it
was an expensive thing. And it was in the middle of the table. And you had to be careful with the thing. So I thought I'd do her a favor one day, and I was a little kid and
I was just cleaning up, clean up the house, mom was gone to work, clean up the house, blah, blah, blah. And I wasn't careful. I picked the thing up
and I just put it down and I heard crack. And it split right down the middle. It just went bink. So I finished cleaning, and of course, as a good son, what I did was fake it. I put it back together and I put it back in the middle of the table, and I put a few apples on it, just to king of hold it together. What could possibly go wrong, right? So of course, my mother came in. "Oh, you did the
housework, how nice of you. "You're a good son." You know, and so on and so forth. And so she went to get an apple, she picked an apple up, the thing went [imitates breaking sound] and I went, "Mom, look what you did!" [class laughs] And of course, she knew it was me, because I'm an only child. Couldn't blame the dog. I wasn't careful, that's the point. I wasn't careful. And Paul says, because you've gotten these magnificent blessings, be careful. Now, he doesn't mention anything
specific that they must do. It's an attitude that weighs
the various options in life against the effect upon the
blessings that we have received. In other words, the decisions
I make to do what I do, how will these decisions affect me hanging on to these blessings? Now, Christians know the
truth about life and death and the hereafter, so their lives, our lives are lived in that context. Unlike foolish men who
are not aware of this, and have nothing to guard except
a few material possessions they may have accumulated here on earth. Most people are busy guarding
what they have here on earth. Paul says Christians
should be busy guarding what they have in heaven. The prudent person, and here's the point, the prudent person who knows the truth, seeks the will of the Lord for his life and makes the most of the short time that he has here on earth. Because he knows the judgment is coming and this world is evil, so
he's careful, he's prudent. So if piety is a concern for godly things, then the pious person is
first and foremost prudent about how he lives and
that his or her life is in accordance with God's will. Why? 'Cause I have these things, I have this beautiful
crystal vase of blessings that I need to be careful. Now this isn't religious hypocrisy or a quote holier than thou attitude, it has nothing to do with it. This is a sober realization
of God's goodness and his coming judgment and living according to that reality. I live with the, we all do. We live with the reality
that a judgment is coming. So we're careful. Secondly, about prudence,
he says, be Spirit-filled, about piety rather, be prudent, be Spirit-filled. Let's continue reading
chapter five verses 18 to 20. He says, And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but
be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another
in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs,
singing and making melody with your heart to the
Lord, always giving thanks for all things in the name
of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father. We'll stop there. Now, false piety is usually full of religious looking activities
that look very spiritual. But as Paul says in Colossians 2:23, these things have no value
against fleshly indulgence. You know, denying oneself of food, or denying oneself of marriage, or denying oneself, you
know, denying of the flesh, he says, these things don't
have, all by themselves, the ability to completely conquer the flesh. This is not what piety is all about. We think, you know, the
monk who lives in a cave, wow, he must be pious! Paul says, this is not Christian piety. In other words, superficial
religion has no effect on changing or renewing a person's spirit. True piety, he says, true devotion to the things of God is seen
when one's true devotion is to Christ and the things
that Christ has given us. So the pagans and the religious phonies, they stir up their spirits,
he says, with alcohol. But this is not true spirituality. This does not build up the individual. It doesn't build up the body. Actually, it destroys the body. So he says, instead of being filled with the stupefying spirit
of alcohol and such things, be filled with the regenerating
power of the Holy Spirit. A lot better. This is what the will of the Lord is that those concerned
with the things of God be filled with the Holy Spirit and the witness that they are. Now, that's the specific,
you know, in the Bible there's always a specific application. So what I've just said here, that's the specific
application of this verse. But you can make a wider
application if you will. You can make a general
application of this idea here. You can be filled with, simply means addicted to, enslaved to, you can be filled with
a lot of things in life. You can be filled with the chasing after leisure or money or career or pleasure or power or comfort or drugs. And if you are, that's what
you're going to talk about. That's what you're going to worry about, that's what you're going
to be involved in the most. I mean, if you simply want
to know what makes me tick, just go back and review the transcripts of your conversations for the last month. You'll figure out what makes you tick. 'Cause that's what you talk about, that's what you worry about. But if you are prudent, remember, we're talking about prudence here, if you are prudent in your use of the short time that you had here, you will be pious, you will be filled with the Spirit, and that fullness of
Spirit will be evident, because much of your time
and much of your effort, aside from earning a living,
obviously and family life, those things we all do, whether
you're a believer or not, everybody's got to earn a living, everybody has a family. So obviously there's time that's consumed by those very good things. But aside from those basic things in life, your life in Christ will also
be consumed with Bible study. I know it sound simple, but Bible study. I mean how else can we
know the will of the Lord, unless we read his word? Those who attend as
many studies as they can are not only zealous, they're
prudent and they're wise. They know how to invest in the
treasure that lasts forever. I don't know how many times I've said it. Why do we have Sunday morning? Well, because the Lord says
we need to gather together and take the communion, so that's why. But why do we do it Sunday night? And why do we do it Wednesday night? Well, because we want to stay
in the circle of influence that belongs to the Lord
and his people, that's why. Because there's another
circle of influence working over here,
that's called the world, and it's trying to draw you
into its magnetic field, activities, leisure, blah,
blah, blah, all kinds of stuff, sin, bad things, you know,
whatever, busy things. So you have these two magnetic fields, and we've learned as
Christians over the years that we need to, you know, we need to be drawn into the
magnetic field that is Christ. And how do we do that? Well, we're with the people of God, and we're with the things of God, and we're with the pursuits of God. In that magnetic field, so
that we don't get caught in this other one and can't get out. Basically what Paul is saying here. Those who attend as many
studies as they can, as I say, not only
zealous, they're prudent, they're prudent, they're protecting what they have. In verse 19 he says, the
life filled with the Spirit will also overflow in joyful praise expressed in songs and hymns and psalms. And I know we use this
passage to support the idea that we only use the voice in public worship. And that's a proper application. That's the wider application. It's accurate, biblically, but that's the wider application. Paul isn't talking here about
how to worship publicly, that's the wide application. The narrow application,
the spot on application for the people he's talking to is this is how you will conduct yourself. You'll be full of God's word. You'll be full of praise for God and then he mentions singing
praises and so on and so forth. Singing isn't a duty, it's an expression, it's an
overflow of what's inside. People who are not able
to come to services because of illness or work
and so on and so forth, you know, the hard thing about that is that they are denied the opportunity to express what's in their spirit and in their hearts with other Christians. That's the accurate
application of this particular, it's not talking about our conduct here. When he talks about conduct
in a public worship service, you need to go to First Corinthians
to get that information. And then thirdly, that
person who is prudent, who is pious, his life is
also filled with prayer, giving thanks for all things. You know in Romans chapter one verse 21, Paul says the reason why mankind kind of devolves into sinfulness and immorality and darkness, the number one thing that
goes wrong in their life is they refuse to give
thanks, that's the first sin. That's the first stumble spiritually, they refuse to give thanks. It was because of lack of thanksgiving that the wise became fools, and they fell into darkness. And so we're being careful when we pray and when we pray often. I'm being careful. Why do I pray before I eat? You think God doesn't know by now that I'm thankful for
the food that I have? No, of course he knows, he knows my heart. Why do I stop and offer a prayer? Because it's another
opportunity to express the overflow of my spirit to him. I'm not trying to impress anyone, I'm just trying to
maintain that connection that I have with God and
eating food reminds me of how he's blessed me. You know, many times we're conned into confusing emotionalism or
modernism with spirituality. It's not the same thing. For example, if we feel
excited or entertained, if we're impressed with
the size of the lights and the performance at church, many times we're led to believe this is what spirituality is all about. Let's not confuse show
business with spirituality. Paul explains that true
spirituality in someone's life will be seen in knowledge of God's word, obedience to God's word, joyful praise, and sincere gratitude for God's kindness. That's spirituality. That's the measure of spirituality. Once or twice a week we gather together as a group to express
those things publicly, to make a witness to our community, but this is an on-going thing here, this is what my life is about. It's about these things. And so with this criteria, every Christian and every congregation can be filled with the Spirit regardless of its size, regardless of it's resources. Maybe they don't have a great song leader. I remember at Montreal, I was the best song leader, so that goes. Here, I don't even get to lead singing. That goes to show you, [chuckles] the quality of the song leading back in a small mission church. But were they spiritual? Absolutely. Why? Because those 60, 70 voices were lifted up to God in thanksgiving. Were the prayers always eloquent like Ron's prayer this
morning, how eloquent it was! In reminding us of so many spiritual ideas in a very compact way? No, we had young Christians there that repeated the same thing
over and over again. Did that mean we're not dynamic? Of course not. We also, as a small group, showed the overflow of our spirit as we gathered together each week. And then he says, remember we're still talking about the pious person, prudent, Spirit-filled, and then
he talks about submission. And I've left verse 21 to the end. He says, and be subject to one another in the fear of Christ. So that's another element of our piety, how you can recognize the true piety. True piety involves a particular attitude toward other people. And Paul describes the pious person as one who is able to subject
himself to others, repeat, as one who is able to subject himself or herself to other people. The word subject or here submission comes from the same root word used a little bit later on in
Ephesians chapter five verse 22, you know, where Paul is saying, wives, be subject or
submit to your husbands. To be subject was a military term which meant to place oneself under. Place oneself under voluntarily, not come here, you, get down there, I'm going to put my foot on your neck. You know, not that kind of submission. It wasn't surrender. There's a big difference between the word submission and surrender. Surrender, you have no chance, you surrender or you die. Submission is a different thing. Submission is I willfully, I willfully place myself under. So it literally meant at that time, a soldier would recognize
another soldier of a higher rank and accept that person's superior rank and put themselves under
that person's command. I was always intrigued when our kids were in the military and we'd
go visit them on base or whatever, who'd they salute
and who they wouldn't salute, 'cause I couldn't figure it out. Well of course, they
were saluting the persons that they recognize that
their rank was above theirs. Paul the apostle says, this should be everybody's attitude. Notice, he said, everybody's attitude. And so the question arises, well, how does the church
function with this attitude, since there are clearly roles of higher and lower
responsibility with authority? You know, in Hebrews 13:17, the writer says obey your
leaders and submit to them, the leaders in this case
being the elders or shepherds. Well, a person can still
function in a leadership role and still have a submissive attitude. For example, Jesus, Lord of all, and yet he submitted to the Father's will. He also submitted to the weakness and the need of the people that He served. He also submitted to the
limitations placed upon Him by His human nature. Can you imagine? God by a human nature for a time? So a mutually submissive
attitude for everyone in the church does not eliminate
leadership responsibility and lines of authority. However, this kind of
attitude does eliminate pride, does eliminate rivalry, does eliminate the desire
for the approval of man, the approval of people,
all of which are causes of dissension and disputes in the church. You know, I've been serving
as a minister for 33 years, 33 years. Been in a lot of churches and
worked in a lot of things, and I can tell you, I can tell you that more trouble takes place in the church, not because of sex or
drugs or stuff like that, but obviously those types of vices exist, people struggle with
those things all the time, but the number one thing that causes trouble in
the church is pride. Pride, people want to get their way. People become offended
because someone said something that they think may be offensive. Submissiveness is the answer. A pious person works at submissiveness. For example, a pious
elder will see himself as a shepherd, a protector of the church, not as its lord and master. A pious deacon will bear
patiently with the weaknesses of his brothers and sisters
instead of complaining about their deficiencies. See the difference? And all of us will support the leadership of those appointed to that task, without grumbling, without being jealous, knowing that their task is difficult and they need help not criticism. You know, those who serve as
deacons in the church here, and many who serve, even
without the role of deacon, but who serve so effectively, who give so much of their time. Did you realize that
those people are going to the very same heaven as the people who don't serve as much? There's no extra reward. They're doing it out of love, the love for the Lord. So, a truly pious person
is one who emulates the character of Jesus and His approach to dealing with people in problems. And this approach begins
with the willingness to submit to others' needs. I might be more experienced
than somebody else. And if I am as a Christian, then I'm the one that needs to submit to the needs of that other person, not criticize that other person, not moan and whine and complain about why isn't that other person more mature? Why isn't that other
person, you know, grow up so I don't have to deal with them? That's not piety in action,
[scoffs] that's pride. That's impatience. This is the way the church began. Jesus subjected Himself
to a death on a cross, and this is how the church continues. Each member dies to self
and lives for Christ. That's how it works,
that's what we're about. So, we're reviewing the various features of a righteous lifestyle which is one of the obligations of the church in response to the blessings of God, the things that He's given us. I'm going back now,
let's put all in context. God has given us all these blessings, how do we respond? Three features that Paul talks about. He says, we respond with
the righteous lifestyle. So what does that righteous
lifestyle look like? Number one, a loving
attitude one towards another. That sounds, it's easy to love
people who are easy to love. But there are some rascals out there that are not that easy to love. You've got to love them, too. And you know what? Maybe you're the rascal. You ever think about that? Maybe you're the one that's hard to love. Secondly, a loving attitude, secondly, a lifestyle that is beyond reproach. In this age of Facebook and you know, I guess I'm just too,
I'm not too old for it. I get it. I guess that thing has just passed me by. You know what I'm saying? There's some stuff that
just some technology just kind of passes you by. My mother, you know, bless her soul, she got off the technology
bandwagon at AM and FM. I bought her a radio. Mom, it's got this new thing,
FM, oh, you're going to love it. No, well, do I have to change channels? Ma, all you have to do is just switch, AM over here, beep, FM,
then you got a whole bunch. No, no, no, no, leave it on my channel. So she had an AM/FM radio that
she only listened to in AM. Why? She got off the technology bandwagon. And I don't know Facebook, I see myself stepping off
the technology bandwagon. But what I observe is that people put their lives out there for all to see. I don't know, maybe it's
the culture I come from, you know, being raised in Canada, we're just a little more conservative. I used to call my mother
always before I dropped in, I would never dropped in unannounced. That's us, that's how we lived. To put my personal life out for strangers to view is like
beyond comprehension for me. And yet, the problem I have is that
I see brothers and sisters put a life out there that
is not beyond reproach. Used to be the stupid things that we did, the foolish things that we did, the sinful things that we did, we tried to hide them,
at least cover them over. Now they're all out there. So a righteous lifestyle is
one that is beyond reproach. That means whatever you put on Facebook, it should be able to go
up on this screen here, so that everybody could, would you want all your Facebook
stuff up here on Sunday? Think about that. That's the measuring rod. And then of course, he mentions piety, a loving attitude, a lifestyle
beyond reproach, piety. And then we broke, we
deconstructed piety down into three things that
he talks about piety, in the sense that we are prudent, we are careful with our souls. What would you give in
exchange for your soul? Nothing, you have nothing
to exchange it for. So prudence, a Spirit-filled
life you can tell, and of course, a submissive attitude. Now note that in our day and age, to be tenderhearted and loving, to be beyond reproach in our lifestyle, to be careful and spiritually
minded and submissive, this is not exactly the ideal man or woman for the 21st century. The 21st century man or woman is not like this in many senses. This is not the person that will make it to the top 100 movers and
shakers of Time magazine, people who are prudent and Spirit-filled. Those people are laughed
at in this society. But let's try to remember that
Christians have always gone against the grain, always. And it's no different
now in the 21st century. Okay, so we're going to stop here, we're going to pick up next verse 22, some material that
Dayton went over with you and I'm very thankful that
he reviewed this material and we'll go over it and put it in the context of our study next week. That'll be it for now, thank
you for your attention, see you next time.
