GOSPEL :: FAMILY :: MISSION
This passage presents a simple topic with complex baggage. I have my own personal story. And every one of us in our own distinct way needs to hear something from this text. And I assure you that the Lord wants to speak to you. And my prayer is simply that God would reveal more of his heart as a loving Daddy to his children and that as we encounter more of his heart, we would be enabled to love him more obediently.
The only place a man can grow in his desire and ability to love his wife is under the shadow of the bloody cross and in the doorway of the empty tomb.
I was working on the new building this last week and I was praying for us as a church. I was praying for the community around us that I’ve begun to affectionately refer to as “Hastings South of The Tracks”. And as I was praying for our first Sunday gathering here I sensed the Holy Spirit was speaking to me about what he wanted me to preach this morning for our first gathering on B street.
I arrive at this passage with a very real and a very emotional and a very raw and a very passionate sense of fear. Fear of the Lord. Fear for you. And fear for myself. Nevertheless, this is God’s Word. God’s Word is faithful and true. And on the truth of his Word I will stand today and I pray that you will join me too. And that brings me to the text in front of us.
The Ephesian church was planted in a culture that loved sensuality and spiritualism. This is why the worship of sexuality was so prevalent in Ephesus. And this needed to be confronted as we saw in earlier verses.
We live in a dark and perverse world and if we aren’t careful we can easily wind up looking more like the world and less like Jesus. This is why we teach our children songs like “This Little Light of Mine” and “Father Abraham” and “I’m In The Lord’s Army”. We teach these songs at a young age because we want our children to shine like bright lights in the darkness.
The world we live in is constantly offering us a platter full of things that overload our senses and can easily lead to destruction. That’s the importance of our passage today. We need to understand that our senses trigger our appetites and our appetites stir up our cravings and if our cravings go unchecked then the consequences will be severe.
The apostle Paul has previously instructed the Ephesian believers to no longer walk as the Gentiles do but to instead put on the new clothing of the Christian life. In essence he has said that if we are followers of Jesus then the clothing of our old lives, while they may feel comfortable and familiar to walk in, has no place in our lives and we should strive to put on Christ himself.
As we look at our passage for today we see that Paul’s concern is once again straightforward and clear. He is concerned that there are people in the church at Ephesus who call themselves Christians but do not live like it. I think his concern for the Ephesian church is born out of two deeply held desires. Number one he desires that the name of Christ would be honored and lifted high. And number two he desires the best for the people in the Ephesian church. He wants Christ to be honored and he wants the best for the Ephesians.
Today is a call to wake up and to grow up. Today is a day to afflict the comfortable. Today is a day like in Joshua’s day where the Lord calls out to you and says, “Choose you this day whom you will serve.” Will you stay seated in the first two camps? Or will you by God’s grace get up out of your seat and not just occupy space but instead take possession of and live out of who and who’s you are? Will you leave behind foolish and childish ways of living while claiming the name of Christ? Will you take a step towards growing up?
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