This week, we are looking at a section of a letter that
is recorded for us in the New Testament of the Bible called the book of
Ephesians. Yesterday, we discovered that Our identity
as a follower of Jesus should lead us to live a life that imitates Jesus. Just
as it was for the members of the church at Ephesus, just as it has been for
followers of Jesus throughout history, our identity as a follower of Jesus
should lead us to live a life that imitates Jesus.
And in
Ephesians 5:2-14, we see the Apostle Paul reveal for us six specific evidences
of a life that imitates Jesus. We see Paul reveal for us the reality that we live lives that imitate Jesus
when we sacrificially love others. As followers of Jesus, our day to day lives
are to be marked by a selfless and sacrificial love that places others first.
Today, we will see Paul reveal for us a second evidence
of a life that imitates Jesus in Ephesians 5:3:
But immorality or any impurity or greed must
not even be named among you, as is proper among saints;
Now to fully understand what Paul is communicating here,
we first need to define some terms. The word
immorality describes any unlawful sexual intercourse, which would be any sexual
activity that occurs outside of a marriage relationship, whether it is sex before
marriage, sex in addition to marriage, which is adultery, homosexual activity,
any sexual activity outside of God’s design for marriage, which is one man, one
woman for one lifetime.
When
Paul uses the word impurity, this word describes the state of moral corruption
that our selfish desires produce in our lives. And when Paul uses the word
greed, greed is a desire
to have more than one’s due. So Paul here is commanding the members of the
church at Ephesus to live their day to day lives in a way that rejects the
selfish desires that oppose God, whether those selfish desires are sexual or
material in nature.
But not only were the members of the church at Ephesus to
reject acting on those selfish desires. Paul explains that those desires must
not even be named among you. In other words, these selfish desires should not
even be talked about as being a possibility for you. Paul explains the reason
why they were not to do or even talk about these selfish desires is due to the
fact of what is proper for the saints.
In other words, as followers of Jesus what is suitable
and fitting is a lack of engagement, involvement, or discussion of such selfish
desires. And it is here that we see Paul
reveal for us the reality that we live lives that imitate Jesus when we reject
our selfish desires. As followers of Jesus, our day to day lives are to be
marked by a lifestyle that rejects the selfish desires that oppose God, whether
those selfish desires are sexual or material in nature.
So here is a question to consider: Is your day to day
life marked a lifestyle that rejects the selfish sexual desires for pleasure and
the selfish material desires for possessions that we may face? Because, as
followers of Jesus, we live lives that imitate Jesus when we reject our selfish
desires. Paul then reveals for us a third evidence of a life that imitates
Jesus in verse 4:
and there must be no filthiness and silly
talk, or coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks.
Now when Paul commands the members of the church at
Ephesus that there must be no filthiness and silly talk, or coarse jesting,
these three commands refer to what happens in one’s conversations with others.
The word filthiness refers to conversations that shamefully ignore any social
and moral standards. These are the
conversations that shock people with their profanity and subject matter.
When Paul refers to silly talk, he is referring to
foolish or ridiculous conversations. There are conversations that are funny;
and there are conversations that are ridiculous and foolish. Now course jesting
refers to conversations that involve subtly suggestive sexual statements or are
degrading. Paul explains the reason why they were not to be involved in such
conversations was due to the fact that they were not fitting. In other words,
as followers of Jesus, it is not appropriate to be engaged or involved in such
conversations. Instead, Paul commands the members of the church at Ephesus to
be involved in conversations that are marked with the giving of thanks.
Instead of making fun of God and the word of God in the
content of their conversations, the members of the church at Ephesus were to
make much of God. Instead of tearing down others through their conversations,
they were to build others up. Instead of
complaining about God in their conversations, they were to express appreciation
to God.
And it is here that we see Paul reveal for us the reality
that we live lives that imitate Jesus when we control our conversations. As
followers of Jesus, our day to day lives are to be marked by a lifestyle that
controls our conversations. As followers of Jesus, we are to control our
conversations from those that make fun of moral standards, are foolish, or that
are suggestive or degrading. As followers of Jesus, we are to control our
conversations to those that express gratitude for God’s activity in our lives.
So here is a question to consider: Is your day to day
life marked by a lifestyle that controls your conversations? Is your day to day
life marked by conversations that make fun of moral standards, that are
foolish, or that are suggestive or degrading? Or is your day to day life marked
by conversations that express appreciation for God’s activity in your life?
Because as followers of Jesus we live lives that imitate Jesus when we control
our conversations. Paul then reveals for us a fourth evidence of a life that
imitates Jesus in verse 5:
For this you
know with certainty, that no immoral or impure person or covetous man, who is
an idolater, has an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. Let no one
deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God
comes upon the sons of disobedience. Therefore do not be partakers with them;
for you were formerly darkness, but now you are Light in the Lord;
Now if Paul was communicating verse 5 in the language we
use in our culture today, it would probably sound something like this: “The
reality that you need to know is true and worth remembering is that the person
who lives a lifestyle that embraces their selfish sexual and material desires
over God’s desires for their lives reveals that they worship their personal
pleasure and possessions instead of God and are not in a relationship with
Jesus as part of the kingdom of God”.
Then, in verse 6, Paul commands the members of the church
at Ephesus to let no one deceive you with empty words. In other words, the
members of the church at Ephesus were to make sure that no one misled them into
thinking that they could live a lifestyle that embraced their selfish sexual and
material desires over God’s desires for their lives and still be in a
relationship with Jesus as part of the kingdom of God. Paul’s point is that
anyone who would make such statements were speaking empty words, which are
words that are devoid of any intellectual or spiritual truth or value.
Instead, Paul explains that those who live a lifestyle
that embraces their selfish sexual and material desires over God’s desires for
their lives will experience the wrath of God in their lives. As we talked about
earlier in this series, the wrath of God is God’s right and just response to
selfishness and rebellion. Paul is reminding the members of the church at
Ephesus that those who follow the influence of those in the world who rebel and
reject the message and teachings of Jesus in disobedience are sons of
disobedience. And as sons of disobedience, they will experience God’s right and
just response to their disobedient selfishness and rebellion.
And because of that reality, in verse 8, Paul commands
the members of the church of Ephesus to do not be partakers in with them.
Paul’s point is that the members of the church of Ephesus should not share and
invest their lives in a close relationship with those who live a lifestyle that
embraces their selfish sexual and material desires over God’s desires for their
lives.
Paul then provides the reason why they should not share
and invest their lives in a close relationship with those who live a lifestyle
that embraces their selfish sexual and material desires over God’s desires for
their lives: for you were formerly darkness, but now you are Light in the Lord.
When Paul uses the word darkness here, he is explaining that there was a time
when the members of the church of Ephesus were dead men and women walking as a
result of their selfishness and rebellion and were in a state of moral and
spiritual darkness.
But now, as a result of being made alive through Jesus,
they were now in a state of spiritual light with Jesus, who is the light of the
world. Paul here is painting a word picture to reveal the reality that since
darkness and light do not coexist in close relationship with one another, as
followers of Jesus, the members of the church at Ephesus were not longer to
share in a close relationship with those who are still dead men and women
walking as a result of their selfishness and rebellion that placed them in a
state of moral and spiritual darkness.
Paul here is not saying that they could not have
friendships or relationships with those who were far from God. Instead, Paul is
saying that they should not share and invest their lives in close
relationships, such as marriage or other close commitments, with those who live
a lifestyle that embraces their selfish sexual and material desires over God’s
desires for their lives.
And it is here that we see Paul reveal for us the reality
that we live lives that imitate Jesus when we refuse to be deceived. As
followers of Jesus, our day to day lives are to recognize the reality that
those who live a lifestyle that embraces their selfish desires reveal that they
are not in relationship with Jesus as a part of the kingdom of God. As
followers of Jesus, we are not to be deceived by others to believe otherwise.
And as followers of Jesus, we are not to share our lives in close relationship with
those who live a lifestyle that embraces their selfish desires.
We are not to share our lives in close relationship with
those who live a lifestyle that embraces their selfish desires because we are
no longer in a state of moral and spiritual darkness, but are now in a state of
moral and spiritual light as a result of our relationship with Jesus.
So here is a question to
consider: Have you been deceived into thinking that you can live a lifestyle
that embraces your selfish sexual and material desires over God’s desires for your
life and still be in a relationship with Jesus as part of the kingdom of God? Have
you been deceived into thinking that you can share in close and personal
relationships with those who live a lifestyle that embraces their selfish desires
without any impact on your life? Because as followers of Jesus we live lives
that imitate Jesus when we refuse to be deceived.
Friday, we will see Paul reveal
two additional evidences of a life that imitates Jesus…
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