Embracing our identity as a follower of Jesus in marriage will lead wives to willingly embrace and place themselves under a husband’s godly leadership...

This week, we have been looking at a section of a letter that is recorded for us in the Bible called the book of Ephesians. Wednesday, we talked about the reality that both men and women were created by God in His relational image and are of equal value and worth in His sight. And as a result, Adam and Eve were both naked and not ashamed because they were able to be totally transparent and vulnerable with one another. They were united in their love for God and one another and viewed one another with equal value and worth.

Yet while Adam and Eve had equal value and worth in God’s creation, they had different roles and responsibilities to fulfill; Adam was to exercise a role of leadership and authority as first among equals by lovingly leading, providing, and protecting Eve. And Eve was to lovingly coming under and following Adam’s leadership in a way that allows for her spiritual growth and good.

And just like our first parents while men and women have equal value and worth in God’s creation, men and women have different roles and responsibilities to fulfill; men are to exercise a role of leadership and authority as first among equals by lovingly leading, providing, and protecting women in ways that are appropriate to their relationship. Women are to fulfill their role in relationships by lovingly coming under and following godly male leadership in a way that allows for growth in their relationship with Christ and to exercise the gifts that God has given them.

Now a natural and great question that arises here is “well Dave if God really designed marriage relationships to be like this, then why doesn’t my husband do what he is supposed to do? Why doesn’t he lovingly, lead, protect, and provide for me?” Or you may be thinking “Well Dave, if this is the case, if this is God’s design, then why do I want to push back against this so hard?”

These are great questions to ask, and here would be my answer: We push back on this so hard just as our first parents pushed back on this truth. We see their pushback recorded for us just one chapter later, in Genesis 3:

Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, "Indeed, has God said, 'You shall not eat from any tree of the garden '?" The woman said to the serpent, "From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat; but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, 'You shall not eat from it or touch it, or you will die.'" The serpent said to the woman, "You surely will not die! "For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loin coverings.

Instead of fulfilling his responsibility to lovingly, lead, protect, and provide for his wife, Adam cowardly chose to allow Eve to lead their relationship. God gave His command to Adam, who was expected to lead the couple in following the commandment. The result was disobeying God’s command and sin entered the world and corrupted God’s design and creation. We see the specific consequences of our first parent’s sin that leads women to push back against their role in marriage relationships in Genesis 3:16:

To the woman He said, "I will greatly multiply Your pain in childbirth, In pain you will bring forth children; Yet your desire will be for your husband, And he will rule over you."

What is so interesting here is that this phrase “your desire will be for your husband” is not referring to a sexual or relational desire. We know that to be the case because this phrase is used just one chapter later, in Genesis chapter four. After God rejected an act of worship that was offered by Adam and Eve’s son, named Cain. Cain was very angry. He was so angry that his anger was revealed in his countenance or body language. And it is in this context that we see this phrase appear again in Genesis 4:7:

"If you do well, will not your countenance be lifted up? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door; and its desire is for you, but you must master it."

You see, sin was crouching at Cain’s door, desiring to dominate and manipulate Cain into rebelling against God. And in the same way, as a result of our first parent’s sin, all women throughout history have a natural bent and desire to rebel against God’s design in creation by seeking to usurp and rebel against God’s design for marriage relationships by attempting to exercise leadership and domination over men.

And as a result of our first parent’s sin, men tend to abdicate their leadership responsibilities and instead function as either cowards or chauvinists. And that is why Paul reinforces God’s design when it comes to the role and goal that a woman has in a marriage relationship with the following statement in Ephesians 5:24:

But as the church is subject to Christ, so also the wives ought to be to their husbands in everything.

Paul reinforces God’s design for women within a marriage relationship by explaining that just as followers of Jesus are to willingly place themselves under His leadership as they exist in community with one another, wives are to willingly place themselves under the leadership of their husbands in a way that follows their godly leadership in a marriage relationship. And what makes this statement even more difficult is the last two words in everything. This is not just about what occurs in the bedroom, or the laundry room. Wives are to willingly place themselves under the leadership of their husbands in every aspect of their marriage.

Now ladies, here is why this timeless truth is so, so important. This timeless truth is so, so important because Paul is revealing for us the reality that your willingness to place yourself under the leadership of Jesus will be reflected in your willingness to place yourself under your husband’s godly leadership. You see, as followers of Jesus, we can often find ourselves practically living life in this manner: God you can be large and in charge of these parts of my life, but when it comes to my money, when it comes to my habits, or when it comes to my marriage, I will be large and in charge of those parts of my life.

 However, Jesus desires to be large and in charge of every part of our lives, including our marriages. And when God created marriage, He divinely designed specific roles and goals within marriage that result in God’s glory and our good. And it is here that we see that Apostle Paul reveal for us a timeless truth when it comes to how a woman's unique identity as a follower of Jesus impacts her role and responsibility within a marriage relationship.

And that timeless truth is that embracing our identity as a follower of Jesus in marriage will lead wives to willingly embrace and place themselves under a husband’s godly leadership.  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 in marriage leads wives to willingly place themselves under a husbands godly leadership.

And our willingness as husbands and wives to embrace and place ourselves within those roles that flow from our identity as a follower of Jesus will have a profound impact on the depth and intimacy we have with Christ.

Our culture's confusion over what the Bible has to say about marriage, part two...

This week we are looking at a section of a letter that is recorded of us in the New Testament of the Bible called the book of Ephesians. Yesterday, we looked on as a man named Paul commanded wives to willingly place themselves under the leadership of their husbands in a way that follows their leadership in a marriage relationship.

And Paul seems to add to the tension when he states that wives are to be subject as to the Lord. In other words women are to willingly place themselves under their husband’s leadership in the same manner that they are to place themselves under the leadership of Jesus.

We talked about the reality that the tension that we tend to feel fill a room when we discuss what the Bible has to say about the relationship between men and women within a marriage, especially when it comes to these verses, often flows from two specific areas of confusion. The first area of confusion that can often arise when we talk about the idea of leadership or authority within a marriage relationship, which is due to how our culture attempts to portray God’s design when it comes to a women’s role in a marriage.

This first area of confusion that surrounds the stereotypes of women is compounded by a second area of confusion that can often arise when we talk about leadership and authority within a marriage relationship, which is the tendency in our culture to confuse value and roles. For example, while every member of the trinity has the same nature, essence, and value, they have different roles, responsibilities, and authority.

God the Father is the first among equals; God the Father exercises the leadership and authority role in the relationship amongst the Trinity. Jesus and the Holy Spirit, while equal in value and worth to God the Father, fall under and follow His leadership. We see Jesus do this throughout the gospels. And we see Paul talk about this reality throughout his letters that he wrote to various churches.

Another example is the twelve disciples. While there were twelve disciples, and all twelve were equal in their value and worth as disciples, Peter was the first amongst equals. Peter was the leader that the rest of the disciples followed in terms of leadership and authority. We see this throughout the book of Acts.

Today, we will see that this same principle also applies to God’s design for relationships in humanity when it comes to men and women within marriage. We see the mutual value and worth of men and women revealed for us in Genesis 1:27:

God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.

Both men and women were created by God in His relational image and are of equal value and worth in His sight. And because of that reality, men and women are to be treated with equal value, respect and worth by one another. To treat a woman any other way contradicts the crystal clear teaching of God’s word.

In Genesis 2 we read that God formed man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life. God then gave Adam a job to tend the garden and name the animals and just one command to follow; don’t eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. But, as Adam named all the animals, he did not find a helper suitable for him and we read the first time that God said that something was not good; it is not good for man to be alone.

So God caused Adam to fall to sleep and took one of his ribs and formed Eve, the first woman. Ladies that is why we men do not understand you, we don’t understand you because we were asleep when it happened. And as God brought Eve into Adam’s presence, we see Adam’s response and God’s design for marriage revealed for us, beginning in Genesis 2:22:

The LORD God fashioned into a woman the rib which He had taken from the man, and brought her to the man. The man said, "This is now bone of my bones, And flesh of my flesh; She shall be called Woman, Because she was taken out of Man." For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh. And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed.

Adam and Eve were both naked and not ashamed because they were able to be totally transparent and vulnerable with one another. They were united in their love for God and one another and viewed one another with equal value and worth.

Yet while Adam and Eve had equal value and worth in God’s creation, they had different roles and responsibilities to fulfill; Adam was to exercise a role of leadership and authority as first among equals by lovingly leading, providing, and protecting Eve. And Eve was to lovingly coming under and following Adam’s leadership in a way that allows for her spiritual growth and good.

And just like our first parents while men and women have equal value and worth in God’s creation, men and women have different roles and responsibilities to fulfill; men are to exercise a role of leadership and authority as first among equals by lovingly leading, providing, and protecting women in ways that are appropriate to their relationship. Women are to fulfill their role in relationships by lovingly coming under and following godly male leadership in a way that allows for growth in their relationship with Christ and to exercise the gifts that God has given them.

You see, the problem with the stereotypes that we looked at yesterday is that none of them are found in the Bible when it comes to the role that women have in a marriage relationship. First, as we will discover next week, unlike Doormat Dora, God’s design when it comes to the role of men in a marriage relationship does not promote the idea of a woman being a docile doormat. The claim that a Biblical view of the role of women promotes doormats and encourages abuse is both false and slanderous.

Second, unlike Dipstick Danielle, nowhere is Scripture do we see God promote the idea of weak willed, unintelligent women. What the Bible does promote are women who study and think hard about the message and teachings of Jesus and how they are to apply these truths to their lives. And the pages of the Bible are filled with strong willed and courageous women. Women like Deborah, Abigail, Ruth, Esther and Mary, just to name a few. A Biblical view of women promotes women who can swim against the cultural tide and critically think for themselves.

Third, unlike Kitchen trapped Kathy, the Bible does not teach that woman are to be homebound. What the Bible does teach is that part of a woman’s role in the home is to help create and maintain a welcoming environment where the marriage and family is nurtured and can grow. However, as we will see next week, this does not mean that she has to do all the chores or that the home is the sum of her existence. And for those of you who get hyper spiritual on this particular issue, I would simply direct you to Proverbs 31, where the woman described as the standard for women to follow not only managed a household-she also ran a business.

Fourth, one of the great meanings and blessings is to bear children and raise them in a way that promotes their good and God’s glory. Yet, unlike Baby-popping Bertha, the Bible teaches that while marriage and motherhood is a blessing, it is not a woman’s ultimate aim and goal. A woman’s ultimate goal, just like men, is to live their lives in such a way that reveals and reflects Christ and advances the kingdom mission we have been given. Marriage is neither absolute nor eternal. What is absolute and eternal is that we are to live a life that is engaged in a relationship with Jesus Christ and the mission that He has given us.

And fifth, unlike repressed Rita, the Bible does not teach that women are second class citizens when it comes to exercising their spiritual gifts talents and abilities in the church. As a matter of fact, what the Bible teaches is that there is only one thing that a woman cannot do when it comes to serving in a local church. The one thing that a woman cannot do is be in the leadership position of an Elder or any position that requires the qualifications of an Elder. The pages of the Bible is filled with examples of woman who invested their time, talents, and treasure into God’s kingdom mission in a way that resulted in God’s glory and in the spiritual good and growth of others.

Now a natural and great question that arises here is “well Dave if God really designed marriage relationships to be like this, then why doesn’t my husband do what he is supposed to do? Why doesn’t he lovingly, lead, protect, and provide for me?” Or you may be thinking “Well Dave, if this is the case, if this is God’s design, then why do I want to push back against this so hard?”

These are great questions to ask, and Friday, we will discover the answer...

Our culture's confusion over what the Bible has to say about marriage...

At the church where I serve, we have been spending our time together looking at a letter that is recorded for us in the New Testament of our Bibles called the book of Ephesians. This week, I would like for us to pick up where we left off last week. And as we jump back into the next section of this letter that the Apostle Paul wrote to early followers of Jesus at the church at Ephesus, we will see the Apostle Paul begin to unpack how a life that is controlled and influenced by the Holy Spirit lives out their identity as a follower of Jesus in their horizontal relationships here on earth.

Fr the next two weeks, we are going to focus on how our identity as a follower of Jesus should impact a marriage relationship. This week, we will focus like a laser beam on how a woman's unique identity as a follower of Jesus impacts her role and responsibility within a marriage relationship. And while the spotlight will be on the ladies this week, guys, next week we will spend our entire time focused on how a man's unique identity as a follower of Jesus impacts his role and responsibility within a marriage relationship.

Now as we focus on the ladies, I imagine that for many a natural pushback and resistance will occur because, for many of us, we have experienced this passage either misrepresented or misused in the past.  So let’s look at this passage together, beginning in Ephesians 5:22-23:

Wives, be subject to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the church, He Himself being the Savior of the body.

Now, for many of us here this morning, as soon as you heard this verse, a mental image popped in your mind. And as those images popped in our minds, you can feel the tension rise in a room, can’t you? The tension that arises from this verse comes from the phrase “be subject”. As we discovered last week, the phrase “be subject”, in the language that this letter was originally written in, means to willingly place ourselves under others by placing others first based on one’s role in the relationship.

Yet here, just one verse later, Paul is commanding that wives are to willingly place themselves under the leadership of their husbands in a way that follows their leadership in a marriage relationship. And Paul seems to add to the tension when he states that wives are to be subject as to the Lord. In other words women are to willingly place themselves under their husband’s leadership in the same manner that they are to place themselves under the leadership of Jesus.

Now some of you ladies are thinking, “Well Paul would not have written that if he knew my husband”. Or you may be thinking to yourself right now “well Dave, my husband is nothing like Jesus”. Ladies, we will deal with your husband’s next week. You just have to trust me on this one.

Now, I believe that the tension that we tend to feel fill a room when we discuss what the Bible has to say about the relationship between men and women within a marriage, especially when it comes to these verses, often flows from two specific areas of confusion. The first area of confusion that can often arise when we talk about the idea of leadership or authority within a marriage relationship is due to how our culture attempts to portray God’s design when it comes to a women’s role in a marriage.

Mary Kassian has done an outstanding job of summarizing the five most prevalent stereotypes that are portrayed about what our culture believes the Bible says about a women’s role in a marriage relationship.

The first stereotype would be who we will call Dora the Doormat. Dora wears a please step on me sign around her neck and is a passive opinion-less servant who is unable and unwilling to do anything other than what she is told. She has absolutely no goals in life except to serve her husband and have him dominate her. Dora’s sister, co-dependent Clara, goes so far as to say that those who believe in the Biblical model of marriage relationships endorse abuse.

Then there is Dipstick Danielle. Dipstick Danielle does not have a brain, as she threw all rational thought aside when she embraced what the Bible says about marriage relationships. Danielle is close friends with Bobblehead Betty, who also does not have any thoughts of her own but simply nods “yes” to everything her husband says.

Then there is kitchen trapped Kathy. Kitchen trapped Kathy lives in the kitchen, except when she goes to the laundry room. Her existence and purpose is defined by her ability to handle the household chores. Her life-long aspiration is to have one of her recipes make it into the next edition of the Betty Crocker cookbook. Her friends Dipstick Diana and Bobblehead Betty are eager to connect and share tips on cleaning techniques and the latest shopping strategies.

Then there is Baby popping Bertha. Bertha aims to have 26 kids. As a matter of fact popping out kids is the only goal and purpose to Bertha’s existence. The more kids she has, the more spiritual she is, so the more the better! Bertha does not use contraceptives or family planning, just have as many kids as you can as fast as you can. Bertha is best friends with Megan the marriage monger. Megan’s only goal in life is to be married. She’s pushing 50 and has done absolutely nothing in her life except complain about being single and is waiting for “Mr. Right” to come along.

Finally, there is repressed Rita. Rita has gifts and nowhere to use them, because her repressive and narrow-minded church will not let her preach on Sunday mornings. She is forever destined to sit in the back pew and do nothing. Silent. Frustrated. Repressed. She’s not into teaching Sunday school, facilitating a women’s community group, or mentoring and discipling women, or even serving the pressing and profound needs of the community, because she wants to do something really important- not something as menial as ministering to other women and children.

This first area of confusion that surrounds the stereotypes of women is compounded by a second area of confusion that can often arise when we talk about leadership and authority within a marriage relationship, which is the tendency in our culture to confuse value and roles. You see, while the culture equates a person’s value and worth to their role, or what they do, the message and teachings of Jesus equates a person’s value and worth to who they are.

 For example, let’s look at the relationship between members of the Trinity. All three members of the Trinity possess the same nature. God the Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit are all equally divine in terms of their nature. Yet while every member of the trinity has the same nature, essence, and value, they have different roles, responsibilities, and authority.

 

God the Father is the first among equals; God the Father exercises the leadership and authority role in the relationship amongst the Trinity. Jesus and the Holy Spirit, while equal in value and worth to God the Father, fall under and follow His leadership. We see Jesus do this throughout the gospels. And we see Paul talk about this reality throughout his letters that he wrote to various churches.

Another example is the twelve disciples. While there were twelve disciples, and all twelve were equal in their value and worth as disciples, Peter was the first amongst equals. Peter was the leader that the rest of the disciples followed in terms of leadership and authority. We see this throughout the book of Acts.

This same principle also applies to God’s design for relationships in humanity when it comes to men and women within marriage.

Tomorrow, we will unpack this principle….

The evidences of a life influenced by the Holy Spirit....

This week, we have been looking at a section of a letter in the Bible called the book of Ephesians. Wednesday, we saw Apostle Paul reveal for us a timeless truth when it comes to our identity as a follower of Jesus in that our identity as a follower of Jesus requires that we live lives that are controlled and influenced by the Holy Spirit. We talked about the timeless reality that we are influenced by what influences us.  Our life does not occur in a vacuum; in our life there are external and internal forces at work in your life that influence your life. And in order to live a life that reveals and reflects our identity as a follower of Jesus, we must live lives that are controlled and influenced by the Holy Spirit.

Now a question that arises here is “what does a life that is influenced and controlled by the Holy Spirit look like? And how do I know if my life is controlled and influenced by the Holy Spirit?” That is a great question. And regardless of whether you are a follower of Jesus or not, a person can look at their lives and the lives of those around them and begin to recognize what controls and influences our lives.

And in the verses that follow, we see Paul begin to unpack four specific evidences that appear in lives that are controlled and influenced by the Holy Spirit. So let’s begin to look at them together, beginning in Ephesians 5:19:

 speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord;

In verse 19, we see Paul identify the first two evidences of a life that is influenced and controlled by the Holy Spirit. First, we see that the relationships of a person who is controlled and influenced by the Holy Spirit will be marked by conversations that encourage others and bring glory to God. The phrase “psalms and hymns and spiritual songs” here reveals for us the reality that during the days of the early church, followers of Jesus would not only sing songs, but would also recite creeds that informed and reinforced basic truths about God.

In addition, early church services would have included the reading of a letter, like this letter that would have been written by an early church leader to encourage and teach the church. And in the same way today, lives that are controlled and influenced by the Holy Spirit will be marked with conversations that encourage others and shine a light on God. So what influences the conversations that occur in your lives? Because our lives are influenced by what influences our conversations.

Second, we see that the life of a person who is controlled and influenced by the Holy Spirit will be marked by a life that is lived with an attitude of worship of God. The phrase “singing songs and making melody with your heart to the Lord” can refer to singing or playing a musical instrument. The word heart is used to describe the center and core of a person’s being. Paul’s point here is that a person who is controlled and influenced by the Holy Spirit will, from the core of their being, live a life that is a response of worship to God. Their life will be a response of worship that controls and influences how they approach their lives and their relationships.

When a person is influenced by the Holy Spirit in this way, do you think it would be possible to live lives that use others or that are hypocritical if we leaned into loving God with our total being and loving our neighbor as ourselves? So what do you worship? Because our lives are influenced by what influences our worship. Paul then reveals a third evidence that reveals the influence and control of the Holy Spirit in verse 20:

 always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father;

Here we see that lives that are controlled and influenced by the Holy Spirit are marked by an attitude of gratitude. When Paul uses the phrase always giving thanks in all things, this phrase conveys the sense of expressing our appreciation for the benefits and blessings that we have received from God. When Paul states that we are to express our appreciation in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, he is reminding followers of Jesus throughout history that the blessings of receiving the forgiveness of our selfishness and rebellion and the relationship with God that we were created for are the result of Jesus life, death, and resurrection.

As a result of Jesus willingness to enter into humanity and allow Himself to be treated as though He lived our selfish and sinful life so God the Father could treat us as though we lived Jesus perfect life, we are to respond with an attitude of gratitude that influences our lives. So is your life marked by an attitude of gratitude? Because the level of our attitude of gratitude reveals the level of the Holy Spirit's influence in our lives. Paul then reveals a fourth evidence that reveals the influence and control of the Holy Spirit in our lives in verse 21:

and be subject to one another in the fear of Christ.

And right about now, every person in this room has a mental picture of what the first three words of this verse means. In your minds the words “and be subject” have conjured up an image: an image painted by a red faced pastor beating on a pulpit; an image painted by an abusive husband or father; an image painted by our culture that is based on what these three words mean today. However, what these words mean today is irrelevant and the image in your mind may not be accurate. So what I am going to ask you to do is to clear your mind of that image and let’s look at what Paul meant when he wrote these three words. Can we do that? Great.

The phrase “be subject”, in the language that this letter was originally written in, literally means to place oneself in a submissive role in a relationship where appropriate respect is shown to someone based on the role that they have within an ordered structure. In other words, we are to willingly place ourselves under others by placing others first based on one’s role in the relationship.

For example, the catcher for the Arizona Diamondbacks places himself under the manager of the Diamondbacks. Because the manager has been give the role of leading the team, for the team to be successful, the catcher is demonstrate the appropriate respect for the manager and place himself under his leadership. The manager has a role and responsibility and the catcher has a role and responsibility as part of the team. Conflict within the team can occur when either the player or the manager do not function within their roles on the team.

Now notice who Paul says we are to be subject to: we are to be subject to one another. In other words, we are to place ourselves under others by placing others first in a way that demonstrates respect toward one another based on the nature of our relationship. Paul then explains that the reason why we are to place ourselves under others by placing others first that demonstrates respect toward one another is out of the fear of Christ. Now when Paul uses the word fear here, he is not referring to the fear that we experience while watching a horror movie. This fear refers to having a reverent respect that results in submission and obedience to someone.

You see, when we willingly place ourselves under others by placing others first when it comes to our relationships with others, we are demonstrating a reverent respect for God’s desire and design for how we are to live out our horizontal  relationships in light of our identity as a follower of Jesus. And when we willingly place ourselves under others by placing others first when it comes to our horizontal relationships, we reveal and reflect Jesus to those that we are in relationship with.

Just as Jesus willing placed Himself under God the Father and came to earth on a mission to provide an opportunity for us to be rescued from our selfishness and rebellion, when we willingly place ourselves under others by placing others first when it comes to our relationships, we reveal and reflect Jesus to those around us as we live our lives in a way that reflects my identity as a follower of Jesus.

 

And this is why this timeless truth is so important. Because we are influenced by what influences us, for us to live in a way that reflects our identity as a follower of Jesus that reveals and reflects Jesus to others we must be controlled and influenced by the Holy Spirit. To live lives that influence others toward Jesus, we must live lives that are controlled and influenced by the Holy Spirit.

Now if you don't buy the whole Jesus, Bible, church thing, this is why those who say they are followers of Jesus often live lives that look nothing like Jesus. Those who say they are followers of Jesus often live lives that look nothing like Jesus because they are not living their day to lives under the control and influence of the Holy Spirit who comes in Jesus name to empower us to live like Jesus.

So here is a question to consider: what controls and influences your life? Because the timeless reality is that we are influenced by what influences us. And to live out our identity as a follower of Jesus requires that we live lives that are controlled and influenced by the Holy Spirit.

It is the Holy Spirit that empowers us to live in light of the identity He has given us as a follower of Jesus. It is the Holy Spirit that empowers us and drives us to live in a way that is worthy of our identity as a follower of Jesus. It is the Holy Spirit that empowers us to live a new life as we lay aside our old life. It is the Holy Spirit that empowers us to a lifestyle that builds trust with others. And it is the Holy Spirit that empowers us to live a life that imitates Jesus as we live in relationships with others.

Next week, we will see the Apostle Paul begin to unpack how a life that is controlled and influenced by the Holy Spirit lives out their identity as a follower of Jesus in their horizontal relationships here on earth...

Our identity as a follower of Jesus requires that we live lives that are controlled and influenced by the Holy Spirit...

This week, we are looking at a section of a letter that is recorded for us in the Bible called the book of Ephesians. Yesterday, we saw a man named Paul explain to early followers of Jesus that that there is divine knowledge and understanding that is available to us, so make sure that we are living your life in a way that is exercising that divine knowledge and understanding in order to produce positive results in your life.

Paul then commanded the members of the church at Ephesus to take every advantage and opportunity to avoid what would be unwise. In addition, commanded the members of the church at Ephesus to, instead of living life in a way that consistently disregards reality, to understand what the will of the Lord is.

Paul’s point was that God has a desire for how he would like his followers to live out our identity as a follower of Jesus in relationship with Him and one another. However, a natural question that arises here is “Well Dave, that sounds great in theory, but I have a hard time living in a way that is according to God’s desires when it comes to my identity.  I just really struggle to live out all that you have just said. What you are talking about seems beyond my ability, so how do I get to the place where I am living my life in a way that reflects my identity as a follower of Jesus?”

Today we will see Paul provide us the answer to these questions. So let’s discover that answer together, which is found in Ephesians 5:18:

And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit,

In this verse, we see the Apostle Paul paint for us a timeless word picture that reveals a timeless truth when it comes to living our lives in light of our identity: “Do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit”. To help us wrap our minds around what Paul is communicating here, let me share a story that vividly illustrates this word picture.

My freshman year in college, after a home football game, I gave a teammate a ride back to Indianapolis so that he could visit his family. Now by the time we left campus and made it to Indianapolis, it was already past midnight. My teammate lived in one of the tougher sections of the city. After dropping him off, as I waited at an intersection on my way back to the freeway, I watched as a very large and very drunk man stumbled to my car.

As the man approached, I noticed that the front of his pants were soaked with urine. The man then reached my car, leaned across the hood, and proceeded to throw up all over the windshield and front of the car. After throwing up all over my car, the man then mumbled something and finished stumbling across the intersection and down the street.

Now if the Apostle Paul was riding shotgun with me on the trip, he would have called that man’s behavior dissipation. This word means to live a life that is of reckless abandon that is a waste. Instead of living according to God’s design and desire, this man’s reckless abandon resulted in a life that was wasting away toward destruction.

Paul then contrasts the life of reckless abandon of a drunken man with someone who is filled with the Spirit. The Spirit here refers to the Holy Spirit. Paul’s point here is that we are to carefully consider our lives when it comes to what controls and influences their lives. Instead of being controlled by something that results in a life marked by reckless abandon and that wastes opportunities to live wisely in relationship with God and others, we are to live a life that is controlled and influenced by the Holy Spirit.

And it is in this word picture that we see the Apostle Paul reveal for us a timeless truth when it comes to our identity as a follower of Jesus. And that timeless truth is that our identity as a follower of Jesus requires that we live lives that are controlled and influenced by the Holy Spirit.

The timeless reality is that we are influenced by what influences us. Whether you are a follower of Jesus or not, you are influenced by what influences you. Your life does not occur in a vacuum; in your life there are external and internal forces at work in your life that influence your life. And here we see the Apostle Paul reveal for us the reality that in order to live a life that reveals and reflects our identity as a follower of Jesus, we must live lives that are controlled and influenced by the Holy Spirit.

You see, when we read the accounts of Jesus life that are recorded for us in the Bible, what we discover is that Jesus relied on the power and the strength of the Holy Spirit to live the life that we were created to live but refused to live in relationship with God and one another. And Jesus relied on the power and the strength of the Holy Spirit to accomplish the mission He was given.

You see, Jesus shows us what it means to be truly human. Jesus provides for us the example of how we are to live our lives here on earth and accomplish the kingdom mission that we have been given here on earth. As followers of Jesus we are to live Spirit filled lives. In other words, our lives are to be controlled, influenced and empowered by the Holy Spirit so that we would reveal and reflect Jesus to others as we live in relationship with God and others.

Now a question that arises here is “what does a life that is influenced and controlled by the Holy Spirit look like? And how do I know if my life is controlled and influenced by the Holy Spirit?”

That is a great question. And regardless of whether you are a follower of Jesus or not, a person can look at their lives and the lives of those around them and begin to recognize what controls and influences our lives.

Friday, we will see Paul begin to unpack four specific evidences that appear in lives that are controlled and influenced by the Holy Spirit...

Living Wise...Or Playing The Fool?

At the church where I serve, we are spending our time together in a sermon series entitled identity. During this series, we are looking at a letter that is recorded for us in the New Testament of our Bibles called the book of Ephesians.

This week, I would like for us to pick up where we left off last week in the book of Ephesians. Now if you do not buy the whole Jesus Bible thing, here’s the thing, what the Apostle Paul is going to talk about here does not apply to you. Actually, what the Apostle Paul is going to talk about today is impossible for you if you do not buy the whole, Jesus, Bible, church thing. But what Paul is going to say will give you some amazing insight and understanding when it comes to why those who say they are followers of Jesus often live lives that look nothing like Jesus.

However, if you consider yourself a follower of Jesus, what the Apostle Paul is about to say is not optional; instead it is required. And it is in what Paul is going to say that we will discover another timeless truth when it comes to our identity as a follower of Jesus. So let's discover this timeless truth together, beginning in Ephesians 5:15:

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.

Paul begins this section of his letter by commanding the members of the church at Ephesus, and followers of Jesus throughout history to “be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise”. As we have talked about throughout this series, when Paul uses the word walk here, this word refers to how one conducts their lives.

So if Paul was to give this command to us in the language we use in our culture today, this command would sound something like this: “carefully consider and take note about how you are conducting your life. Carefully consider how you are living your life”. 

Paul then makes a contrast between someone who conducts their life in an unwise manner as opposed to someone who conducts their life in a wise manner. An unwise person here is the person who does not exercise the proper discernment or wisdom when it comes to how they live their lives.

By contrast, the wise person here refers to someone who lives their life by applying the understanding and knowledge that comes from God in a way that reveals a developed skill for living life that produces positive results. Paul’s point here is that there is divine knowledge and understanding that is available to you, so make sure that you are living your life in a way that is exercising that divine knowledge and understanding in order to produce positive results in your life.

Paul then provides the reason why we are to access and exercise this divine wisdom in verse 16. The phrase making the most of your time literally means to gain an advantage or opportunity. In other words, Paul is commanding the members of the church at Ephesus to take every advantage and opportunity to avoid what would be unwise. Paul then explains that the reason why they were to take advantage of every opportunity to live wisely was because the days are evil. 

The harsh reality is that life on earth is filled with plenty of activities and relationships that are morally and socially damaging and destructive. I mean, it is not hard to get involved in relationships or activities that are unwise, is it? As parents is that not one of our greatest fears when it comes to our children? And students, is that not one of your greatest fears when it comes to the relationships that you have with your friends?

So, in verse 17, because of the timeless danger of relationships and activities that are damaging and destructive, Paul commands the members of the church at Ephesus to “do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.” When Paul uses the word fool here, it refers to someone who lacks good judgment. This word also conveys the sense of disregarding reality.

In the Bible, a fool is a person who knows something is true, yet proceeds to live life as though it is not true. A fool is a person who says “I know the law of gravity is true” then proceeds to step off a ten story building. Instead of living life in a way that consistently disregards reality, Paul states that we are to understand what the will of the Lord is. When you see the word will in our Bibles, this word refers to God’s desires for our lives.

Paul’s point here is that God has a desire for how he would like his followers to live out our identity as a follower of Jesus in relationship with Him and one another. God has a desire for how he would like me to live out our identity as a follower of Jesus in relationship with Him and one another. And God has a desire for how he would like you to live out your identity as a follower of Jesus live in relationship with Him and one another.

As we have seen, God has created us and designed us to live in light of the identity He has given us as a follower of Jesus. God desires that our identity should drive us to live in a way that is worthy of our identity as a follower of Jesus. God desires that our identity of a follower of Jesus should lead us to live a new life as we lay aside our old life. God desires that our identity as a follower of Jesus should lead to a lifestyle that builds trust with others. God desires that our identity as a follower of Jesus should lead us to live a life that imitates Jesus.

Now a natural question that arises here is “Well Dave, that sounds great in theory, but I have a hard time living in a way that is according to God’s desires when it comes to my identity.  I just really struggle to live out all that you have just said. What you are talking about seems beyond my ability, so how do I get to the place where I am living my life in a way that reflects my identity as a follower of Jesus?”

If I have described you, I have good news for you. And that good news is that in the very next verse that we are going to look at, we see Paul provide us the answer to these questions.

Tomorrow, we will discover that answer together…

Additional Evidence Of A Life That Imitates Jesus...

This week we have been looking at a section of a letter that is recorded for us in the Bible called the book of Ephesians, where we have seen a man named Paul reveal for us the timeless truth that our identity as a follower of Jesus should lead us to live a life that imitates Jesus.

So far this week, we have discovered that we live lives that imitate Jesus when we sacrificially love others. We live lives that imitate Jesus when we reject our selfish desires. We live lives that imitate Jesus when we control our conversations. And we live lives that imitate Jesus when we refuse to be deceived.  

Today, we will see Paul reveal for us a fifth evidence of a life that imitates Jesus in the second half of Ephesians 5:8:

 walk as children of Light (for the fruit of the Light consists in all goodness and righteousness and truth), trying to learn what is pleasing to the Lord.

Paul’s command, in the second half of verse 8, if communicated in the language we use in our culture today, would have sounded something like this: Since you have been made alive through Jesus and are now in a state of spiritual light with Jesus, you are to live your day to day lives as followers of Jesus in light of the reality that you have been rescued out of moral and spiritual darkness into a state of spiritual light.

Paul then reveals what fruit, or what should be produced, in the lives of the members of the church at Ephesus as they lived out their day to day lives in the moral and spiritual light that they had been given by Jesus through the Holy Spirit. What is interesting is that when Paul uses the word goodness here, this word, in the language that this letter was originally written in, refers to an interest in the welfare of others. Now the word righteousness is a big fancy fifty cent theological word that refers to the quality or state of being right. When Paul speaks of truth he is referring to being in accord with what is true.

Paul’s point here is that the person who lives out their day to day lives in the moral and spiritual light that they had been given by Jesus through the Holy Spirit will be marked by an interest in the welfare of others and in a life that is centered on what is right or true.

In addition, in verse 11, Paul explains that that the person who lives out their day to day lives in the moral and spiritual light that they had been given by Jesus through the Holy Spirit will be trying to learn what is pleasing to the Lord. In other words, the person who lives out their day to day lives in the moral and spiritual light that they had been given by Jesus through the Holy Spirit will critically examine their lives and be driven by a desire to learn what pleases the Lord.

And it is here that we see Paul reveal for us the reality that we live lives that imitate Jesus when we produce results that please the Lord. As followers of Jesus, we produce results that please the Lord when our lives are marked by an interest in the welfare of others, when our lives are marked by what is right in God’s sight, and when our lives are marked by what is true in God’s sight. And as followers of Jesus we produce results that please the Lord when our lives are marked by a desire to learn what pleases the Lord.

So here is a question to consider: Is your day to day life marked a lifestyle that produces results that please the Lord? Is your day to day life marked a lifestyle that is marked by an interest in the welfare of others, and in what is right and true?  Is your day to day life marked a lifestyle that is marked by a desire to learn what pleases the Lord? Because as followers of Jesus we live lives that imitate Jesus when we produce results that please the Lord. Paul then reveals for us a sixth evidence of a life that imitates Jesus in verse 11:

  Do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but instead even expose them; for it is disgraceful even to speak of the things which are done by them in secret. But all things become visible when they are exposed by the light, for everything that becomes visible is light. For this reason it says, "Awake, sleeper, And arise from the dead, And Christ will shine on you."

Paul's command to the members of the church at Ephesus, in the language we use in our culture today, would have sounded something like this: "Do not take part in the useless activities of moral and spiritual darkness, but instead bring them to light."

Paul then reveals that the reason why the useless activities of moral and social darkness needed to be brought to light was due to the fact that it is disgraceful even to speak of the things which are done by them in secret. In other words, these activities were so shameful that they were done in secret and were not morally or socially unacceptable to even talk about.

But did you notice how Paul tells the members of the church at Ephesus to bring these useless activities of moral and social darkness to light? Paul explains to the members of the church at Ephesus that " all things become visible when they are exposed by the light, for everything that becomes visible is light.” But what does that mean?

Now Paul here is not commanding followers of Jesus to stand on a street corner with signs in order to bring these useless activities to light. Paul is not commanding followers of Jesus to write a letter to the editor or post a blog to bring these useless activities to light. Paul is not commanding followers of Jesus to boycott anything here.

Actually, the Apostle Paul is telling the members of the church at Ephesus to do something totally different. In verse 13, Paul reveals the reality that the activities that involve moral and social darkness are revealed and brought to light when followers of Jesus who live their lives in a way that imitates Jesus. You see, as the members of the church at Ephesus lived lives that imitated Jesus, they revealed the darkness of the deeds of those who were far from God. The contrast between their lives of light and the lives of darkness was stark and striking for all to see.

As the members of the church at Ephesus lived lives that imitated Jesus, those who were far from God would see their need for Jesus as a result of their dark deeds. And as the members of the church at Ephesus lived lives that imitated Jesus, those who were far from God would respond to their lives in a way that resulted in them becoming followers of Jesus

And to back his claim, the Apostle Paul points the members of the church of Ephesus to an early Christian hymn that was sung in their gatherings: “For this reason it says, "Awake, sleeper, And arise from the dead, And Christ will shine on you." This early Christian hymn reminded the members of the church at Ephesus of their own conversion. This early Christian hymn reminded the members of the church at Ephesus that they had been awaked from their moral and spiritual darkness by the light of Jesus.

And this early Christian hymn reminded the members of the church at Ephesus that now, as followers of Jesus, they were to live their lives in a way that imitated Jesus so that those who were far from Jesus could see their need for Jesus so that they could become followers of Jesus. And it is here that we see Paul reveal for us the reality that we live lives that imitate Jesus when we bring to light the deeds of moral darkness through the light of our lives.

As followers of Jesus, we are to avoid the activities that involve moral and spiritual darkness. Instead, as followers of Jesus, we are to bring to light the activities that involve moral and social darkness in the world by living our lives in a way that imitates Jesus. As we live lives that imitate Jesus, the light of our lives serve to reveal the darkness of the deeds of those who are far from God. As we live lives that imitate Jesus, those who were far from God see their need for Jesus as a result of their dark deeds. And as we live lives that imitate Jesus, those who were far from God respond to their lives in a way that result in them becoming followers of Jesus.

So here is a question to consider: Is your day to day life marked a lifestyle that brings to light the deeds of moral darkness as a result of the light of our lives that imitate Jesus? Do those who are far from God see their need for Jesus as a result of how you live your day to day lives in the moral and spiritual light that you have been given by Jesus through the Holy Spirit?  Because as followers of Jesus we live lives that imitate Jesus when we bring to light the deeds of moral darkness.

You see, our identity as a follower of Jesus should lead us to live a life that imitates Jesus. And we live lives that imitate Jesus when we sacrificially love others. We live lives that imitate Jesus when we reject our selfish desires. We live lives that imitate Jesus when we control our conversations. We live lives that imitate Jesus when we refuse to be deceived. We live lives that imitate Jesus when we produce results that please the Lord. And we live lives that imitate Jesus when we bring to light the deeds of moral darkness.

So is your day to day life marked by a lifestyle that imitates Jesus? Because our identity as a follower of Jesus should lead us to live a life that imitates Jesus.