2015.12.13 Eph 4: 20-32; Ch 5:1-5
Third Advent
Put on Christ and
Walk in Love
We want to welcome you to Calvary Chapel this morning….
I´m Glad that you are here! I have Good
News for you! His name is Jesus… I
want to read one of the many prophesies
about the Coming of the Lord Jesus to a
lost and dying world…
Isaiah
9:1-2
NLT
1
Nevertheless, that time of darkness and despair will not go on forever. The
land of Zebulun and Naphtali will be humbled, but there will be a time in the
future when Galilee of the Gentiles, which lies along the road that runs
between the Jordan and the sea, will be filled with glory.
2
The people who walk in darkness will see a great light. For those who live in a
land of deep darkness, a light will shine.
23 Doch diese Zeit der Dunkelheit und Verzweiflung wird
nicht für immer andauern. Wurden früher auch das Land Sebulon und das Land
Naftali gedemütigt, so wird später das Gebiet der Völker, die Gott nicht
kennen, die Straße am Meer jenseits des Jordan, zu Ehren kommen.
1 Denn das Volk, das in der Dunkelheit lebt, sieht ein
helles Licht. Und über den Menschen in einem vom Tode überschatteten Land
strahlt ein heller Schein.
Of Course… Jesus is that Light…. He sent us as genuine
believers out into this world…. He said… You are the light of the World… Let
your light shine… The letter to the Ephesians is a great help to us as we seek
to obey the Lord by letting our light shine… Paul spent his life Proclaiming
the Gospel and making disciples… He taught the Word of God everywhere he went…
He wrote about 1/2 of the NT… He wrote Ephesians to teach us about the Lord our
God… He explains to us what it means to be in Christ… And then… very importantly
Paul addresses the very practical questions of being salt and light… How does
the great theological truth that we are in Christ... Affect the way we live and
treat others… How do we shine! By reflecting the Lord Jesus in everything that
we do… Definitely not by being
Shineheilig…
The Lord our God has redeemed us… He has transformed our
lives…. He has poured His unbelieveable
grace out on us in a never ending flood…
It is only Because
of His work in transforming us… That we have become new creatures… But what
are the practical ways that we are different now… different than before we were
born again… This question will occupy our time again this morning…
God´s grace affects our past present and our future… We
have been forgiven…. We now live for the Lord Jesus … We will continue to grow
in grace and in the knowledge of Him and we will be with Him forever!.. Great…
but how do we grow in grace… Paul has lots of advice for us…
In this very practical section…. Paul focuses on our
Christian walk… Everything about us is…. or at least should be different… We
are part of His body… We are His representatives in this world… People need to
see Jesus in us…. The world needs us to be a reflection of God´s Grace and
Mercy… We are saved so that we can Graciously Proclaim the Truth to a lost and
dying world… In order to remind ourselves of the context…. I will read a few
verses from last week… Paul says … Stop living like the Gentiles… Eph 4:.. vs17-19…
Ephesians
4: 17-19 NLT Neues Leben
17
With the Lord’s authority I say this: Live no longer as the Gentiles do, for
they are hopelessly confused. 18 Their minds are full of darkness; they wander
far from the life God gives because they have closed their minds and hardened
their hearts against him. 19 They have no sense of shame. They live for lustful
pleasure and eagerly practice every kind of impurity.
17 Ich will vor Gott bezeugen, dass ihr nicht mehr leben
sollt wie Menschen, die Gott nicht kennen und deren Denken ohne Sinn und Ziel
ist.18 Ihr Verstand ist verfinstert und sie sind von dem Leben, das Gott für
sie hat, weit entfernt, weil sie von ihm nichts wissen wollen und ihre Herzen
hart geworden sind. 19 Gleichgültig überlassen sie sich ganz ihren
ausschweifenden Leidenschaften und suchen gierig nach jeder Art von Verlockung
v17…
Live no longer as the Gentiles do, for they are hopelessly confused… we
should walk… conduct our lives… differently than the world around us does…
There is a growing tendency for Christians to try to display
to the world that we really aren't so different after all… We try to compromise
our Biblical values for their sake…
We seem to deeply desire the approval of the ungodly… so
much that we compromise the things that we know that we should stand for… This
is nuts…. We are different and we need to stop pretending that we are just like
them… They don´t even know what they are
doing…. Or why they are so unwilling to repent of their sins…
v17b… for they are hopelessly confused… The
Gentile walk is characterized by the futility of their mind…. KJV… v18… they wander far from the life God gives
because they have closed their minds and hardened their hearts against him…
In the end… their thinking is hopeless… because their understanding is darkened…
They are alienated from the life of God…
v19…
They have no sense of shame. They live for lustful pleasure and eagerly
practice every kind of impurity…
As I said last week… Basically… the ignorance and lack of understanding of man is a heart problem… It
is shown not only in a foolish denial of God… but also in unrestrained greed
and lust… Paul goes on to tell us not to live like that anymore… He tells us how
to put on the Lord Jesus Christ… v20-22…
Ephesians
4: 20-22 NLT Neues Leben
20
But that isn’t what you learned about Christ. 21 Since you have heard about
Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from him, 22 throw off your old
sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and
deception.
20 Durch Christus habt ihr jedoch etwas anderes kennen
gelernt, 21 wenn ihr ihm zugehört habt und die Wahrheit kennt, die in ihm ist. 22
Deshalb sollt ihr euer altes Wesen und eure frühere Lebensweise ablegen, die
durch und durch verdorben war und euch durch trügerische Leidenschaften zu
Grunde richtete.
22… throw
off your old sinful nature and your former way of life… the NKJV says…. Put off … the old man … put on
the new man… This has the same idea of putting off or putting on a set of
clothes… The idea is to "change into" a different kind of conduct….
Think of a prisoner who is released from prison… but
still wears his prison clothes and still acts like a prisoner… He is not living
like a free man… We are free in Christ…. That does not mean that we can do
whatever we want…. We are not Free to sin…. We are Free to live for the LORD! We
would tell him or her to put on some new clothes…
Now for the second time in just a few verses… Paul calls
for a new and transformed way of life… Put on your new nature… It will start to change our attitudes about
everything and everyone… v23,24…
Ephesians
4: 23,24 NLT Neues Leben
23
Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. 24 Put on your new
nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy.
23 Lasst euch stattdessen einen neuen Geist und ein
verändertes Denken geben. 24 Als neue Menschen, geschaffen nach dem Ebenbild
Gottes und zur Gerechtigkeit, Heiligkeit und Wahrheit berufen, sollt ihr auch
ein neues Wesen annehmen.
v23… Instead,
let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes… Paul is saying… that the Christian must make
a break with the past… Jesus isn't merely added to our old life… the old life
dies and He becomes our new life… turn with me to Galatians ch2..v20… Here is
how Paul puts it…
Galatians
2: 20,21 NLT Neues Leben
20
My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but
Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of
God, who loved me and gave himself for me. 21 I do not treat the grace of God
as meaningless. For if keeping the law could make us right with God, then there
was no need for Christ to die.
20 Ich lebe, aber nicht mehr ich selbst, sondern Christus
lebt in mir. Ich lebe also mein Leben in diesem irdischen Körper im Glauben an
den Sohn Gottes, der mich geliebt und sich selbst für mich geopfert hat. 21 Ich
gehöre nicht zu denen, die die Gnade Gottes gering achten. Denn wenn wir durch
das Gesetz gerettet werden könnten6, hätte Christus nicht sterben müssen.
v20… It
is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me… We
were crucified with the LORD Jesus on
the cross… So that we could live for Him… We now live by trusting Him… We must
not continue with our old selfish
and sin filled life… That would be to
ignore our great Salvation…
v21… I
do not treat the grace of God as meaningless…
This is important… We stand by grace… We were saved by grace through faith… If we
now as genuine believers try to go back to a legalistic way of relating to
God… If we decide we must work for God´s blessing on our lives now… We are
treating God´s grace as meaningless… As
genuine believers… We love and serve the Lord out of a deeply grateful heart…
Not because we must…
Our Christian life must go beyond head knowledge… We are
expected to put on the Lord Jesus… We have learned from Him…. We see Him
clearly Here in His Word…. We have
been forgiven and The Lord has given us a new heart…. Ezekiel 36… but it must affect our whole manner of thinking… We now
have the ability to set our minds on the right things…. We look to Him and His Word…. As we do…Our mind is renewed day by day… This is what Paul wrote in Romans…
Turn with me to Romans ch12…v2…
Romans
12: 2 NLT Neues Leben
2
Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you
into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know
God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.
2 Deshalb orientiert euch nicht am Verhalten und an den
Gewohnheiten dieser Welt, sondern lasst euch von Gott durch Veränderung eurer
Denkweise in neue Menschen verwandeln. Dann werdet ihr wissen, was Gott von
euch will: Es ist das, was gut ist und ihn freut und seinem Willen vollkommen
entspricht.
Stop acting like the World…! Let God transform the way
you think!
Back to Eph 4… look at v24… (Can scroll down)
Ephesians
4: 23,24 NLT Neues Leben
23
Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. 24 Put on your new nature,
created to be like God—truly righteous and holy.
23 Lasst euch stattdessen einen neuen Geist und ein
verändertes Denken geben. 24 Als neue Menschen, geschaffen nach dem Ebenbild
Gottes und zur Gerechtigkeit, Heiligkeit und Wahrheit berufen, sollt ihr auch
ein neues Wesen annehmen.
v24…
Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy…The
old life is gone; a new life has begun! That´s 2 Corinthians 5:17…
This miracle happened in us… when we repented of our sins
and cried out to God... We have been
transformed… Old things have passed away… Everything is new… Paul gets very
practical here in these next verses…
Put
on your New nature
1
turn from lying and tell the Truth… v25
2
turn from uncontrolled anger to self control… 26,27
3
turn from stealing to working… v28
4
turn from harsh words to encouraging others… v29
5
turn from Bitterness to love and forgiveness… ch4:31,32 and 5:1,2
6
turn from sexual sin to genuine committment to God… ch5: 3-5
Let´s remember that Paul is talking to genuine believers
here…. He is talking to his own church
congregation as we read this letter… v25-27…
Ephesians
4: 25-27 NLT Neues Leben
25
So stop telling lies. Let us tell our neighbors the truth, for we are all parts
of the same body. 26 And “don’t sin by letting anger control you.”Don’t let the
sun go down while you are still angry, 27 for anger gives a foothold to the
devil.
25 Hört auf zu lügen und »sagt einander die Wahrheit«,
weil wir alle zusammengehören. 26 »Sündigt nicht, wenn ihr zornig seid«, und
lasst die Sonne nicht über eurem Zorn untergehen. 27 Gebt dem Teufel keine
Möglichkeit, durch den Zorn Macht über euch zu gewinnen!
v25…
point 1… So stop telling lies… The new man tells the truth...
We are members of one another… there is no place for lying to each other… No
reason to do it…
v26…
point 2… And “don’t sin by letting anger control you….”Don’t let the sun go
down while you are still angry… We may get angry… but we
cannot not make our sin worse by holding on to our anger… The new creature
knows how to let go of his wrath…
v27…
for anger gives a foothold to the devil…The devil's work is to
accuse and divide the family of God… and to sow discord among them… When we
harbor bitterness and anger in our heart…. we do the devil's work for him…
Instead of loving and encouraging each other… We spread
discord… We talk about each other behind the back… We are being Sinful and
prideful… We are not being like Jesus…
The name “devil” literally means
"slanderer”… Paul is saying that when we hold on to our
anger… creating bitterness… we give place to the slanderer… He is the one who
is constantly accusing us to the Lord…. And tempting us to slander and accuse
others… v28-30…
Ephesians
4: 28-30 NLT
Neues Leben
28
If you are a thief, quit stealing. Instead, use your hands for good hard work,
and then give generously to others in need. 29 Don’t use foul or abusive
language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will
be an encouragement to those who hear them. 30 And do not bring sorrow to God’s
Holy Spirit by the way you live. Remember, he has identified you as his own,
guaranteeing that you will be saved on the day of redemption.
28 Wer ein Dieb ist, soll aufhören zu stehlen. Er soll
seine Hände zu ehrlicher Arbeit gebrauchen und dann anderen, die in Not sind,
großzügig geben. 29 Verzichtet auf schlechtes Gerede, sondern was ihr redet,
soll für andere gut und aufbauend sein, damit sie im Glauben ermutigt werden.
30 Achtet darauf, den Heiligen Geist nicht durch euer Verhalten zu betrüben.
Denkt vielmehr daran, dass ihr sein Siegel tragt und dadurch die Gewissheit
habt, dass der Tag der Erlösung kommen wird.
v28a…
point 3… If you are a thief, quit stealing…The new man works
with his hands…
v28b…
use your hands for good hard work… The “Greek” here says… "to exert oneself to the point of
exhaustion."… That is exactly what we saw in the life of Paul… I am
sure that the Ephesians knew this about Paul…. He worked hard and he gave generously
to others… Paul definitely practiced what he preached… This is the kind of heart attitude God
commands those who used to steal to have... Paul's idea is that we should work hard
so that we can give to others...
v29a…
point 4… Don’t use foul or abusive language… Stop your mouth form trash
talking… Don´t do that… Do this… Be kind and helpful… Put off the old garbage… Put on the new…
v29b…
Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an
encouragement to those who hear them…Good and helpful and
encouraging…. That´s the new and transformed heart and attitude in action…
v30…
And do not bring sorrow to God’s Holy Spirit by the way you live…The
new man will seek the Lord for strength in times of temptation…. He will hang
on to the Lord Jesus for help…. Help to put on the new man…. Help to get the
fellowship and encouragement he or she needs… We will to keep our eyes on
Jesus… We will look to the Word of God… turn to Romans 15… v4…
Romans
15: 4 NLT Neues Leben
4
Such things were written in the Scriptures long ago to teach us. And the
Scriptures give us hope and encouragement as we wait patiently for God’s
promises to be fulfilled.
4 Dies wurde vor langer Zeit aufgeschrieben, damit wir
daraus lernen. Es soll uns Hoffnung geben und ermutigen, sodass wir geduldig
auf das warten, was Gott in der Schrift versprochen hat.
Right here in this book… We are taught about our Lord and
Savior Jesus Christ…. Here we find hope and encouragement…. We learn Patience….
You know… Even in our trials and temptations…. Even in our very hard times the
Lord is teaching us… He teaches us to look to His Word… and to hold on his
promises to love and care for us… Deuteronomy 8… Even in the hard times…
In 2 Cor 1 we see something wonderful about our hard
times…… turn to 2 Corinthians ch1..v3,4…
2
Corinthians 1: 3,4 NKJV slt 2000
3
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies
and God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may
be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we
ourselves are comforted by God.
3 Gelobt sei der Gott und Vater unseres Herrn Jesus
Christus, der Vater der Barmherzigkeit und Gott alles Trostes,4 der uns tröstet
in all unserer Bedrängnis, damit wir die trösten können, die in allerlei
Bedrängnis sind, durch den Trost, mit dem wir selbst von Gott getröstet werden.
v3…
Our heaven Father…. He is the Father of mercies and God of all comfort…
He comforts us in all of our tribulations…. And then he
uses those very same Very difficult experiences to equip us to minister to
others… What a Great God we serve…. He
delights to show mercy… Micah 7: 18...
That´s awesome… back to Ephesians 4… v31,32…
Ephesians
4: 31,32 NLT Neues Leben
31
Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as
all types of evil behavior. 32 Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted,
forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.
31 Befreit euch von Bitterkeit und Wut, von Ärger, harten
Worten und übler Nachrede sowie jeder Art von Bosheit. 32 Seid stattdessen
freundlich und mitfühlend zueinander und vergebt euch gegenseitig, wie auch
Gott euch durch Christus vergeben hat.
Ephesians
5:1,2 NLT Neues Leben
1
Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear
children. 2 Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He
loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God.
1 Folgt in allem Gottes Beispiel, denn ihr seid seine
geliebten Kinder. 2 Euer Leben soll von Liebe geprägt sein, wie auch Christus
uns geliebt hat, denn er hat sich selbst als Gabe und Opfer für unsere Sünden
gegeben. Und Gott hatte Gefallen an diesem Opfer, das wie ein wohlriechender
Duft zu ihm aufstieg.
v31…
point 5… Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as
well as all types of evil behavior… Stop that!... The
new man has control of his emotions… When such things do break out… We can and
should deal with them in a manner
glorifying to God…
How?...
By being quick to see what we are doing…. And humbly and
quickly ask the Lord and those who we have offended…. for forgiveness… Instead
do this…
v32a…
be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another…The Lord
expects us to show the same kindness, tender heartedness and forgiveness to
others that the Lord has shown us… If we treat others as God treats us, we fulfill
everything Paul tells us to do in this chapter… And of course…. Paul is just
reflecting the Words of Jesus…
Our forgiveness of others is patterned after the
forgiveness of Jesus towards us… When we think of the amazing way God forgives
us… it is shameful for us to withhold forgiveness from those who have wronged
us…
v32b…
just as God through Christ has forgiven you…
This gives us complete assurance of our forgiveness… it is all for Christ's sake… We have been
forgiven for the Sake of the Lord Jesus Christ… We are commanded to forgive
others for the very same reason…. Ch5… v1…
v1… stop
the bitterness… Put off the old man…. Imitate God, therefore, in everything you
do, because you are his dear children…
v2…
Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ…
We live our lives filled with His love… And We forgive each other for Christ´s sake… All
of this pleases the Lord our God… This is not easy….
Nevertheless Paul insists on this…. He says it is
possible…. You can do it… Remember the Lord Jesus… let´s continue to point 6…
v3-5…
Ephesians
5: 3-5 NLT Neues Leben
3
Let there be no sexual immorality, impurity, or greed among you. Such sins have
no place among God’s people. 4 Obscene stories, foolish talk, and coarse
jokes—these are not for you. Instead, let there be thankfulness to God. 5 You
can be sure that no immoral, impure, or greedy person will inherit the Kingdom
of Christ and of God. For a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things
of this world.
3 Weil ihr Gott gehört, soll es keine Unzucht, Unreinheit
oder Habgier unter euch geben. 4 Genauso unpassend für euch ist schmutziges,
dummes und anzügliches Gerede; vielmehr sollt ihr Gott danken. 5 Ihr könnt
sicher sein, dass kein unzüchtiger, unreiner oder habgieriger Mensch je das
Reich Christi und Gottes miterben wird. Denn ein Habgieriger ist nur ein
Götzendiener, der weltliche Dinge anbetet.
v3-5… point 6… turn from sexual sin and greed to genuine
committment to God… Greed is Idolatry… look at the end of v5… a greedy person
is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world…
Close
We have been redeemed and our lives have been
transformed…. Our sins have been washed away…. Our old life is dead… We have a
new life now…. All because we are in Christ… We forgive because He has forgiven
us… turn to Romans 15: 1-7…
Romans
15: 1-3 NLT Neues Leben
1 We
who are strong must be considerate of those who are sensitive about things like
this. We must not just please ourselves. 2 We should help others do what is
right and build them up in the Lord. 3 For even Christ didn’t live to please
himself. As the Scriptures say, “The insults of those who insult you, O God,
have fallen on me.”
1 Selbst wenn wir einen starken Glauben haben, dürfen wir
uns nicht nach uns selbst richten, sondern müssen die Zweifel und Ängste
Schwächerer ernst nehmen. 2 Wir sollen uns so verhalten, dass es dem andern
hilft1 und er dadurch im Glauben ermutigt wird. 3 Denn auch Christus lebte
nicht nur für sich selbst. In der Schrift heißt es: »Die Menschen, die dich
beleidigen, beleidigen auch mich.«2
Romans
15: 4-7
NLT Neues Leben
4
Such things were written in the Scriptures long ago to teach us. And the
Scriptures give us hope and encouragement as we wait patiently for God’s
promises to be fulfilled.5 May God, who gives this patience and encouragement,
help you live in complete harmony with each other, as is fitting for followers
of Christ Jesus. 6 Then all of you can join together with one voice, giving
praise and glory to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. 7 Therefore,
accept each other just as Christ has accepted you so that God will be given
glory.
4 Dies wurde vor langer Zeit aufgeschrieben, damit wir
daraus lernen. Es soll uns Hoffnung geben und ermutigen, sodass wir geduldig
auf das warten, was Gott in der Schrift versprochen hat. 5 Gott, der diese
Geduld und Ermutigung schenkt, soll euch helfen, eins zu sein und in Frieden
miteinander zu leben. Geht miteinander so um, wie es Christus vorgelebt hat. 6
Dann könnt ihr gemeinsam mit einer Stimme Gott, den Vater unseres Herrn Jesus
Christus, loben und ehren. 7 Nehmt einander an, wie Christus euch angenommen
hat, denn dadurch wird Gott geehrt.
Let´s
pray…
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