Sunday, January 10, 2016

Today´s Sermon Notes



2016.01.10                                Ephesians 5: 15-21
                       Our Christian Walk  
Good morning everyone…. It´s great to see all of you… I am glad that you are here….. I have Good News for you…. His name is Jesus… As most of you know… Here at Calvary Chapel Wiesbaden we teach through the Bible verse by verse… Because we want to see the Big picture…. We want to know and understand our great God and Savoir…. The Lord Jesus Christ…. We are studying Paul´s letter to the Ephesians this morning… He proclaimed the Good News of the Gospel and he made disciples everywhere he went…
Because making genuine committed disciples was always his goal… Paul began this letter teaching the church strong solid doctrine… We saw that in the first 3 chapters… let´s look at  Ch 2… v1… and v4 and 5…
Ephesians 2: 1               NLT   Neues Leben
1 Once you were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins.
1 Auch ihr wart früher tot aufgrund eurer Sünden.
Ephesians 2: 4,5               NLT   Neues Leben
4 But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, 5 that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!
4 Doch Gott ist so barmherzig und liebte uns so sehr, 5 dass er uns, die wir durch unsere Sünden tot waren, mit Christus neues Leben schenkte, als er ihn von den Toten auferweckte. Nur durch die Gnade Gottes seid ihr gerettet worden!
We learn that our redemption was entirely God´s work… We were dead in sin…. But Because of God´s mercy He made us alive in Christ Jesus… Al of it is only because of God´s grace…! Good News… We could never save ourselves… We could never earn Our Salvation…
He has laid a solid foundation under our feet… Then beginning in Ch 4 Paul focuses on our Christian walk… Paul begins to apply the great truths that we learn about God to our lives… Solid practical advice… He applies them to our redemption and salvation… He applies them to how we  and treat others…
His goal is that we become competent students of the scriptures… And through knowing the Word of God… That we would become willing to deny ourselves and follow after the Lord Jesus Christ… turn with me to Luke 9… v23… If you have not already done it…. Underline these verses…. They represent Jesus´ call to every genuine believer… Luke 9: 23…
Luke 9: 23-25                         NKJV   slt 2000
23 Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. 24 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it. 25 For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost?
23 Er sprach aber zu allen: Wenn jemand mir nachkommen will, so verleugne er sich selbst und nehme sein Kreuz auf sich täglich und folge mir nach.24 Denn wer sein Leben2 retten will, der wird es verlieren; wer aber sein Leben verliert um meinetwillen, der wird es retten. 25 Denn was hilft es einem Menschen, wenn er die ganze Welt gewinnt, aber sich selbst verliert oder schädigt?
Down through the centuries…. Untold millions have heard and obeyed this call from the Lord Jesus… That is the way it should be…  There is no other way to follow Jesus… 60 years ago last Thursday… A team of young missionaries landed on a small patch of river sand in Ecuador… One of them was a newlywed…. His name is Jim Elliot… They were trying to make contact with a fierce tribe of Auca Indians…
Jim Elliot and four others were killed that day… This is what he wrote in his journal a few years before... October 28, 1949, to be exact… Jim Elliot was writing notes in his journal about Ephesians here… He wrote this… Slide…
He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose.
Not only do these words echo Ephesians… they find their source in the Word of God… That is exactly what Jesus was talking about in Luke 9: 23-25…
These five men knew what it meant to truly follow Jesus…. They really did lay down their lives… What is interesting to me is to see that these men… And uncounted tens of thousands of others…. These genuine followers of Jesus… Who  have already been martyred for the sake of the Gospel…. They were not Super Christians… They were however…. True disciples…. They denied themselves and picked up their Cross and followed Jesus… Most of us will never be called upon to die a Martyrs death…. But every one of us is called upon by the Lord Jesus Himself…. To deny ourselves and picking up our Crosses…. To follow Him wherever He leads… This total commitment to the Lord Jesus Christ is exactly what we see in the scriptures…. It is exactly what we see in Paul’s life…. And it is the goal of everything we learn in His Letters…. Here in Ephesians Paul is teaching us great solid doctrine to deepen our commitment to the Lord… In this last section of the letter to the Ephesians… Paul is using what he has taught us to call us to a Godly  and useful Christian life… He is teaching us have to live out the Gospel and how to walk… I want to quickly review what we have learned in chapter 4and 5 so far…
Review of ch 4and 5
1 Walk in Unity… ch 4 v1-16
2 Walk in Purity… ch 4 v17- 32
v25… Tell the truth to each other
v32… be kind and tender hearted…. Forgiving each other…
3 Walk in love ch 5 v1,2
4 Walk in the Light ch v8… now you are light in the LORD… Walk as children of light…
What great stuff… Solid and practical…
Now we come to our text for today….
5 Walk in Wisdom ch 5 15-21
Well it´s a new year and it´s time for something new…
A New family A new marriage A new husband
A new wife  A New father A new job    Sounds awesome oder…?
The key to all of this and more…  is a renewed and strengthened relationship with the LORD Jesus Christ… Our text for today points us in the right direction…. I will back up a few verses to refresh our minds as to the context…. Eph ch5…v10…
Ephesians 5: 10-14             NLT     Neues Leben
10 Carefully determine what pleases the Lord. 11 Take no part in the worthless deeds of evil and darkness; instead, expose them. 12 It is shameful even to talk about the things that ungodly people do in secret.
13 But their evil intentions will be exposed when the light shines on them, 14 for the light makes everything visible. This is why it is said,“Awake, O sleeper, rise up from the dead, and Christ will give you light.

10 Findet heraus, was dem Herrn Freude macht.
11 Beteiligt euch nicht an den nutzlosen Taten der Finsternis, sondern deckt sie vielmehr auf.
12 Es ist beschämend, auch nur davon zu reden, was gottlose Menschen im Verborgenen treiben.13 Doch wenn das Licht darauf fällt, wird alles sichtbar werden.14 Was aber sichtbar wird, wird nun auch Licht. Deshalb heißt es: »Wach auf, du Schläfer, steh von den Toten auf, dann wird Christus dir aufleuchten.«

v10… Carefully determine what pleases the LORD… That´s very good advice… Since God in His grace and mercy has forgiven us… Since because of His unfailing love… He has washed away our sins… We should… We need to…  Carefully determine what pleases the LORD… How do we do that? Well we could look in this book…. You know the one…. The one we all say we believe but never read… Yes that´s the one… You God gave it to us so that we would read it and hide it in our hearts… We should carefully determine what pleases the Lord… Amen? And so our text for today…
Walking in the light means walking in wisdom.
Ephesians 5: 15-17             NLT Neues Leben
15 So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise. 16 Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days. 17 Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do.
15 Achtet sorgfältig darauf, wie ihr lebt; handelt nicht unklug, sondern bemüht euch, weise zu sein. 16 Nutzt jede Gelegenheit, in diesen üblen Zeiten Gutes zu tun. 17 Handelt nicht gedankenlos, sondern versucht zu begreifen, was der Herr von euch will.

v15… So be careful how you live… This section starts with a warning… It´s a loving and fatherly warning…. But it is a real warning…. Watch out! The NKJV… says… See then that you walk circumspectly… Because this light was given to us… we should walk circumspectly –Not like the world… not as fools… carefully… wisely…
v16a…  KJV Redeeming the time: There are two ancient Greek words used for time…. One has the idea simply of day upon day and hour upon hour… The other has the idea of a definite portion of time… a time where something should happen… It is the different between time and the phrase…. Now is the time… The idea here is of a definite season of opportunity that Christians must redeem... This same word is translated opportunity in Galatians 6:10...
Paul isn't telling us to make the most of every moment… Carpe Deum… Seize the Day… even though that is good advice… He tells us to seize every opportunity for the glory of the Lord Jesus...
The idea behind redeeming the time is that you buy up opportunities like a shrewd businessman… Benis Auto Sales… You make the most of every opportunity for Jesus Christ…
v16b… Because the days are evil… This is another reason why it is important to walk wisely... Jesus spoke of a time in the last days when lawlessness would abound…. Look with me at Matt 24…v9-12…
Matthew 24: 9-12    NKJV    slt 2000
9 “Then you will be arrested, persecuted, and killed. You will be hated all over the world because you are my followers. 10 And many will turn away from me and betray and hate each other. 11 And many false prophets will appear and will deceive many people. 12 Sin will be rampant everywhere, and the love of many will grow cold.
9 Ihr werdet verhaftet, verfolgt und umgebracht werden. Auf der ganzen Welt wird man euch hassen, weil ihr euch zu meinem Namen bekennt.
10 Viele werden sich von mir abwenden und einander verraten und hassen. 11 Viele falsche Propheten werden auftreten und die Menschen täuschen.12 Die Gesetzlosigkeit wird immer mehr überhandnehmen und die Liebe wird bei vielen erkalten.
Clearly we are in those times…  And it is clear to every one… that the days are evil… It is very interesting to read this text…. Jesus says that there is a relationship between a world full of sin… and the tendency of peoples love for God to grow cold… It reminds me of Lot´s day…
2 Peter 2: 7,8                NLT  Neues Leben
7 But God also rescued Lot out of Sodom because he was a righteous man who was sick of the shameful immorality of the wicked people around him. 8 Yes, Lot was a righteous man who was tormented in his soul by the wickedness he saw and heard day after day.
7 Doch gleichzeitig rettete Gott Lot aus Sodom, weil Lot ein gerechter Mann war, der unter dem ausschweifenden Leben der gesetzlosen Menschen um ihn herum leiden musste.
8 Ja, Lot war ein gerechter Mann, den all das Schlechte, das er Tag für Tag zu hören und zu sehen bekam, quälte.
Back to Eph 5.. looking now at v17…
Ephesians 5: 17             NLT Neues Leben
15 So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise. 16 Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days. 17 Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do.
15 Achtet sorgfältig darauf, wie ihr lebt; handelt nicht unklug, sondern bemüht euch, weise zu sein. 16 Nutzt jede Gelegenheit, in diesen üblen Zeiten Gutes zu tun. 17 Handelt nicht gedankenlos, sondern versucht zu begreifen, was der Herr von euch will.
v17… Understand what the will of the Lord is… This is what real wisdom is… It is the opposite of being selfish and foolish…  Our knowledge of the will of God comes from a solid understanding of His word… It helps us to be careful how we live… It helps us to redeem the time…. It helps us to understand the will of the Lord Jesus… It´s all in here… let´s take the next section…
Ephesians 5: 18,19                      NLT   Neues Leben
18 Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit, 19 singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, and making music to the Lord in your hearts.
18 Betrinkt euch nicht mit Wein; sonst ruiniert ihr damit euer Leben. Lasst euch stattdessen vom Heiligen Geist erfüllen. 19 Singt miteinander Psalmen und Lobgesänge und geistliche Lieder, und in euren Herzen wird Musik sein zum Lob Gottes.
v18a… Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life… We are told this for our own good… It is clear that as believers we are told not to get drunk… It is clearly a sin to drink alcohol for the purpose of getting drunk… Paul is saying… What a waste Christian…. Don´t do those things that the world does…. v18b… Instead… Walk in the light…  be filled with the Holy Spirit…
Walking in the light means walking in the light of God´s Word…   
In contrast with the conduct of the world… Partying and being drunk with wine… We are to be filled with the Spirit… The greek phrase says, "be constantly being filled with the Holy Spirit…
Now listen… All genuine believers receive the Holy Spirit when we repent of our sins and come to the Lord Jesus Christ… But we need the presence and constant work of the Holy Spirit moment by moment… We cannot love and serve the Lord or each other without the ministry of the Holy Spirit…
The filling of the Holy Spirit is not a one-time event that we live off of the rest of our days… It is a constant filling… We should be asking to be filled with His Holy Spirit and His Wisdom constantly…
We have seen the Work that God has done in our hearts and lives… Ch 1-3… Now here in verse 18… Paul  defines the responsibility that we as believers have… This is a command… First there is a negative statement… don’t get drunk with wine... And then a good and positive command… Instead… be filled with the Spirit…  This verse is speaking again about the necessity to have the Holy Spirit be the controlling influence in our lives…
It speaks about an internal reality… an internal ministry that the Spirit of God sustains in us...
When Paul says… be filled with the Spirit…  Paul is not talking about filling… like filling up a cup… He is talking about the  total and commanding influence that the Holy Spirit should have on us… That happens…. Through the constant study and understanding of the Word of God… The Word of God  should influence all of  our thinking and decision making… He is saying that the Word of God should affect everything we do and say and think… It should control our thought life so that we become more and more like our Lord and Savior…
The Holy Spirit´s work and goal is to make us more and more like Jesus… To make us more and more willing to do all of the things that Paul has been exhorting us to do… Like stop lying … Forgive… It is the Word of God that the Holy Spirit uses to transform us and help us… 2 Timothy 3: 15-17…
v19… Speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs… When we are filled with the Spirit… we will have a desire to worship God… and to encourage others in their worship of God…
The connection with being filled with the Spirit and genuine worship is significant… Those who are filled with the Spirit will naturally worship…   
Psalms and hymns and spiritual songs…  God delights in creative, spontaneous worship… It should constantly flow out of our deeply grateful and thankful hearts… v20…
Ephesians 5: 20             NLT   Neues Leben
20 And give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
20 Und dankt Gott, dem Vater, zu jeder Zeit für alles im Namen unseres Herrn Jesus Christus.
v20… give thanks for everything to God the Father… The NKJV says… Giving thanks always for all things to God… The one who is filled with the Spirit will also be filled with thanksgiving…. We among all people…. Should be so filled with worship and thankfulness…. That we overflow with it… We can and should give thanks for everything… Yes… Even the hard times… James wrote count it all joy…Let´s look at it…
James 1: 2-4                NLT   Neues Leben
2 Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. 3 For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. 4 So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.
2 Liebe Brüder, wenn in schwierigen Situationen euer Glaube geprüft wird, dann freut euch darüber.
3 Denn wenn ihr euch darin bewährt, wächst eure Geduld.
4 Und durch die Geduld werdet ihr bis zum Ende durchhalten, denn dann wird euer Glaube zur vollen Reife gelangen und vollkommen sein und nichts wird euch fehlen.
The Lord Who began this good work in us…. Will carry us through every disaster… He will use them to equip us to help and comfort others… 2 Cor 1… v21…
Ephesians 5: 21                  NLT   Neues Leben
21 And further, submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.
21 Ordnet euch aus Achtung vor dem Herrn bereitwillig einander unter.
v21… submit to one another out of reverence for Christ…. The NKJV says…. Submitting to one another in the fear of God… Reverence or fear… When we are filled with the Spirit… it will show by our mutual submission to each other… and the submission will be done in the fear of God… not the fear of man…
a… Submitting: The word submitting here literally means, "to be under in rank." It is a military word. It speaks of the way that an army is organized among levels of rank. You have Generals and Colonels and Majors and Captains and Sergeants and Privates. There are levels of rank, and you are obligated to respect those in higher rank.

We know that as a person, a Private can be smarter, more talented, and a better person than a General. But he is still under rank to the General. He isn't submitted to the General so much as a person as he is to the General as a General.
The idea of submission doesn't have anything to do with someone being smarter or better or more talented. It has to do with a God-appointed order. "Anyone who has served in the armed forces knows that 'rank' has to do with order and authority, not with value or ability." Warren Wiersbe )

b… Submitting to one another… To understand what this means… we can first examine what it does not mean… It does not mean that there is no idea of "rank" or authority in the body of Christ… We can see how someone might take that impression… "It says we should be submitting to one another… So I should be submitting to you and you should be submitting to me... someone might conclude…. There our denominations built upon this mistaken idea…. Egalitarianism in the church… No one has any more obligation to submit than anyone else… No that´s not what Paul has in mind…
We know this is not what Paul means…   because that would be a clear contradiction of other things that he wrote… For example… in 1 Corinthians 5:1-5… Paul clearly tells the Corinthian Christians to submit to his authority and to throw a certain sin filled man out of the church... Can you imagine the Corinthian Christians answering…"Well Paul, you wrote that we should be submitting to one another… So we think you should submit to us here…
Another good example is Hebrews 13:17… let´s look at it… Heb 13..v17..
Hebrews 13: 17                NLT   Neues Leben
17 Obey your spiritual leaders, and do what they say. Their work is to watch over your souls, and they are accountable to God. Give them reason to do this with joy and not with sorrow. That would certainly not be for your benefit.
17 Gehorcht den Leitern eurer Gemeinde und tut, was sie sagen. Es ist ihre Aufgabe, über eure Seelen zu wachen, und sie wissen, dass sie Gott Rechenschaft geben müssen. Achtet darauf, dass sie dies mit Freude und ohne Sorgen tun können, denn das wäre sonst für euch sicher nicht gut.
In the next verse Paul says… Pray for us… Paul says Obey those who rule over you and be submissive… If Paul meant that there was no "rank" or "order of authority" among believers… then this command in Hebrews 13:17 is meaningless... back to Eph 5…verse21…
Ephesians 5: 21                  NLT   Neues Leben
21 And further, submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.
21 Ordnet euch aus Achtung vor dem Herrn bereitwillig einander unter.
In practice… Paul is calling for us to be team players…. We still have a coach…. But we see ourselves as a team… Loving and serving the Lord and each other….
c… In the fear of God… This is an important point…  
The words… in the fear of God… describe what should be our motive for submitting to one another… We should submit to one other - see ourselves no longer as individuals… but as a unit… as a company or a battalion – a team… We all have one lord and savior… One leader…. One master… We submit to one another out  of love and respect for God the Father… And of course for our redeemer…  the Lord Jesus Christ...
The motive for submission is not social protocol… The motive for submission is not the law…. The motive for submission is love and respect for the Lord Jesus Christ...   Paul uses the term fear in this passage…. it is a fear - a respect - that is compatible with love...  When you really respect someone… you care about pleasing him or her… and you are afraid to disappoint them…
God has given us leaders in the Church…. Pastors-Elders- teachers…. They are here to serve us….  They are here with us in the battle…  to help us and protect us… Till we all become conformed into the perfect reflection of the Lord Jesus Christ…
Let´s pray…

No comments:

Post a Comment