SERMON OUTLINE

Careful Living in 2010 Ephesians 5.15

Look carefully how you walk.         – Ephesians 5.15   (Literal translation)

Introduction

>Christians are supposed to know certain things and live in a certain way. Why? Who? How?

>God calls Christians to live deliberate, conscious, intentional, and careful lives by the power of the Holy Spirit as guided by His Word. (Romans 12.1-2; Galatians 5.13,16; 2 Peter 1.5, 8-9; Philippians 2.12-13)

>“Walk” = “Live”, step-by-step daily living. Used 8x in 7 verses in Ephesians.

Ephesians 2.1-9 (“walk” or “live”, in verse 2)

We use to walk/live by

>Following the ways of this world

-The world: Biblical term that describes a way of thinking that is completely different from God’s way of thinking, a way that is opposed and antagonistic to God. Also an organized system of evil that is controlled by the Devil and empowered by sin. Those in the world cannot perceive spiritual truth. The world is expressed in worldly living.

-God has rescued us out of the world. Galatians 1.4

-Be aware and beware of the world.

>Following the Devil and his ways

-The god of this world; the prince of this world; the controller of this world. Lies, false teaching, false beliefs and religious systems, deception. 2 Corinthians 4.4; John 12.31, 14.30, 16.11; 1 John 5.19

>Following the ways of the flesh

gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts

>Under the wrath of God

saved by the love, mercy and grace of God in Jesus Christ, free from this present evil world, the authority of the Devil, the power of the flesh, placed in heaven with Christ.

Ephesians 2.10 and 4.1-3

>God created us to walk in good works

>We are to walk worthy of our calling because we are saved and because God has provided all that we need to do it. His Word, Spirit, Church, Prayer, Mind, Will.

Conclusion

God’s great deliverance from sin is expected to lead to a godly walk.

SERMON NOTES

Live Carefully in 2010 Ephesians 5.15a (Lit, Look carefully how you walk)

-The more I read the NT, the more apparent it is that Christians are supposed to know certain things and live in a certain way. Christians are supposed to know why they are Christians and who they are in Christ, and how they are to live as Christians. I see in the NT that God tells Christians that they are to understand that they are sinners saved by His Grace in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ alone, and new creations in Christ. And I see in the NT that God calls Christians to live deliberate, conscious, intentional, and careful lives by the power of the Holy Spirit as guided by His Word.

-Listen to some of these commands from the NT. “I urge you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.” (Romans 12.1-2) “You were called to freedom, brethren; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. …Walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh.” (Galatians 5.13, 16) “Now for this reason also, (salvation and promises) applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge etc (5 more qualities)… …For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For he who lacks these qualities is blind or shortsighted, having forgotten his purification from his former sins.” (2 Peter 1.5, 8-9) “So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.” (Philippians 2.12-13)

-Beloved brothers and sisters, God has saved you and wants you to understand your salvation. God has also called you to live with an intentional focus on spiritual transformation that reflects the salvation He has given you in Jesus Christ. I want to challenge you this morning to make 2010 a year of very careful living toward spiritual transformation. Let’s find out a little more how the Bible describes careful living by looking at the word “walk” in Paul’s letter to the Ephesians.

-The word “walk” is used 8 times in seven verses in the letter to the Ephesians. I want to look at 3 of those references today and the other 4 in the weeks to follow. Communion next week. “To walk” is how Paul describes daily step-by-step living and so it is translated as “live” in some modern translations.

-We first find the word “walk” (live) in verse 2 of Ephesians 2.1-9. [Read]

–Ephesians 2.1-3 describes how we used to live (walk) before God saved us. When we were dead in our sins we did not live lives that were intentionally and carefully focused on spiritual transformation. Instead we lived by the ways of the world, under the authority of the Devil, and in the flesh. These three enemies of God now seek to turn those who belong to God, away from God.

–Verse 2 says that in our sin we “followed the ways of this world”. As much as you thought you were independently choosing your own way in life before you were saved, you were following the ways of this world. Life only has two ways. The way that submits to God’s will and turns away from the world, or the way that follows the world in rebellion against God. These two ways are mutually exclusive. God hates the world and the world hates the God of the Bible. All those who do not belong to Christ, follow the ways of the world.

-The world in the Bible describes a way of thinking that is completely different from God’s way of thinking, a way of thinking that is opposed and antagonistic to God. The world also describes an organized system of evil that is controlled by the Devil and empowered by sin. Those who are in the world cannot perceive spiritual truth and have no understanding of God. The world’s anti-God thinking under the Devil and its bondage to sin, leads to worldly living. Worldly living is expressed in moral decay and sexual perversion, self-centeredness and self-love, greed and materialism, and the 1001 pursuits that keep us away from God and God’s thinking. Worldliness can be expressed in many different ways ranging from wicked and immoral behavior, to religious devotion and respectable behavior. Every person who has not experienced the transforming work of God is in the world and follows the ways of the world.

-Galatians 1.4 says, “Jesus gave Himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father.” As Christians we must be aware of how the world is influencing our decisions and our lifestyles. I am discouraged by how much the world disciples us and how little the Word of God disciples us. Christians can still live in worldly ways and many do. Paul asks this penetrating question to the Colossian church, “Since you died with Christ to the basic principles of this world, why, as though you still belonged to it, do you submit to its rules?” Be aware of the thinking and influence of the world and beware of the ways of the world. As Christians we are to adopt a Biblical worldview and lifestyle. That lifestyle will be different from the world around us and even different from many of the Christians around us. We once walked in the world and followed the ways of this world but now we are no longer in the world and should no longer walk in its ways.

–Verse 2 says that we also, “followed the ruler of the kingdom of the air, (unseen powers) the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.” Before we believed in Christ to save us we walked under the rule of the Devil and his spirit was at work in us. The Devil is called the “the god of this world”. Three times in the gospel of John, Christ calls the Devil, “the prince of this world”. John writes that “the whole world is under the control of the evil one”. (2 Corinthians 4.4; John 12.31, 14.30, 16.11; 1 John 5.19) In our sin and disobedience to God we blindly followed the Devil and his lies, his false teachers, his false beliefs and religious systems, and all his deceptive promises. Then Christ opened our eyes and saved us. Today we need to be aware of the Devil’s lies and traps and of the authority and promises that God has given to us in Christ Jesus. God’s Word will tell you all about your authority in Christ and His great promises so Read, Read, Read your Bibles in 2010.

-Finally in verse 3 we read that we “also lived gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts”. The world considers its thirst for pleasure and entertainment, and its preoccupation with sex to be normal behavior. The world and the sinful cravings of the flesh work together as partners. The flesh is not only found among the obviously evil and perverse but is the inheritance of every son and daughter of Adam. Flesh may be covered with the veneer of respectability but it is still flesh in the eyes of God. If you are not a believer this morning then God describes you as in the flesh. All of us once walked in the flesh and thought nothing of it because we were dead in sin like the rest of the world. But now that Christ has saved us He has called us to walk in holiness and love and to no longer gratify the cravings and desires and thoughts of the flesh.

-The last part of verse 3 and verses 4 to 9, tell us that before we came to Christ we were under the wrath of God. But because of His great love for us and His rich mercies to us, God saved us by His Grace, and raised us up with Christ and has seated us in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. Paul calls what God has done to us the “incomparable riches of God’s grace” and the “kindness of God”.

-God has delivered us from this present evil world, the authority of the Devil, and the power of the flesh. We are called to walk carefully and not to walk like the world. We are called to live under the authority of God and not under the authority of the Devil. We are called to live in the Spirit and to no longer indulge the flesh.

-If you are a Christian this morning, God has done a mighty work in your life. God has lifted you out of the world of sin, out from the Devil’s control, out from the flesh, and God has placed you in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. Your eternal destiny has changed; your relationship to the world has changed; the Devil’s control over you has changed; and your bondage to the flesh has changed. God has called you in Christ to a new walk and to a new way of living. This morning I want to encourage you toward the great adventure of learning who you are in Christ and how to walk as one who belongs to Christ and is pleasing to God.

-Now lets read verse 10 of chapter 2. [Read]

-“To do” in the NIV is the word “walk”. Literally the verse says, “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we might walk in them”. Good works cannot save us from sin. Only the death of Christ and the Grace of God can save us from sin. But now that God has saved us and made us a new creation in Christ Jesus, we are expected to walk in the good works that God has called us to. These good works are attitudes, character qualities, and actions. They are holiness and love that express the life of Jesus to those around us. God has made us His for a purpose and we are to carefully walk in that purpose.

-Let’s find out more about these good works by reading Ephesians 4.1-3 [Read]

-Literally, “Walk worthy of the calling with which you were called”. This verse begins with the word “Therefore”. “Therefore” points back to the last two verses in chapter 3, and to the first three chapters in the letter. In the last two verses of chapter 3 Paul has been writing about the super-abounding power of God at work in His people, the Church. With that super-abounding power of God in mind and the understanding of the great transformation of salvation that Paul has just explained, Paul urges us who are saved people to live a saved life by the mighty power of God. “I urge you to walk worthy of your calling” is a strong plea to make what Christ has done for you and in you, a reality in the way you live. We are to step-by-step live a daily life that is worthy of God’s call upon our lives. Paul writes in 1.4, “God chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless in Christ”. That is the life that God is looking for in us.

-Some of the worthy attitudes of our calling are mentioned in verses 2 and 3. Paul will add a number of others later in the letter and we will come to them next time. We are to be completely humble and gentle. We are to be patient and loving toward one another. We are to be eager to keep the unity of the Spirit with the bond of peace.

-We are going to end here for today. The point that Paul is making as he writes this letter is that God has done something marvelous in your life if you are saved. What God has done in your life should make an evident difference in the way you live today and every day. But the spiritual transformation that God is looking for is not automatic and guaranteed. God asks that you participate in the spiritual transformation He desires for you. You must give yourself to the task. God has made ongoing spiritual transformation possible by giving you His Word, His Spirit, His Church, Prayer, pastors and teachers, a sound mind, and a will to obey. God will more than meet you halfway but He does look for you to make the effort to walk toward Him. Paul knows the blessings of the Spirit filled life and urges all of God’s people to make what God has put in them potentially, into a reality by growing in knowledge and applying that knowledge in obedience. As we enter 2010, may you determine to walk with great carefulness. I will try to explain further what walking in carefulness means in the new year but for now remember that God’s great deliverance from sin is expected to lead to a godly walk. God’s urges you to walk worthy of His call upon your life.