Ephesians Pt. 3

We have a choice to grow or decay but never to stay the same. The moment we stop growing we start dying.

Growth involves balanced introspection...

Have I grown in my love for God

Not a sentimental feeling but revealed in your obedience.

Have I become more mature as a Christian

Have I grown in my knowledge of doctrine that I practice, do I know the ways of God even more?

Have I become more like Jesus?

Have I conquered specific sins?

Have I waned myself from the temporal to the eternal?

These things are important to ask ourselves… Am I growing or am I dying?

Before we get to our main text, to provide context as to what Paul is referring to, we need to look at his original statement:

Ephesians 4:1 “As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.”

Ephesians 5:15–21 “Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.”

Wise people make the most of their time | “Making the most of every opportunity”

In Colossians Paul says: walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.”

Wise people discern the will of God | “Understand what the will of the Lord is”

Be filled with the Spirit | “Be Filled with the Spirit”

We can also learn from Paul’s parallel statement in the book of Colossians where he says not, “Let the Spirit fill you” but rather, “Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly”. We must never think that the Word and Spirit are separated, but they are virtually identical, to be filled with his word is to be filled with his spirit. Jesus said, my words are spirit and life.

The Consequences of being filled?

2 of the 4 have to do with singing, because singing is the natural expression of joy that God brings into our life. If one is filled by the Spirit, songs of praise to God will be a natural result anywhere and at anytime. And these all deal with relationships, there is no being filled with the spirit and and isolated at the same time, these deal with our relationships with one another and with God.

“Speaking to one another in psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit”

What does this imply?

Fellowship / Community. (We need community to strengthen us now more than ever to keep the faith).

This implies you are in relationship with other brethren to whom you speak. Psalms, hymns, songs from the spirit… what are they?:

Encouragement, comfort, building, teaching.

It implies community and people whom you care about, love, and are invested in.

Small Groups: That is the point of Small Groups - that God knits your hearts with others that you are no longer just thinking about yourself but others.

For us to grow this year, let’s ask ourselves

Who am I serving with the gifts God gave me

Who am I praying for

Who am I doing life with where there is authenticity, honesty, openness?

Who am I encouraging and giving comfort

Who am I teaching and discipling

You can begin with your spouse, your children, your neighbors, your small group members.

“Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord”

Context - public worship with sincerity.

Spirit-filled Christians have a song of joy in their hearts, and Spirit filled public worship is a joyful celebration of God’s mighty acts

A Spirit-filled Christian gathers together with others to worship.

Psalm 92:12-14 “The righteous will flourish like a palm tree, they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon; planted in the house of the Lord, they will flourish in the courts of our God. They will still bear fruit in old age, they will stay fresh and green,”

We grow, rather flourish when we are planted.

We do not simply attend church, we are the church and we are planted with others in His assembly. You do not have to be planted here (at Church of Grace), there are many good churches. But be planted somewhere.

The thing about being planted, is you are not easily moved because you are rooted in something.

When I am planted - church is not about what I get out of it. But who I give to and who I serve. When I am planted - I come to bring God my praise, I bring him my tithes, my song, my worship. I come to bring him and his people my service. My gifting is not for me it is for you. As a steward I am responsible for what I did with my gift.

“Always giving thanks to God the Father for everything”

Attitude of Gratitude

The grumbling spirit is not compatible with the Holy Spirit… How do we change?

We need to affirm that all we are and have comes from God. Only then can we live lives of responding appropriately to his amazing Grace!

The practice of thanksgiving is itself transforming. It is difficult for a person to be thankful and spiteful or thankful and offended, or thankful and jealous or thankful and envious or thankful and entitled at the same time.

We must understand this passage appropriately. Giving thanks to God for everything must be understood not literally as in thanking God for evil that has happened to us or others. But rather remaining in a thankful state regardless of circumstance for the good He has promised to make out of every situation.

“Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.”

Spiritual Growth cannot be measured, only tested - JI Packer

A Spirit-filled Christian is a submitted Christian. The submitted Christian is a growing Christian. Submission itself - a test.

The word submit literally means “to order oneself under a leader” hence to submit.

Christians are called to live in mutual submission, and without mutual submission they cannot fulfill their destiny. Such submission is not coerced or forces - it is a strong and free act of the will based on real love of the other person or people.

This is in the midst of the world prioritizes and celebrates individualism and independence which ultimately leads to selfishness. What can you do for me?

For the New Testament writers submission was so important because it described the self-giving love, humility, and willingness even to die that are demanded of all Christians.

Submission is the opposite of being self-assertive and demanding in relationships.

It rejects selfishness and asks that in humility people consider others as “surpassing” themselves. And the example being Christ.

Jesus repeatedly makes the same point: Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted (Matt. 23:12 “For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”)

In the Kingdom of God, to have authority we need to come under authority.

I remember when...

The way to grow in your anointing and authority is by submission.

Submission and authority in the kingdom are the same thing.

“I used to think that God’s gifts were on shelves one above the other and that the taller we grew in Christian character, the more easily we should reach them. I find now that God’s gifts are on shelves one beneath the other and that is not a questions of growing taller, but of stooping lower and that we have to go down, always down to get his best ones.”

It is imperative that we be under authority to receive correction and direction.

Every sheep needs a shepherd, every Christian needs a Pastor and every Christian needs real relationships.

Who are you submitted to?

Who has authority in your life to correct and direct you, without you being offended?

Who are you accountable to?

Who can call you out?

In the Kingdom of God - Submission is Exaltation or Authority.