11_19_2023 - Ephesians 5:21 - The Awe of Christ

(Opening Prayer)

(Sermon Introduction)

Today we continue our “Ephesians” series.

(AG Reminder)

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(Ephesians Context)

The books of Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon are what we call the “Prison Epistles.”

Paul is writing Ephesians during his first imprisonment in Rome around 60 AD (recorded in Acts 28).

Like Colossians, this letter was carried to the province of Asia by Tychicus (Eph. 6:20-21).

This explains the similarity of doctrinal content, the same ideas being fresh in the apostle’s mind as he wrote these letters.

On Paul’s second missionary journey he planted the church of Ephesus (Acts 18:19).

On his third missionary journey Paul pastored the church of Ephesus for three years (Acts 20:31).

Paul finishes his third missionary journey and stops in Ephesus to say goodbye as he made his way to Jerusalem and ultimately to prison in Rome where he is writing this letter to them.

(Series Recap and Sermon Title)

Since July, we have been going through the Bible book of Ephesians.

In Ephesians 1 we focused on the calling of Paul and the nature of the gospel.

In Ephesians 2 we focused on the impact of God’s love, mercy, and grace upon us and the people around us and how being “in Christ” changes us.

In Ephesians 3 we focused on the mystery of Christ being played out in the Church.

In Ephesians 4 we spoke of unity, the equipping of the church, and the rejection of the old life for the new one.

In Ephesians 5:1-2 we talked at length about being like Jesus.

Last week, we spoke from Ephesians 5:3-20 about the importance of living from the new life not the old life.

Today we are in Ephesians 5:21 and have entitled the message, “The Awe of Christ.”

Truly today’s passage of Scripture is directly connected to last week’s portion of Scripture in Ephesians 5:3-20 and especially Ephesians 5:15-20 which says:

Ephesians 5:15–20 (NLT)

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.

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.

20 And give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Ephesians 5:21 (NLT)

21 And further, submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.

Submit / hupŏtassō / hoop-ot-as´-so

5293. to put under, subdue unto, (be, make) subj. (to, unto), be (put) in subjection (to, under), submit self unto. to yield to another.

James Strong, The New Strong’s Dictionary of Hebrew and Greek Words (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1996).

1. The Awe of Christ Cultivates Humility

Our love and adoration of Jesus leads us to a place of humility.

Matthew 23:1–12 (ESV)

1 Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples,

2 “The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat,

3 so do and observe whatever they tell you, but not the works they do. For they preach, but do not practice.

4 They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to move them with their finger.

5 They do all their deeds to be seen by others. For they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long,

6 and they love the place of honor at feasts and the best seats in the synagogues

7 and greetings in the marketplaces and being called rabbi by others.

8 But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all brothers.

9 And call no man your father on earth, for you have one Father, who is in heaven.

10 Neither be called instructors, for you have one instructor, the Christ.

11 The greatest among you shall be your servant.

12 Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.

We can become really good at acknowledging the mistakes of others without acknowledging our mistakes.

I use to read the Scriptures from the perspective of Jesus to others rather than Jesus to me.

In other words, I used to think of those who needed to hear His words as I relayed them, instead of applying to me and me alone.

The Christian faith can’t be seen as simply us relaying the gospel to everyone else.

We must communicate the gospel consistently to our own hearts if we ever expect the rest of the world to truly receive it.

I have come to believe that the gospel is seen way before it is heard.

My prayer for me and for you is that when we speak the gospel, the people hearing it from us first saw it in us before we spoke it to them.

Luke 14:7–14 (NLT)

7 When Jesus noticed that all who had come to the dinner were trying to sit in the seats of honor near the head of the table, he gave them this advice:

8 “When you are invited to a wedding feast, don’t sit in the seat of honor. What if someone who is more distinguished than you has also been invited?

9 The host will come and say, ‘Give this person your seat.’ Then you will be embarrassed, and you will have to take whatever seat is left at the foot of the table!

10 “Instead, take the lowest place at the foot of the table. Then when your host sees you, he will come and say, ‘Friend, we have a better place for you!’ Then you will be honored in front of all the other guests.

11 For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

12 Then he turned to his host. “When you put on a luncheon or a banquet,” he said, “don’t invite your friends, brothers, relatives, and rich neighbors. For they will invite you back, and that will be your only reward.

13 Instead, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind.

14 Then at the resurrection of the righteous, God will reward you for inviting those who could not repay you.”

I am finding myself these days willingly choosing to come under His authority and yield to His Kingship.

As I do that I am much more aware of how full of myself I have been.

The more that I submit myself to Him, the more that I find I must submit to Him.

When we are aware of Jesus inside of us we recognize that everywhere we go that we are not the important one in the room—because One of greater worth and honor is there with us.

It can become easy to think that we are the most important person in the room when we are unaware of the presence of the King in our midst.

Humility grows in the presence of the Lord when we are yielded to Him out of adoration and awe.

The Christian isn’t perfect, they simply acknowledge and viciously attack the hypocrite found inside of them that wants to hide behind the guise of religion, tradition, and repetition.

Matthew 20:20–28 (NLT)

20 Then the mother of James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to Jesus with her sons. She knelt respectfully to ask a favor.

21 “What is your request?” he asked. She replied, “In your Kingdom, please let my two sons sit in places of honor next to you, one on your right and the other on your left.”

22 But Jesus answered by saying to them, “You don’t know what you are asking! Are you able to drink from the bitter cup of suffering I am about to drink?” “Oh yes,” they replied, “we are able!”

23 Jesus told them, “You will indeed drink from my bitter cup. But I have no right to say who will sit on my right or my left. My Father has prepared those places for the ones he has chosen.”

24 When the ten other disciples heard what James and John had asked, they were indignant.

25 But Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers in this world lord it over their people, and officials flaunt their authority over those under them.

26 But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant,

27 and whoever wants to be first among you must become your slave.

28 For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Humility is the way that Christ walked and we must choose to walk as He did.

Others may exalt themselves, but that is not His way.

Philippians 2:1–11 (NLT)

1 Is there any encouragement from belonging to Christ? Any comfort from his love? Any fellowship together in the Spirit? Are your hearts tender and compassionate?

2 Then make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another, and working together with one mind and purpose.

3 Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves.

4 Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.

5 You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.

6 Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to.

7 Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form,

8 he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross.

9 Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names,

10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

11 and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Jesus showed us the way.

His way is for us to yield ourselves for the good of others in view of Jesus Christ and what He has done for us!

2. The Awe of Christ Leads Us to Love Others

Spirit-controlled believers are to submit to one another, willingly serving others and being under them rather than dominating them and exalting themselves.

But basic to Christians’ attitudes toward others is their reverence for Christ.

To submit means to yield our rights for the sake of someone else.

Submission is full of the fruit of the Spirit: “Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self-Control” (Gal. 5:22-23).

It is the heart by which Paul says:

1 Corinthians 6:12 (ESV)

12 “All things are lawful for me,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful for me,” but I will not be dominated by anything.

1 Corinthians 6:12 (NLT)

12 You say, “I am allowed to do anything”—but not everything is good for you. And even though “I am allowed to do anything,” I must not become a slave to anything.

1 Corinthians 10:23–24 (ESV)

23 “All things are lawful,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful,” but not all things build up.

24 Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor.

1 Corinthians 10:23–24 (ESV)

23 “All things are lawful,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful,” but not all things build up.

24 Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor.

The main idea of mutual submission is found in Christ and has as its goal to do what is best and to help them fulfill the plan of God for their life.

Submission is full of the fruit of the Spirit: “Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self-Control” (Gal. 5:22-23).

(Instrumental Music)

Romans 12:1–21 (NLT)

1 And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.

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.

3 Because of the privilege and authority God has given me, I give each of you this warning: Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us.

4 Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function,

5 so it is with Christ’s body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other.

6 In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you.

7 If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well.

8 If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly.

9 Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good.

10 Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other.

11 Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically.

12 Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying.

13 When God’s people are in need, be ready to help them. Always be eager to practice hospitality.

14 Bless those who persecute you. Don’t curse them; pray that God will bless them.

15 Be happy with those who are happy, and weep with those who weep.

16 Live in harmony with each other. Don’t be too proud to enjoy the company of ordinary people. And don’t think you know it all!

17 Never pay back evil with more evil. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable.

18 Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone.

19 Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say, “I will take revenge; I will pay them back,” says the Lord.

20 Instead, “If your enemies are hungry, feed them. If they are thirsty, give them something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals of shame on their heads.”

21 Don’t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good.

(Sermon Recap)

The Awe of Christ

The Awe of Christ Cultivates Humility

The Awe of Christ Leads Us To Love Others

(Closing Tension)

(Response Card)

(Closing Challenge)

(Response)

(Invite Prayer Team)

(Closing Blessing)

Numbers 6:24–26 (ESV)

24 The Lord bless you and keep you.

25 The Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you.

26 The Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.