Ephesians 5:3-5
Sermon • Submitted • Presented
0 ratings
· 9 viewsNotes
Transcript
-Be imitators of God
-Be holy as God is holy
14 As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance,
15 but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct,
16 since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”
Why is the pursuit of holiness so important?
The most important pursuit for all Christians, individually and corporately, is holiness.
John F. MacArthur
It is only as we see His holiness, His absolute purity and moral hatred of sin, that we will be gripped by the awfulness of sin against the Holy God. To be gripped by that fact is the first step in our pursuit of holiness.
Jerry Bridges
1 It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that is not tolerated even among pagans, for a man has his father’s wife.
2 And you are arrogant! Ought you not rather to mourn? Let him who has done this be removed from among you.
-We live in a day and time where sexual sin is well known even within the local church, everyone says oh but there is grace, and they choose to overlook the sin, yes our God is gracious but He is also just. And we must know that Christians ought not to be okay with any kind of sin
Why should we pursue holiness?
Our Identity
Our Identity
-Imitating God because we are His children, Christ has changed our identity
-Because our identity is in Christ, then our activity and speech should reflect Christ
-specifically: not named among you, essentially that within the people of God the culture is to be completely different than that of the world
-among saints = holy ones
-How can the holy ones be doing unholy things?
-sexual immorality - to any sexual sin outside of marriage, was often associated with Gentiles
-all impurity - any substance that is filthy or dirty, often in the context of sexual sins
19 Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality,
-any form of sexual sin
-covetousness - some have suggested that this refers to coveting someone else’s husband or wife
-more than likely he was referring to financial greed as it seems separated in the verse
-whenever money becomes a person’s god
v.4
-no filthiness, foolish talking, crude joking - only place in the greek these are mentioned together
-filthiness = ugliness, perhaps about discussing ugly, obscene sexual behavior, stay away from obscene talk, whether it is in our own conversations, what we watch on tv, facebook
11 it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth; this defiles a person.”
-foolish talk = nonsense talk often associated with drunkeness
-crude joking = clever humor that is used in a vulgar way
-not fitting - it is not a part of the culture of the people of God
-people try to rationalize their actions, well we are in love, I couldn’t help it, it just happened, no it is because of a sinful heart
Our Desires
Our Desires
-Imitating God because our desire is to know God, our desire is one of thankfulness to what God by His grace has done for us
-In Christ our desires change, we no longer are to desire the things of the world
-Instead, since sexual activity, sinful speech is not a part of our identity, but thankfulness is a part of our culture
-it is an attitude of thankfulness to God
17 And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
-Instead of thinking about sin, talking about sin, and even partaking in sin we are to focus our minds on God and particularly our thankfulness to God
-Thankful why? that He has made us holy who were unholy
23 But the words “it was counted to him” were not written for his sake alone,
24 but for ours also. It will be counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord,
25 who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.
-What is your desire? Our desire should be to know God, to pursue God, to be imitators of God, to live a life of thankfulness to God, to be sanctified and become holy as He is holy
-If we spend our time giving thanks to God then there is no room for us to think about selfish sinful desires
17 pray without ceasing,
18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
Our Citizenship
Our Citizenship
-may be sure of = you are well aware, remember how I taught you
21 envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
9 Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality,
5 Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.
-no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God
20 that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places,
-What does this mean? I thought as long as someone had faith in Christ then they had an inheritance
-If you are in Christ you will not live a life of habitual sin, your desire would be to be holy as God is holy
-There will not be the ongoing characteristic to live in sin
9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
9 No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him; and he cannot keep on sinning, because he has been born of God.
-Be imitators of God, pursue holiness, get rid of everything that leads to thoughts of sin, if you are currently struggling with sin confess it, look to the Holy Spirit to help you
-If you are living in sin? Perhaps you have not come to Christ in faith, turn from your sin and turn to Christ for salvation
