Ephesians 5:5-14
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3 But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints. 4 Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving.
5 For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. 6 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. 7 Therefore do not become partners with them; 8 for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light 9 (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), 10 and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. 11 Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. 12 For it is shameful even to speak of the things that they do in secret. 13 But when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible, 14 for anything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says, “Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.”
Christ’s Kingdom: Separation
Christ’s Kingdom: Exposure
Intro:
When in a moment of intense temptation, what do you do?
If you do not actively or intentionally do something good, you will naturally give into the temptation
For temptations to sin works on desires of the flesh which feels so good, we will naturally do it if we are not actively pursuing something else
In the moment of temptation you must get your mind on something that is bigger or of a greater advantage than the simple, animalistic desires you are feeling at that moment
Like a traveller who is lost in the woods, one thing to do is to find nearby elevation to get a better perspective on whats around him
In the moment of temptation you have bad perspective and will fall to the temptation unless you gain better perspective.
Now we have already gained perspective in chapter 5 of Ephesians that we can imitate God instead of sin because we are loved by him through forgiveness and his sacrificial love—in which selfish sexual immorality stands in direct contrast of godly imitation
And here, Paul provides another perspective that gives us an advantage over the moment of temptation:
The Kingdom of Christ and the separation it brings
Ephesians 5:5–10 “5 For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. 6 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. 7 Therefore do not become partners with them; 8 for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light 9 (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), 10 and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord.”
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Sexual immorality used to mean sex with prostitutes but become a general statement of sexual perversion
Idolatry is worship of self (desires)
The wrath of God comes upon—looks forward but also looks at the taste of it at present
INTRO: The kingdom of Christ and the Kingdom of Satan
God allows kingdom of darkness to go forth from Noah on: darkness is simply unrighteousness
Institutes the kingdom of Israel to express his law in the midst of darkness: righteous standard
Reveals our inability but then sets up nicely for Jesus to set up his kingdom of light who enables his subjects to be light: righteousness via grace…or the realm of salvation = the kingdom of Jesus
And in Paul’s day, this kingdom has just pierced the darkness: and he tells the newly added people there you need to be separate from the darkness and you need to expose the kingdom of darkness
I: The kingdom separates
Children of disobedience, verses children that imitate
II:The kingdom exposes (reprove + light)
The kingdom operates now as exposure brings grace
But one day Christ will return and exposure will bring wrath
I.
Ephesians 5:5 “5 For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.”
No room for deceiving as he will mention in the next verse. This is so sure it’s like saying the sun rises from the east
Ephesians 5:5 “5 For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.”
These sexual sins are held up as a contrast to imitating God in sacrificial love
Sexual impurity — a coveting of fleshly desires fulfilled — is how an unbeliever who is in the kingdom of Satan operates.
In fact, here Paul explains more what he means by covetous by saying it is idolatry. A setting up fleshly passions and desires as your god, instead of submitting them to the God above in imitating him.
Paul says, those who are in that realm of existence show they have no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ
Since that kingdom operates by denying the deeds of the flesh and imitating God by the grace of Jesus instead.
Remember how he said those who imitate God do so as beloved sons — loved by God via Christ’s forgiveness and the gift or inheritance we receive is his both positional and applicable righteousness.
So if someone is living a life of appeasing the flesh instead and living unrighteously, then it shows they have not lot nor part in the kingdom Jesus as established with his blood.
So another words, the nature of the kingdom Christ has established is one in which people come out of the darkness and into the light of righteous living: separation
1 After this I saw another angel coming down from heaven, having great authority, and the earth was made bright with his glory. 2 And he called out with a mighty voice, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! She has become a dwelling place for demons, a haunt for every unclean spirit, a haunt for every unclean bird, a haunt for every unclean and detestable beast. 3 For all nations have drunk the wine of the passion of her sexual immorality, and the kings of the earth have committed immorality with her, and the merchants of the earth have grown rich from the power of her luxurious living.” 4 Then I heard another voice from heaven saying, “Come out of her, my people, lest you take part in her sins, lest you share in her plagues;
And I think it is helpful to underline why sexual immorality is underlined.
Because this sin is the ultimate test of what you are being lead by
Desires of the flesh since sexual perversion tugs so well at that
Or desires for righteousness — which if it can overcome the desires of sexual deviance, it is a good sign you are not being dominated by the kingdom of darkness and its operation
Ephesians 5:6 “6 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.”
Do you see the separation of the two kingdoms here.
One is a kingdom with an inheritance from the Father
The other is a kingdom in which wrath is given by the Father.
One we are sons of God and sons of imitation
The other are sons of Satan and thus sons of disobedience.
We see this in the parable Jesus provides:
31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. 34 Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ 37 Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? 38 And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? 39 And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ 40 And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’ 41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ 44 Then they also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?’ 45 Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ 46 And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
Notice the separation of the goats and sheep
The goats practiced unrighteousness, and the sheep practiced righteousness
And there is an inheritance for the sheep but curse and wrath for the goats
And notice the works done are rooted either in sacrificial love or a lack of it assuming it is rooted in selfish passion.
Ephesians 5:6 “6 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.”
Ephesians 5:5 “5 For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.”
It is the tactic of the kingdom of darkness to provide false prophets to diminish this real separation between the two kingdoms.
This is to make the way of fulfilling the desires of the flesh feel good without the shame.
Another tactic we see today is to put the separation in a different place:
There is no wrath waiting for those who are practicing homosexuality, or free love or masturbation
But there is wrath coming for those who would preach against such things.
Ephesians 5:7 “7 Therefore do not become partners with them;”
It only makes sense, that if these two kingdoms are so opposed to each other, such partnership with its activities now is unacceptable for you.
Now we talked about how Paul has in mind the sexual immoral practice of cheating spouses and cult prostitutes in the local pagan temple.
But it does not mean this does not have relevance for you who struggle with sexual immorality in secret in your own home
What needs to dominate your mind is the very nature of the separation between these two kingdoms and how one leads to wrath the other to life, and such a desire to be on the path of life can overpower your desire for temporary fleshly desires.
And of course this is for any sin which tugs on fleshly desires. They can be overcome with the truth of a kingdom that provides abundant life.
Ephesians 5:8 “8 for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light”
In regards to the separation theme Paul is drawing out, he provides a wonderful analogy of light and darkness that is common place other parts of scripture
The nature of light and dark is it literally cannot mix. Where light is, darkness cannot overpower it.
5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
As long as the source of light is there, the light itself cannot be taken out by the darkness.
And here in our text, we see that the source of the light is the Lord
Ephesians 5:8 “8 for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light”
And thus the possibility to shine as you walk is enabled as beloved children
Ephesians 5:8 “8 for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light”
(At the feast of Booths where there would be great lights put on display throughout the temple)
12 Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
And Paul goes on to say in no unclear terms what is meant in the scriptures of light in regards to the kingdom Christ has set up
Ephesians 5:9 “9 (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true),”
And the desire behind our walking in righteousness:
Ephesians 5:10 “10 and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord.”
It is driven by a desire and love to please the Lord that overcomes the desires of the flesh that, before grace appeared in Jesus, proved to be too much for us to overcome.
And thus, the separation of the kingdom of dark and light is driven by two separate desires: darkness is rooted in the fleshly desires so clearly revealed in sexual immorality. And the kingdom of light in which there is a desire to please the Lord. That is, driven by love for him for his love for us.
But the call of the kingdom is not just to separate though. It is to expose what you have separated from.
Ephesians 5:11 “11 Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them.”
Or you are not just called to be on the defensive, but to go on the offensive in the kingdom.
18 And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
And this marks a great tragedy when Christians cannot overcome these dark desires…it stops them from being on the offensive.
Ephesians 5:11 “11 Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them.”
The word is literally to sternly admonish or reprove with argumentation.
And with the context of light and dark, it is a fitting English word of expose.
The light is called to expose the wickedness of the darkness, or bring light to it.
And the darker the depravity the greater the light needs:
Ephesians 5:12 “12 For it is shameful even to speak of the things that they do in secret.”
In our age such sexual perversions are done in dark secret:
Pornography, strip clubs, abortion etc.
In the kingdom of darkness will say it is not for the church to speak into things that people do in privacy
But the Scriptures have another thing to say about it
The light we are to give and the dark we are to expose is not dependent on how public the darkness it, it is dependent on a God who sees all and expects his church to be faithful lights.
The church has been told to shut up about social issues — and in a lot of ways the church has obliged in order that they don’t look mean
A good example is the advice Alistar Begg gave on attending a trans wedding.
But what needs to be understood is faithful witness to darkness who hates to be exposed and shows that in how they react, does not mean such revealing should not be done.
We do not let the reactions of darkness dictate our exposure of light.
(analogy of putting on lights to people that have been sleeping or in dark, it hurts and is not comfortable)
Now with that said, it must be counterbalanced with how our motivations should be when being such obnoxious light
The motivation in our heart to be such an exposure needs to what Paul details here:
Ephesians 5:13–14 “13 But when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible, 14 for anything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says, “Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.””
The light of God’s law exposing the wickedness of the dark kingdom is meant to bring the healing balm of Jesus’ shine upon them.
This needs to drive our desire to expose: for the grace of God to transform them.
But what also drives us is the fact that Jesus will one day no longer offer his grace as a way to end their darkness…but will end their darkness through his wrath
Ephesians 5:6 “6 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.”
As surely as the sun rises from the east and settles in the west, Jesus will bring wrath to end the darkness for good.
This should motivate us to be proper exposure now while his grace is still offered as a way to end the darkness.
Don’t ever find yourself exposing darkness without the love for neighbor and Christ coming forth from a desire to see them come out of darkness by the grace of Jesus.
Ephesians 5:14 “14 for anything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says, “Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.””
Either based loosely on Isaiah 60:1
1 Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.
Or others think it was an early baptismal hymn sang right after someone was baptized.
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Ephesians 5:5 “5 For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.”
Ephesians 5:6 “6 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.”
Ephesians 5:5 “5 For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.”
Ephesians 5:6 “6 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.”
Ephesians 5:5 “5 For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.”
Ephesians 5:6 “6 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.”
Ephesians 5:7 “7 Therefore do not become partners with them;”
Because of the nature of the two kingdoms being separate, let this cause separation from it today.
It is important what you tell yourself in the moment of temptation: you have to go from feelings oriented to truth oriented and get your mind above the situation at hand to a larger picture: the two kingdoms picture.
if they recoil at the punishment of sin they should recoil at the practice of the same
Ephesians 5:8–9 “8 for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light 9 (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true),”
Ephesians 5:10 “10 and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord.”
Gospel/obedience from love because we were first loved
Inheritance from the kingdom is righteous living that issues from being loved and creating love within our hearts.