You Are God's Person

Ephesians 5:8-21

I read a very powerful quote a week or so ago, which inspired this message. I will read the quote later on in the message.

The inspiration brought me to Ephesians 5......Paul is dealing with churches in Ephesus and within Asia Minor. He is breaking down a wall that separated them which was Jew verses Gentile and after that he was showing them how to live amongst the world, basically, what a true believer in Jesus Christ looks like.

Now, he is talking to believers..........the church is a group of believers in Jesus Christ! The church is the body of Christ. Unbelievers can come, most certainly, but what makes the church, Christ’s body is faith in the Person and Work of Jesus Christ! If any church has true faith in Jesus Christ and is faithful to Him, then an unbeliever will certainly receive what is needed for salvation, which is Jesus Christ!

We read in our Wed. night study 1 Timothy 1:15 “This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.” ..........This is why Jesus came and this is now what my life is about living unto God as one that has been saved from a life that was against God in everyway.

The old person has been crucified and now we walk in a newness of light! Christ lives in me! So, certainly if an unbeliever came to our gathering, they would see and hear nothing more than Christ, right?

I say all of this to setup this message........so, with that, we that gather here this morning are true believers. That is the most important information that can be asked of you.....Are you a true believer?.......If you are, Paul is teaching us about the way the Holy Spirit is leading us to live!

We have just spent a few weeks studying the fruits of the Spirit, let’s look at this....

Ephesians 5:8-21......

We are children of the Light.......Light in the Lord.......1 John 1:5–7 “This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.”

Scripture declares that light exposes the darkness and that Light is holiness, purity, and righteousness!

Darkness is opposite of that, everything that is evil.....hatred!

We are children of this holiness, purity, and righteousness! We look like Who we belong to!

We are proving what is pleasing to the Lord.......devoting our lives in study of His Word and living out His truth, so that our lives will be pleasing unto the Lord.

Verse 14 Paul quotes Isaiah 60:1 “Arise, shine; for thy light is come, And the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee.”

Paul adds “and Christ shall give you life.”

This is a call to the unbeliever to be come out of darkness into this glorious light of Jesus Christ!

The very next verse to this church is to be careful how you walk!!!!! “Circumspectly” which means diligently or carefully......walk with diligent intention of being accurate unto the Lord.

“As wise”......knowing God, desiring to know God........Philippians 3:10 “That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;”

Jesus said John 17:3 “And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.”

Paul tells the church that they are children of the Light and then calls unbelievers to come to Christ where He can give them Light and then he tells believers to be careful how we walk......Redeeming the time......making the most of our opportunity!

Why? Because the world is filled with darkness and Scripture tells us....John 3:19 “And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.”

The world loves their sin? Do you remember when you loved the things that were hostility towards God?

Make the most of your opportunities in this life, being careful to walk after what you know about God from His Word, not from your idea of God, but from His Word, which will be affirmed by His Spirit which dwells in the believer!

Making the most of our life!

Understanding what the will of the Lord is.........This is wise.......John 4:34 “Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work.” ........John 6:39–40 “And this is the Father’s will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day. And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.”

Seeing the Son, Jesus, and believing that He is the Perfect representation of His Father, God, to mankind, He is the only One that has ever lived perfectly unto God, and because of that became the Perfect sacrifice for the sin of all humankind!

This is understanding!

Not being drunk with wine.......It is said in Greek mythology and was practiced by those that believed or read that, they would drink to think basically! That drinking alcohol and becoming inebriated that they would think better. Paul is using a compare and contrast!

Being drunk inhibits, any form of it whether it be by marijuana, mushrooms, drugs.....it inhibits and you lose one of the fruits, if not all, self-control!

Paul said rather be filled with the Spirit.......This does not mean that someone who is filled the Holy Spirit of God will act drunk!

And yes, there have been folks teach that and act that out on a stage behind a pulpit!

This is not what Paul is telling them and us! Being filled with the Spirit will look like Christ........Love, Joy, Peace, Long-suffering, Gentleness, Goodness, Faith, Meekness, Temperance.......These are the fruits of the Spirit, not being drunk!

Do not drink to think, but let your life be filled with God and Christ, Who They Are and what They have done!

Making a melody in your heart to the Lord, why? Because you are giving thanks unto the Father in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ

We give thanks for all things.......All things for the believers is everything about God, everything about the New Creation created in Christ Jesus!

Some make a doctrine on making a melody in your heart, but that melody is because of a life-saving Savior that has brought me back into righteousness unto God through His Life , Death, and Resurrection!

At the reality of that resurrection that will include me now, I can sing for Joy, for Peace with God, for Love’s sake!

Verse 21 tells us to submit to one another in the fear of the Lord.......In the reality of our faith........The understanding of Who God is and that He is the Only God! In the understanding that He is our Father! Submit to one another!

Submit is a military term meaning to submit to authority........In order of rank.....General, Colonel, Major.....etc. The lower rank would be submissive to the higher.

There are places where authority is called for in Scripture, wives submit to husbands, servants to masters, citizens to government, younger to the elder, etc.........this is about operations........however in light of being saved by God and we did nothing to save ourselves, God did that through Jesus, then we should be humbly submissive to one another!

Humility is the key of that.....No one is greater than the other, in their standing before God!

In all of what has been discussed, we read this and understand this, then it brings it all home to us.......That brings us to the quote I read: “As a Christian, you are God’s person in your family, school, or place of employment. He has placed you there as His ambassador to influence others for Christ. That’s a wonderful privilege and an awesome responsibility.”

You are God’s person......As I read that quote, I reread the text and verse 14 stood out to me.......Awake and arise.....as Paul calls the unbelievers to arise and see the Glory of Christ, the Light of Christ........I thought “Awake and Arise believers (Rusty) walk as a child of the TRUE LIGHT!

I am God’s person for my family, my neighbor, my church.........!!!!! We live in a world that is so consumed with themselves, and we hear teachings and songs in the church that is so consumed, with me, me, me!! It almost seems that Christ isn’t enough for us, that we are always looking for the next best things for us and miss that Christ is the greatest for us!

I will give you an example......the next few verses in this chapter are how the operation of the family should be amongst believers.......Wives submit yourself to your husbands.....He is the head of the house...............It seems we stop right there....but Paul says as Christ is the head of the church and He is the savior of the body.......Husbands love your wives as Christ loved the church and gave Himself for it!

This is submission from the place of authority, but we see it in whose the boss and we will try and destroy the intention of God by saying but He don’t do this and she don’t do that...........Live as children of the Light.......Guided by Jesus Christ! You are God’s person!

1 Corinthians 3:21–23 “Therefore let no man glory in men. For all things are yours; Whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are yours; And ye are Christ’s; and Christ is God’s.”

All things are yours......Everything in life is for you, why? Because you are Christ’s and Christ is God’s!

Whatever in life, even in death, what is happening now, your future........because you are Christ’s and He is of the Father!

You are God’s person, you are His and He is yours......all is well.....Be His person in your world, with the folks you come in contact with, be His person!