Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction:

I. Watch your Mind

(v.6) “Let no one deceive you” Paul starts out this sentence here again with an imperative verb.

“Let” this verb is present meaning that this command is a “daily” command, it is not a one-time battle this is daily battle.

Listen to Paul words.

Let no one(emphatic) deceive you.

Let’s take a look at the word deceive:

a. Deceive(present; Daily)----to beguile, delude or trick.

This is an intentional act, this is never by mistake.

Summarize— Paul says “Do let nobody play you for a fool!!”

-Paul then tells us how folks(teachers) will play you for a fool

(v.6) “Let no one deceive you with empty words”

What does Paul mean by empty words?

-We need to establish a definition of “Empty”Kenos---Hollow; Without substance of truth or reality

-Gaslighting: Gaslighting is a form of psychological manipulation in which a person seeks to sow seeds of doubt in a targeted individual or in members of a targeted group, making them question their own memory, perception, and sanity.

Using persistent denial, misdirection, contradiction, and lying, gaslighting involves attempts to destabilize the victim and delegitimize the victim's belief

-These words aren’t weighty.

These are words that have no eternal value, because they have no eternal value they will come back to bite you…Let’s take a look at it used in another passage so that we can pined down the etymology of the word.

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(v.5)

“5 Or do you think that the Scripture speaks to no purpose” James in this text is asking a rhetorical question.

James is talking to the church and asking them “Do you really believe that the scriptures are just a bunch of words without “kenos”(purpose) you will notice in this text that the translators use the word “purpose” as an antonym for the greek word “kenos”.

These are words that minister to the flesh they do not minister to the Spirit.

In a modern vernacular.

“They tell you what you want to hear rather than what is right.”

These types of people have existed since the beginning of time I will call them “deceivers” listen to Jeremiah talk about them:

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(v.16)

Notice what name of God is used: “The Lord of Armies” or “the Lord of Hosts” we will call him the “I ain’t playing God.

(v.16-17)

Notice what the false prophets do.

They deceive(They are deluding you)

They Contradict(They speak visions from their own minds, not from the Lord’s mouth”

They Confuse

To those the reject God they say “you will have peace”

To those that follow their heart “No harm will come to you”

Now let’s go back and summarize the phrase in Ephesians with our new found knowledge

Summary— “Let no on play you for a fool, with fake(empty) words!!” (Ebonics)

-The Bible illustrates this flawlessly in Gen 3:1-6

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Key points:

a. Satan starts off with a question to get you to question what God has already made clear

b.

Satan moves from question to contradiction “You surely will not die!”

c.

Satan moves from question to contradiction to indoctrination “For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing Good and evil.

-The indoctrination stage is when your heart/mind is totally open to his philosophy/teaching.

They have both turned from the truth and embraced a lie.

Satan teaching sounded good but it ministered to the flesh and not the Spirit.

Back to Ephesians

(v.6) “Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things”

What does “these things” refer back too?

(v.6)

It is important that we determine what “these things” refer too, because that it is what “the wrath of God” coming for.

In other wards it is imperative that you & I know the things that will cause God pour his wrath out on humanity.

(v.6) “these things” refers back to the previous scriptures starting in (v.3-5): Sexual Immorality, Sexual indecency, greed, filthy talk, foolish talk, inappropriate joking and idolatry.

(v.6) Paul says “these things” are the direct cause of the Wrath of God visiting mankind.

Paul’s words in this text gives us an idea of what certain teachers were saying in the church at Ephesus.

“Hey it is alright for you to engage in illicit sexual behaviour, it is alright for you to be profane in your words because Jesus is a man of grace and forgiveness” Do you remember him forgiving the their on the cross?

Do you remember the story of him forgiving the adulterous woman?

you see his grace allows us to sin and behave just like we used to as long as we go to church on Sunday and give him praise.

---This is a very old philosophy and it is called “Antinomianism”

This is a combination of two words “Anti”-No and Nomos-Law.

-The crept in early in the church.

As folks began to say we are no longer under law but under grace.

So they took that to mean you could live anyway you want without any consequences.

Paul helps us out:

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(v.1)

Paul ask to rhetorical questions.

What shall we say then?

Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase?

Let me rephrase “Let me get this straight, are yall saying that it is alright to sin, because you know the more you sin the greater is God’s forgiveness?

(v.2) “May it never be!” NASB “Absolutely Not” HCSB Now listen to his question “How shall we who died to sin still live in it?”

Paul is saying that the new believer has been constitutionally changed he is fundamentally different.

Why don’t you hang out at a cemeteries?

Easy: Because cemeteries are for dead people not living.

You would find it quite odd if you knew on the way home every night Pastor Johnson spent the evening sitting next to a tombstone then falling asleep next to it.

You would think Pastor Johnson has lost it.

and why?

Pastor don’t you know “cemeteries are for dead people?” in the same way Paul is saying to those who have been changed “Truly Saved” living in Sin when you have been saved from it is like being alive and hanging out at the cemetery.

Current Situation

Lest you think that this teaching was just happening in antiquity.

One of the fastest growing movements in the church right now are “grace churches” who love, embrace, and accept all forms of behaviors without rebuke.

(v.6) “Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.”

(v.6)

Notice what Paul says “Daddy is going to handle this issue when he comes home” the six most horrible words in my house as a child were “wait to your father get’s home!”

Those words were sobering in my house.

They had a way of slowing me down.

Whatever I was doing stop and I became the model child.

Paul here warns “the wrath of God is coming”

-It is important to note that God’s wrath can function in two ways:

a. God’s direct wrath—Flooding the Earth; Sodom & Gommorroh, Plagues of Egypt....This is when God directly by his own hand brings death, disease and destruction.

b.

God’s indirect wrath---Saul(went crazy), Samson(went blind), The Nation of Israel falling into captivity because of their sin, Judas(The guilt of what he did caused him to commit suicide)

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(v.11-12)

Notice this text.

Rather than discipline them by his own hand God removed his restraining hand of grace and let them have anything they wanted.

Now the natural consequences of their behavior are manifested.