Eph #6

Northside Church

Eph #6

6/26/22

Jamey Mills

Good morning NS.

So good to be with you all this morning, my name is Jamey Mills, I am the lead pastor here at Northside…

As we shift into the sermon today… I thought we could kick it off with Matt and Jamey’s top 5 worst trends of all time… Slide for each. Try to not get ahead of M and J here.

There are some things in history that have sort of “caught on” that I will never understand…

Matt # 5

Jamey # 5

Every other till #1

Jamey’s

5. fanny pack

4. Bomb boxes…

3. Big hair/power mullet…

2. Mompers… male rompers… did your mirror break… who told you this was okay?

fanny packs

That is a pretty light hearted view… there are somethings in history that I look at

But this is actually a real thing… and it happens and it happens with important things too…

Where people will jump onto something without really paying attention to what it is or what it stands for… or even what the outcome might be… It can be easy to get caught up within a moment… or even a train of thought or into the current of something that in some ways can “blind” us from certain realities…

And the church isn’t immune to that… Movements or people… that sort of come in and gather support or a following… When the truth is, it really doesn’t look or sound like Jesus at all… or maybe sometimes it kinda does… but has things just under the surface that are toxic.

And to some degree, I think that's what the bible means when it refers to people as sheep.

It really isn’t aimed at this cute, soft, wooly, fluffy compliment… think more… massive pile up.

Isaiah 53:6 NLT

All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God’s paths to follow our own. Yet the Lord laid on him the sins of us all.

(NLT)

6 All of us, like sheep, have strayed away.

We have left God’s paths to follow our own.

Yet the LORD laid on him

the sins of us all.

And to some degree, that mentality is some of what I think Paul is addressing in Eph 5… that as Christians we can’t get carried away by culture or misguided people… or even at stuff/people within the church…

And I think that's part of what Paul is addressing here…

Let's check it out…

Ephesians 5:1–2 NLT

Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children. Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God.

(NLT)

Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children. 2 Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God.

Last week we talked about the importance of the role our mind plays in our relationship with God… Paul gave us three things that help us down that line.

Step out of our old nature, our old way of thinking

Renew our minds and our attitudes

Step into our new nature… this new way of thinking…

And the idea is… that really leaning into those things play a large role in becoming imitators of God…

Imitating Him in EVERYTHING we do…

And it's an interesting question…

What does it mean or look like to imitate God?

For me this thought was really helpful…

If I were to tell you to imitate…

MJ, what would you do?

Michael Scott?

Ron Swanson?

Elvis?

Lajon Brames?

Forrest Gump?

But what about Polly Esther… that is a real person… I’ve never met her, I know nothing about her… other than she sounds itchy… I think it’s important you hear that I said ITCHY…

And my point is… it’s impossible to imitate something or someone without knowing them… what they are like and what they’re all about.

The word imitate is where we get our word for mimic… it means to copy the behaviors and characteristics of another… and to do that, you have to know them. You have to know what they’re like… their attributes… their characteristics…

Imitating God involves knowing God.

Several things can help us with that…

His spirit, good teaching, good conversation, experience…

Maybe the best resource that God has given us down that line is the Word… which is God’s self revelation to humanity… to you.

These fairly new Ephesian believers were living in an incredibly secular and idol driven society… and Paul continues… over and over to point them back to God’s truth, His word… All of those other things… will line up with what God says in His Word.

If you want to know who God is and what He’s about… what it means and looks to imitate God in ALL that we do… that's where we go…

One of the questions I almost always ask when I spend time in the Word is this… What is it that I learn about God in what I read today?

And I think you’d be shocked… at just how much you learn.

If you dig into the word… what you’ll find is imitating God… imitating His character involves things like…

What kinds of things are involved with imitating the character of God?

Love, forgiveness, kind, patient, just, honest, holy, righteous, gracious, meek

Paul says imitate God… because you are His dear Children…

Even in the way we speak…

In Eph 1:5 it told us that God chose you and adopted you into His family… seeing God the right way… leaning into Him the right way… spending time with him often…

Leads to this place of more and more mirroring His heart, priorities… As those who carry his name, God expects us to get to know, experience, and imitate His character.

And it will change your life… It will change your heart, the way you see God, the way you do relationships… your attitude.

Paul uses one example… to live a life filled with sacrificial love… that patiently and graciously fights for God’s best for people… Christ is the ultimate example…

1 John 4:10 NLT

This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.

(NLT)

10 This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.

We know love… because we know God…

We know what real love is… sacrificial… based on what’s honestly best under God… instead of what’s easy…

And several authors connect this verse… with forgiveness… and getting to this place where we are well aware of our need for forgiveness… is one of the ways we grow to understand, experience and become grateful for the love of God over us. It brings with it humility and the right position for us to begin to more and more imitate the character of God.

Ephesians 5:3–14 NLT

Let there be no sexual immorality, impurity, or greed among you. Such sins have no place among God’s people. Obscene stories, foolish talk, and coarse jokes—these are not for you. Instead, let there be thankfulness to God. You can be sure that no immoral, impure, or greedy person will inherit the Kingdom of Christ and of God. For a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world. Don’t be fooled by those who try to excuse these sins, for the anger of God will fall on all who disobey him. Don’t participate in the things these people do. For once you were full of darkness, but now you have light from the Lord. So live as people of light! For this light within you produces only what is good and right and true. Carefully determine what pleases the Lord. Take no part in the worthless deeds of evil and darkness; instead, expose them. It is shameful even to talk about the things that ungodly people do in secret. But their evil intentions will be exposed when the light shines on them, for the light makes everything visible. This is why it is said, “Awake, O sleeper, rise up from the dead, and Christ will give you light.”

3 Let there be no sexual immorality, impurity, or greed among you. Such sins have no place among God’s people. 4 Obscene stories, foolish talk, and coarse jokes—these are not for you. Instead, let there be thankfulness to God. 5 You can be sure that no immoral, impure, or greedy person will inherit the Kingdom of Christ and of God. For a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world.

6 Don’t be fooled by those who try to excuse these sins, for the anger of God will fall on all who disobey him. 7 Don’t participate in the things these people do. 8 For once you were full of darkness, but now you have light from the Lord. So live as people of light! 9 For this light within you produces only what is good and right and true.

10 Carefully determine what pleases the Lord. (seek His wisdom) 11 Take no part in the worthless deeds of evil and darkness; instead, expose them. 12 It is shameful even to talk about the things that ungodly people do in secret. 13 But their evil intentions will be exposed when the light shines on them, 14 for the light makes everything visible. This is why it is said,

“Awake, O sleeper,

rise up from the dead,

and Christ will give you light.”

At this point in EPH… Paul just keeps sort of hammering this idea home… again… in the face this highly idol driven… lust filled… secular culture… Paul is telling them it's supposed to be different…

Stepping out of darkness… and now “living as people of light”...

The language in this passage refers to darkness as a condition that no longer exists…

And that’s just sorta odd.

This idea of light and dark… is all over in scripture. Thanksgiving… I’m done with the dark…

The Bible says that…

God is our light and salvation PS 27

An everlasting light IS 60

His word is a lamp to our feet and a light for our pathPS 119

His truth gives light to Man JN 1

Chris is the light of all nations IS 49

And He is the light of the world JN 8

No doubt, part of what it means to imitate God is to know, experience, share and reflect light…

Light is part of God’s nature… part of His essence…

1 John 1:5–7 NLT

This is the message we heard from Jesus and now declare to you: God is light, and there is no darkness in him at all. So we are lying if we say we have fellowship with God but go on living in spiritual darkness; we are not practicing the truth. But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin.

(NLT)

5 This is the message we heard from Jesus and now declare to you: God is light, and there is no darkness in him at all. 6 So we are lying if we say we have fellowship with God but go on living in spiritual darkness; we are not practicing the truth. 7 But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin.

Imitating God means knowing… experiencing… sharing… and reflecting His light.

And so many people use the example of the moon and its descent… the sunlight hits it and bounces off… but I think it's a cross between a plant and the moon… God’s light was never intended to just hit the surface of our lives and bounce off… but it penetrates our lives… it brings life, and growth… instead of just at the surface, we reflect God’s light from the inside out…

McAurthur says that an overall biblical view of light has two major aspects.

Intellectual: what a person knows and believes; it represents God's truth which is truth…

Moral: The way they think and act; represents holiness…

Light is often seen to symbolize whats right and true; even the very presence of God…

It reveals things… it brings wisdom… shows the way

And darkness is… the absence of light. The absence of God’s truth…

The absence of bearing godly fruit… the absence of God’s presence being acknowledged… and revered…

what sorts of things characterize darkness in scripture?

That word “dark” is telling… You can’t see anything clearly, you can see where you're going, not even realizing what it is that is tripping you up… and the cycle it can become… not realizing just how dirty you’ve become… because you can't see it.

That is not what God wants for you… not at all what He has for you.

It says that the light within you… produces what is good and right and true…

Luke 11:35 NLT

Make sure that the light you think you have is not actually darkness.

(NLT)

35 Make sure that the light you think you have is not actually darkness.

Jesus tells us in Luke… to make sure the light we think we have… is actually LIGHT…

I think His point is… sometimes we can get caught up in things or causes… maybe even sometimes good things and causes… and begin to almost worship those things or causes… live for them instead of for God Himself… which is incredibly dangerous… you can lose your way pretty quick… and justify all kinds of crazy things.

What's it producing in you?

Matthew 5:14–16 NLT

“You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.

(NLT)

14 as a believer… “You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. 15 No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.

The light of the world… reflecting the light of Jesus through living out a relationship with Him… a life centered on Him… doing good…

One author noted that light brings life… it's refreshing…

One of the most life-giving things we can do for the world around us is to live out our relationship with Jesus… we don't need a bull horn or a social media campaign… exposing darkness… is best done by lovingly… patiently… graciously… unapologetically… consistently… bringing light.

What is the response that we have if we’ve been in a dark room for hours… and then all of a sudden they come into the light… squinting… sometimes grumpy…

Be prepared for that…

Ephesians 5:15–20 NLT

So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise. Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days. Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do. Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, and making music to the Lord in your hearts. And give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

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.

It’s foolish to continue to stumble around in the dark and expect different results…

Make the most of every opportunity…

The word careful means… be accurate… weigh it out… purposeful…

Make sure you’re living for the right things… living in the light.

This passage carries the idea of redeeming our moments; to take them back and give them purpose under God.

Cease the moment… realize the power of the little things in your life… and in the lives of those around you. Live for what matters… which.. Paul directly connects to what it means to live in the light of Christ. To understand what it is that God wants for you to do…

What does God really want…

Matthew 22:37–40 NLT

Jesus replied, “ ‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.”

(NLT)

37 Jesus replied, “ ‘You must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.”

I love that… it's easy to read the scripture and get overwhelmed… I feel like Jesus is saying, lets make it clear what God really wants for you and from you… is to

Love God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength…

To love others (godly love) well.

Jesus says everything God has said in the past… hangs on… these two things.

Conc…

Stepping out of darkness and into light…

Man that can be scary stuff… “being found out” or caught almost…

But the truth is… I really do believe that’s where true freedom is found… not in this cavileer here is the truth… deal with it…

But in this open handed… God this is the truth you already know… help me to live in light of who you are and who I am in you… that only feels like a prison… if you refuse to step out of the dark.

Imitate God in everything you do…

Live as people of light…

Realize the power of the moment…

Lets pray

Communion with Bill

Closing

Possible Associate update: Continue to pray for the search team as they work to discern where God might be leading us in terms of hiring an associate pastor. We probably had anywhere between 20-25 candidates… and at this point we’ve narrowed it down to one. There are still some steps to take, but I think we are encouraged about where we are in the process and the candidate that has survived. My hope is that you all will be able to meet him in the next month or so.