Word of Salvation – August 2010

 

MOTIVATIONS FOR HOLY LIVING, Peter Smit

(Sermon 9 of a series on Ephesians, Series title – Ephesians: Portraits of a living church)

 

Text – Ephesians 5:1-21

 

Motivation is the key to change. Without good motivation, change seems just too hard.

Last time (Ephesians 4:17-32) God spoke to us about a new way of living. He called us to put off old ways and put on new ways. Now as we look at Chapter Five God gives you the reason why you should change. He gives you important truths to motivate you to stay on track for him. So if you feel you’ve plateaued in your Christian life; if you feel defeated or complacent in your faith, allow God’s word to inspire you, challenge, encourage and motivate you to holy living. Today we’re going to look at four motivational truths for holy living.

 

1. BE MOTIVATED BY THE LOVE OF GOD.

Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children ² and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

Ephesians 5:1-2

 

Children learn from their parents. Have you ever seen kids that have their parents’ mannerisms. It happens all the time. They imitate them without even knowing it. Paul says “imitate your heavenly father”. Be an imitator of God. He dearly loves you.

He loves you so much he gave his only Son for your sins. He loves you, so imitate him.

L ive a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

Ephesians 5:1-2

 

When it comes to loving, Jesus is the standard. His standard is complete self sacrifice.

His love was sacrificial. God says live this life of love. When you love in selfless service, when your love is sacrificial then it becomes a pleasing sacrifice to God.

If you find it hard to imitate God’s love, then ask God to pour out his love into your heart.

Romans 5:5

God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.

 

When loving is hard, rememb er how much Jesus has loved you. Ask God to fill you with this love. Church let your heart be motivated by the love of God.

 

 

2. BE MOTIVATED BY THE COMING JUDGMENT.

Positive things can motivate you, and negative things can also motivate you.

In verses 3-7 Paul outlines some sinful things that a Christian must not do. He paints a picture of ungodliness, of things that are wrong in God’s sight. Half way through that list of things, Paul gives us the reason for not living that kind of lifestyle.

Verse 6

⁶ Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God’s wrath comes on those who are disobedient.

 

Paul teac hes us that God is not just a God of love but also of wrath.

 

What does “God’s wrath” mean? The Greek word means anger exhibited in punishment, hence used for punishment itself or punishments inflicted by magistrates.

 

Bible says that God is a most just judge. He is morally perfect, and must punish wrongdoing. If he didn’t he wouldn’t be loving. Imagine a society without justice. It could not be a loving society. Violence and robbery and murder would be rampant.

 

God is loving and also just, and he must punish wrongdoing. That’s why he had to send Jesus to die; to pay for our wrongdoing and sin. He cannot tolerate sin.

 

A day is coming when God will finally de al with all wrong. It’s called Judgment Day.

He will judge all people. And everyone will be separated into two groups, those who want to pay for their wrong themselves and those who have asked Jesus Christ to pay for their wrongs and trusted in him. Those who have trusted Jesus, the perfect sinless one to pay for their sin, will be taken into heaven. Jesus took God’s wrath for them.

 

And those who didn’t entrust themselves to Jesus Christ will pay for their sin themselves. God’s wrath will come upon them for their sin and they will be separated from God and all that is good for eternity. That will be hell. So, young people, don’t say “hell good” because hell is not good.

 

The Bible is commanding us to let the coming judgment of God motivate you. Trust Jesus to pay for your sin, but remember avoid the sinful lifestyle that brings God’s wrath on you.

 

Let’s look at what Christians must not do.

³ But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people.

 

Not a hint of sexual immorality. What is sexual immorality? The Greek word is “porneia”. It’s the word we get pornography from. It means any sexual intimacy or intercourse outside of marriage.

It covers things like:

Adultery : having sex with another person’s wife or husband,

Fornication : consensual sexual intercourse and intimacy between two unmarried people,

Homosexuality , lesbianism.

There mustn’t even be a hint of any sexual intimacy between people who are not married to each other.

 

Nor should there be impurity – anyt hing that promotes lustfulness or greed. God made sex to be a beautiful and sacred thing that is to be enjoyed within the binding commitment of marriage. Your sexuality is the window to your soul. Sexual intercourse is a life-uniting act. You become one with the person you are intimate with. God forbids you to enter that life-uniting act until you have made a life uniting commitment before him. He doesn’t say that to spoil your fun but to protect your heart. Sex is God’s good gift. But used wrongly it can hurt you deeply. He wants to keep you from the pain and brokenness of sex outside of marriage.

 

⁴ Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving.

 

Don’t degrade sex by being sexually immoral and don’t degrade sex by talking in filthy or smutty ways. No obscenity, no coarse or unclean joking. No double meaning sexual jokes. Anything like this is out of place. This command will influence what radio stations you listen to, the movies you watch, internet sites you visit. Rather than degrade what God has given, the Bible says be thankful. Live with thankfulness to God.

 

Paul goes on… Ephesians 5:5-7

⁵ For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person—such a man is an idolater—has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. ⁶ Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God’s wrath comes on those who are disobedient. ⁷ Therefore do not be partners with them.

 

When sex becomes more important than obeying God’s commands, do you know what sex as become? An idol. You are living for an idol. That’s idol worship.

God says idol worshippers will not receive the kingdom of heaven.

 

This is not a warning to the world. It’s a warning for the church. God calls you to be holy. Don’t even partner up with people who live like this. Allow God’s coming judgment to motivate you to live a holy and God-pleasing life.

Be motivated by God’s love

Be motivated by the coming judgment.

 

3. BE MOTIVATED BY CHRIST’S LIGHT.

⁸ For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light…

At one time you were darkened in your understanding about Jesus. You didn’t know him. You were separated from his light.

 

But God made you alive in Christ, he opened your heart to Jesus.

If you believe you’re a citizen of light. By God’s grace you are a child of the light.

Now let that motivate you to live in His light.

 

How do you do that? You produce the fruit of light.

verse 9. ⁹ (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth)

 

Light is a picture of openness, transparency, of authenticity. You see things as they are in the light. God’s light is good, it’s right, and it ’s full of truth. God says be what you are.

Be open to his word, be authentic in seeking after Jesus, don’t hide a sinful life under a covering of what looks good, but be transparent in your life to other Christians.

Walk in the light of Jesus.

 

That means you can’t stagnate. You can’t sit back and do nothing. Walking in the light involves action. Paul says ¹⁰ and find out what pleases the Lord.

Everyday seek, pursue and discover what you can do that will be pleasing to God.

Find out what makes God happy.

 

As you walk in the light and grow in knowing what pleases God , you will be more alert to a Christian brother or sister who gets involved with the dark ways of the world. If you live in this light at times you must expose the darkness. In love come alongside a Christian and help them see where they have got entangled in the dark ways of the world.

¹¹ Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. ¹² For it is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. ¹³ But everything exposed by the light becomes visible, ¹⁴ for it is light that makes everything visible.

 

If God’s light exposes darkness in you, then repent, turn away from it and ask God to forgive you, and you will be forgiven.

Be motivated by God’s love

Be motivated by the coming judgment.

Be motivated by Christ’s light. Live in his light.

Lastly

 

4. BE MOTIVATED BY THE FULLNESS OF THE SPIRIT.

¹⁵ Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, ¹⁶ making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.

 

When Paul says “be very careful how you live…” the Greek literally says, “See, discern, weigh carefully and very accurately what you do.”

There is evil all around, so be very, very careful about what you do and the choices you make. Your choices can have far-reaching consequences for this life and the one to come.

 

I f you don’t understand what the Lord’s will is, you can quickly and easily fall into sin.

That’s why Paul says. ¹⁷ Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.

So what is God’s will? How does he want you to live?

Listen up. This is what God says…

¹⁸ Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit

 

The Bible says– Don’t get drunk but be filled with the Spirit.

Ask yourself, what or who is filling you. Which “spirit” is filling you?

The results of Alcoholic Spirit or Holy Spirit will be very different.

Watch what happens at Northbridge [substitute a local site notorious for drunkenness] and you will see the results of Alcoholic Spirit.

Paul teaches us that drunkenness leads to debauchery.

 

It leads to extreme indulgence in sensuality, sexual promiscuity. You’re a sexual pushover if you’re drunk. Drunkenness also leads to violence. It leads to people behaving like animals. Drunkenness dehumanizes people. Alcohol depresses.

 

Martin Lloyd Jones who was a doctor before he became a preacher preached a sermon about this called “The Stimulus of the Spirit”.

He says: “Wine – alcohol… pharmacologically (chemically) is not a stimulant, it is a depressant. Take up any book on pharmacology and look up alcohol and you will always find that it is classified among the depressants. It depresses all the highest centers of the brain… they control everything that give a man self control, wisdom, understanding, discrimination, judgment, balance, the power to assess everything. In other words it depresses everything that makes a person behave at his/ her very best.

 

What the Holy Spirit does, however , is the exact opposite. If you could classify the Holy Spirit into a text book on Pharmacology, Lloyd said, “I would put him under the stimulants, because that is where he belongs. He really does stimulate… He stimulates every faculty… the mind, the intellect, the heart, and the will.”

 

When the Holy Spirit fills a heart, there are four beautiful results.

Fellowship.

¹⁹ Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs.

The Spirit builds true fellowship. We speak to one another. We build up each other as we sing and worship God. We speak God’s truth to each other as we sing in public worship. As we sing we minister to each other, that we may build up each other.

 

Worship.

Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord,

As the spirit fills our hearts, the natural response is worship to the Lord.

We sing and make music to the Lord. Even if we can’t hit a note it doesn’t matter because the music that arises comes from our hearts to the Lord. We worship for the glory of God.

 

Thanksgiving.

The Holy Spirit works in us a spirit of thanksgiving.

²⁰ always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

 

When Paul says “thanking God for everything”, of course there are some things that we shouldn’t be thankful for – injustice, ungodliness, sin. But with the Holy Spirit filling us we can thank God that he will work all things out for our ultimate good.

A Spirit filled Christian is a thankful person.

The last beautiful thing the Spirit gives is:

 

Submission

²¹ Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.

Just as Jesus subm itted to the Father, so He will work a surrendered submitted spirit in his children. We submit to Christ and we submit to each other.

These are fruits of a Spirit filled life. Fellowship, worship, thankfulness and submission.

 

Church, let the Spirit motivate you to live this holy life. You can’t do it in your own power. Jesus’ Spirit must do it in you.

 

This is exactly what this phrase “be filled with the Spirit” teaches.

I n the Greek. The word for be filled is an

• A command. Not an option. You must be filled .

• Plural = for all the church , not just a few.

• Passive voice = It must be done for you by God .

• Present tense = continuous action. If you’re a Christian you’ve been sealed with the Spirit but you must go on being filled .

 

So if you feel you’ve plateaued in your Christian life; if you feel defeated or complacent in your faith, allow God’s word to inspire you,

Be motivated by God’s love

Be motivated by the coming judgment.

Be motivated by the Christ’s light.

Be motivated by the fullness of the Holy Spirit.

 

Ask God today to forgive you, and to fill you with his Spirit.

 

God has loved you, he saved you from the coming judgment, he’s made you light: Let that motivate you! Every day ask him to fill you with his Spirit to live for him.

 

Amen