Ephesians 5:3-20 – Good works God prepared – How to be Pure
A culture saturated with smut.
Getting our bearings
Ephesians 4:1 to Ephesians 6:9.
… all about how to walk as a follower of Jesus
1) Walking in love … not lust or smut. (v3-7)
… there should not even be a hint of sexual immorality of any kind.
… not a hint of greed.
verse 5 … no salvation for the unrepentant
verse 6 … warned about those who try to deceive
verse 7 … have no partnership with them.
Verse 4 … be people who are thankful.
2) Walking in light not darkness (v8-14)
Verse 10 … do things that please God
verse 11 …expose fruitless deeds of darkness.
See 1 Peter 2:11-12, “Dear friends, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from sinful desires, which wage war against your soul. Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us”
3) Spirit filled living (v 15-20)
… walk carefully.
Ephesians 5:15-6:9 – three insights into what walking carefully is all about
a) To walk carefully will require wisdom (v15)
b) To walk carefully requires us not to be foolish but understand what the Lord’s will is. (v17)
c) To walk carefully requires us not get drunk on wine which leads to debauchery, instead be filled with the Spirit.
– Firstly, not saying ‘Christians should not drink any alcohol’
– Secondly, Being filled with the Spirit.
o Eph 1:23 – church is fullness of Jesus
o Eph 3:19 – Prayer that church might be filled to fullness of the measure of God
o Eph 4:10 – Jesus is one who fills everything
o Eph 4:13 – we are expected to grow into that fullness which is already ours and we have been given the spirit as a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance
o Eph 2:22 – God lives in us by his Spirit
= take hold of the gospel and centre our living around it.
John 16:14 … the Spirit will take what belongs to Jesus and make it known to the church.
Unpacking it more …
Verse 19 – speaking to one another truths from God’s word
Verse 19 – singing and making music from your heart
Verse 20 – giving thanks to God for everything that we have in Christ Jesus
Verse 21 – submitting to others
For us today
Warnings
Encouragements