Pastor Allan Kircher
Shell Point Baptist Church
May 26th, 2013
Ephesians 5:3-7
It’s about time Beware! Caution!
Intro: In our last study, we considered verses 1-2.
• We were told to be “followers of God, as dear children
• We are/imitate God---child imitates/parent.
• love as He loves---walk/He walks;
• Talk as He talks----live/He lives
• We are/mimic/Father in all things
Hard command/follow---we need/strive/this in our day/day lives.
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Well, we will consider today, another command.
• V 7 “therefore do not be partners with them.”
• Just as we are/imitate/Lord/every possible way
• We are to avoid imitating/actions/attitudes/ways/world.
This passage will speak to us about what we should not be doing as we live in this world.
Easy too:
• Fall into the same rut in which the world runs.
• go with flow of the world
• Do as/unconverted world around us does.
• Adopt the attitude of Ambrose of Milan when he said
• “When in Rome, do as the Romans do.”
• Many Christians do just that.
• We adopt the ways/world.
• We adopt their fashions/speech/standards/entertainment, and nearly everything else they do.
• All the while, the Lord tells us that we are to be different from them in every way.
2 Cor. 6:17: “Therefore, "Come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you."
• If we are going to emulate anyone, let it be the Lord.
• If we look/example to follow.
• Look no farther than the Lord God Almighty.
With that in mind, let’s spend some time in these verses today.
I want/preach command “Therefore do not be partners with them.” Notice the challenges laid out in this text.
I. V. 3-4 THERE ARE ACTIONS WE MUST AVOID
In these two verses, at least six sins are named.
• These sins be avoided/people/God.
• These sins marked/world that day/still mark/world today.
• Sin and sinners never change…
• They merely continue down the path of depravity.
• they are led by/spirits/world/flesh/the devil.
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First off…Ephesians 2:1-3 says this…..
• The world does what it does/it knows no other way
• It is incapable of changing itself even if it wanted to.
• World doesn’t want to change.
• love of God is selfless, v. 2
• Love/world is selfish/self-centered.
The sins mentioned here prove that/let’s consider these verses.
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Sexual immorality - refers to all type of sexual sin.
• includes sex before marriage/adultery
• Homosexuality/lesbianism/sexual lust/pornography
• They should not be part/life of/saint of God.
We/sexual beings/we all face temptations in this area of life.
We must be careful/temptations/not allowed to become a reality.
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Impurity - speaks of “corruption and rottenness.”
• Refers to impure motives/living.
• Speaks/moral corruption.
• An impure lifestyle that dishonors God
• disregards His Word/Disrespects His commandments.
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Covetousness - refers to “greed and lust.”
• Desire to possess what belongs to another.
• Anything/takes higher priority than obeying the Bible.
• V. 5 clearly says “Immoral/impure man…is an idolator.
One who covets/lusts after things they don’t possess is guilty of following after other gods.
In other words: that object of desire, whether person/thing is elevated in their life, elevated to a status of worship.
• Takes away their worship to the true God.
Obscenity - speaks of “filthiness, crudeness; that which is base and shameful.”
• Speaking/those things /dirty in nature.
• Listen to conversations, watch television
• View a movie/often see “filthiness” in action.
• Nothing appears to be sacred anymore.
Vulgarities considered pornographic a generation ago are used freely in our day.
• Dirty jokes, loose talk, sexual euphemisms abound.
• We have lost the ability to blush.
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Sometimes I hear/way church people talk/it embarrasses me!
There is no difference between church/world today, and that dishonors God.
• We should dictate the standard
• Not allow the world to press us into its mold, Rom. 12:2.
• We should/thermostat/regulates/temperature around us
• Not thermometer that records the temperature
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Most children today reach school with a vocabulary that would make a sailor blush. Why?
Because it’s everywhere, and most parents don’t have enough spiritual discernment to protect their children from the vile, pornographic world in which we live.
• Parents allow their children/watch what they want to
• Even/parents themselves/selfish/they watch what they want, with no regard to what their children see.
• If you are that of parent, how can you punish your child when they drop the F-bomb
• Or when they come out with crude humor.
• You should find someone to whip you
• Because it’s your fault!
• They learned it from you!
• We need a return to godly standards in the home.
• Society is not going to change.
You can’t trust Federal Government/FCC to set proper standards of decency for you and your family.
• We have to do that ourselves.
• Our responsibility/gatekeeper/our homes.
• We will answer/how well we protect our children.
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Foolish Talk- Greek word is “Moro logia,” and it means “moronic words.” “silly speech.”
• Using obscenities/crude words/day to day speech
Here/couple of reasons why/kind/speech should not/part/our lives.
1. Cursing/crude/off-color speech reveals that you lack the adequate vocabulary necessary to express yourself in a decent manner.
2. When we use words/crude/off-color/obscene
• We dishonor the Lord.
• It makes you look like a moron when you do!
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Coarse Joking – speech/falls/same realm as “foolish talking,” but this word carries the idea of “turning.”
• Turning your talk into something obscene/suggestive
• Those who twist everything into something dirty
• Or into some kind of sexual innuendo.
• This kind of dirty speech always comes from a dirty heart.
Luke 6:45..“A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.”
• We are to avoid all those things.
• Some/these sins often found/lives/God’s children.
• Hard to believe isn’t it!
• We need to seek Him, and His help
• So these things are permanently eradicated from our lives.
• They have no place/life/saved individual.
• Verse 3 says “among you there must not be even a hint of.”
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II. V. 4b THERE IS AN ATTITUDE WE MUST ADOPT
Rather than engaging/activities/attitudes/characterize the world
• Bible offers us a favorable alternative.
• Instead of being crude, rude/vile in speech and actions
• The Bible says, “but rather thanksgiving..”
Everything we say/everything we do, must be governed by Who’s we are, and by who we are.
Instead of engaging in sins that demean others, destroy ourselves, and dishonor God
• We should possess a heart that overflows with praise
• Instead of running/do/same things the lost world does
• We who are saved! We who are saved!
• Must learn to adopt an attitude of praise
• An attitude of thankfulness for all the Lord has done for us.
• He will be/centerpiece of all our thoughts/desires/ motives.
When He is, we will be thankful. When He isn’t, we will walk in sin!
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III. V. 3-6 THERE ARE ARGUMENTS WE MUST ACKNOWLEDGE
Rather than just telling us what we should not do, the Lord here tells us why we should not do the things He forbids.
He offers us good reasons why we should avoid these sins.
V. 3 These Sins Are Improper for God’s holy people
• These sins should not be found among believers
• It does not fit/new life we have been given
• Fit well/a lost person/not child of God.
V. 4 These Sins are out of place
When we practice these, or other, sins
• Living below our high calling in Jesus Christ.
• We are better than that!
• Been delivered from darkness, death, depravity/deception.
No business:
• Engaging/any activity/throws doubt/our profession of faith
• that reflects negatively on/Lord Jesus Christ
V. 5 These Sins Reveal A Wicked Heart
This verse makes it clear that anyone who practices a lifestyle characterized by these sins is not saved, no matter what they profess.
• No one can know Jesus Christ as Savior and continue to live unrepentant sin.
• 1 John 3:6-10.
V. 6 These Sins Bring Wrath Of God
Some may use “vain words” and tell you that it is OK for believer to do these things.
• Bible says those who tell you such things/practicing deception.
• They are lying to you/lead you down wrong path of life.
• When believers fall/deception of sins
• We can expect to be chastened for our sins as well.
The whole point/God expects His people to live a certain way.
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IV. V. 7 THERE IS AN AUTHORITY WE MUST ACCEPT
This passage closes with a clear command from the Lord.
• We/commanded not to partake of their sins.
• World has one pattern of living/We have another.
There are two paths through this world.
Jesus said it this way:
“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life and only a few find it Matt. 7:13–14.
• Wide path is accessed through a wide gate.
• Nearly everyone walks this road.
In contrast
• Narrow road that is accessed through a narrow gate.
• Very few, especially in our day, can be found on this road.
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• One enters/wide road when born into this world.
• Nothing needs/changed/person to walk this path/whole/their life.
By contrast
• narrow path/entered through faith/Gospel/Lord Jesus Christ John 14:6
• When this gate is entered
• One who walks/narrow path/forever changed/power of God
• Made a “new creature,” 2 Cor. 5:17.
• experience the “new birth,”
• Different now from everyone else
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When a person is saved:
• Subject to the commands/dictates of God Almighty.
• He tells us how to live/What we can and cannot do.
When He says to avoid these sins and adopt a life of holiness, we are to obey w/o question.
Conc: We have a strange way of examining our own lives.
• We tend to look/ourselves/best possible light.
• We always give ourselves the benefit of the doubt, always
• We tend to say that everything is well.
However, Jeremiah is clear when it says, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and beyond cure. Who can understand it? Jer. 17:9.
• The idea is we really can’t even judge ourselves properly.
The next verse/Jeremiah says, “I the LORD search the heart,
and examine the mind, to reward a man according to his
conduct, and according to what deeds deserve,” Jer.17:10.
We may not be able/accurately determine where we stand/Lord
• He knows where we are. He knows what we are.
• How are we to know for sure where we stand?
We know exactly where we stand when we place our lives alongside the Bible.
• It is the plumb line
• It always tells the truth about us and about God.
If the Word of God has revealed your condition today, don’t shrug it off and go on your way.
• Come to God and do what He is calling you to do.
Come to Him:
• In repentance of your sins.
• For salvation of the soul.
• to thank Him for Who He is
• For what He has done for you
• For all He has given you in Jesus Christ.
• Let Him put your life where it needs to be!
