Ephesians 5
New International Version (NIV)
5 1 Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children 2 and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
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. 4 Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving. 5 For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person—such a person is an idolater—has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.[a] 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.
8 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light 9 (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) 10 and find out what pleases the Lord. 11 Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. 12 It is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. 13 But everything exposed by the light becomes visible—and everything that is illuminated becomes a light. 14 This is why it is said:
“Wake up, sleeper,
rise from the dead,
and Christ will shine on you.”
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. 17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. 18 Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit, 19 speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, 20 always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ
When the train gets to the end of the line on the London underground one of the announcements that is broadcast is.
FINAL STOP, ALL CHANGE PLEASE This is our final stop, all change please.
You can’t stay in your old seat your journey involves change.
I don’t know if you have thought about it but the people who are going to live victoriously in the year ahead are those who lived victoriously in the year behind.
In other words for you to live differently next year it will take a major change in your life.
It is not my job particularly to critique your life but it is yours and the beginning of a new year is a good time to take stock of your life and work out how you are going to live in the year ahead.
If you are a Christian and most people at our two churches this morning will be then you sit under an obligation before God. This obligation is not for grace but as a result of grace and it is Ephesians 2:10 says, "For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." (NIV)
Your task is to do good works which God created in advance for you to do..
Before I encourage you then to live like that then I want to tell you three things about change.
One change is possible
Two change is difficult and
Three change will be resisted from something deep within you.
There will be a fight to retain the old way of doing things and something within most of us will die to maintain the status quo.
Tim Hansel in his book "When I Relax I feel Guilty," writes some insights of what most people want from God.
"I would like to buy $3.00 worth of God, please. Not enough to explode my soul or disturb my sleep, but just enough to equal a cup of warm milk or a snooze in the sunshine. I don't want enough of Him to make me love a black man or pick beets with a migrant. I want ecstasy, not transformation; I want the warmth of the womb, not a new birth. I want a pound of the Eternal in a paper sack. I would like to buy $3.00 worth of God, please."
If we would be totally honest, the idea of transformation really scares us. That is because we know that such a radical change would be quite uncomfortable. We realize that with transformation comes a major overhaul of our lives and priorities.
So change is difficult the sermon this morning encourages you to change none the less because it is God’s desire for your life.
I love the picture of Jeremiah going down to the potters wheel
Jeremiah 18:1-12
New International Version (NIV)
At the Potter’s House
18 This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD: 2 “Go down to the potter’s house, and there I will give you my message.” 3 So I went down to the potter’s house, and I saw him working at the wheel. 4 But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him.
5 Then the word of the LORD came to me. 6 He said, “Can I not do with you, Israel, as this potter does?” declares the LORD. “Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, Israel.
You see at the end of the day God is the change agent – He works with us until we are useful pots for his purpose.
This morning I want to encourage you that God is calling you to change for the good. You see during this year you will either change for the good or change for the worse but you will not stand still. Change is inevitable we are aiming this year at good change.
This morning I want to look at two passaaes from the book of Ephesians that should point the way for us, the first is:-
Ephesians 5
New International Version (NIV)
5 1 Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children 2 and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
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. 4 Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving. 5 For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person—such a person is an idolater—has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.[a] 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.
The first change is – Make people cross the road to see you not cross the road to get away from you.
Paul said:- 5 1 Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children 2 and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. We need to be a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
Follow God’s example then – as dearly loved children. There used to be two schools of thought. God loves you with an incredible love so all you need to do is bathe in his love and do nothing else.
The other thought was we all need to do stuff it became a kind of theology of works kind of if you don’t do stuff you will be in trouble with God.
But actually when you follow God’s example both become true we are called to imitate Christ.
In his book the imitation of Christ Thomas a Kempis says “As long as you live, you will be subject to change, whether you will it or not - now glad, now sorrowful; now pleased, now displeased; now devout, now undevout; now vigorous, now slothful; now gloomy, now merry. But a wise man who is well taught in spiritual labor stands unshaken in all such things, and heeds little what he feels, or from what side the wind of instability blows.”
The Imitation of Christ by Thomas à Kempis is a Christian devotional book. It was first composed in Latin ca.1418-1427
Follow God’s example then is the advice of the Apostle Paul. If we look at the life of Jesus one thing we find is that he is getting daily instructions from God. He reacts to the ongoing relationship with God in his actions and he maintains at all costs. So when Paul encourages us to Follow God’s example as dearly loved children our task is to maintain a childlike relationship with God. I have been struck in the last year how powerfully children are used by God.
My conclusion is that they have an openness and an awareness of God that can motivate and direct their lives. A couple of examples of this would be when I read of Heidi Bakkers ministry and how when children pray for the deaf and the sick in her ministry – they are healed and I understand that they stay healed.
Heidi Bakker said – “If God doesn’t turn up – We’re dead.”
Following God’s example involves a new kind of humility there is no point in trying to do it with the worlds tools you can’t overcome the world with the world you overcome the world with the tools of the Kingdom of heaven!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
You can’t bring the Kingdom of heaven to bear on the world around you unless you have been thrown as clay on the Potters wheel.
Reduced simply what do you do -
follow God’s example live like God on earth – You think that is impossible? No it’s not but you must die to the flesh death is involved. Why are people so afraid of death? Death is inevitable anyway – You aren’t going to live in your body for two hundred years – but you can live forever if you die to self.
Secondly – Walk in the way of love – Think of your life like a train journey. You can’t ignore the mess out of your window – you need to attend to that mess you need to get out of the train and love until it hurts you need to be binding up the broken hearted and setting the captives free.
You jump off the train without any backup plan and love that person to bits and you see the train disappearing down the track and you are loving them and you feel that you have missed that train but actually you see where was that train taking you because you see you are at the destination right now you are where the train was going if you stay on the train you are actually moving away from the blessing of God. God’s power and his presence embedded in you is for the people that you see out of the train you are travelling through life in you have to get down and mix with the mud and the blood and the fear.
You see we need to walk in the way of life – who needs a train anyway.
Finally act wisely - 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. 17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. 18 Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit, 19 speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, 20 always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Acting wisely here is very different from the somber wise old owl picture. It is a living vibrant but sensible faith. Paul spells it our Get rid of the moral filth from your life and instead be filled with the spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord. It isn’t just a life of rules and boundaries but God provides an alternative – Wisdom is walking by the Spirit of God.
Sometyimes the sensible – the smart thing in the world’s terms is not what God is looking for.
Here is an example from the life of Smith Wigglesworth.
It is a great thing to know that God is loosing you from the world, loosing you from a thousand things. You must seek to have the mind of God on all things. If you don’t, you will stop His working. I had to learn that as I was on the water en route to Australia. We stopped at a place called Aden, where they were selling all kinds of ware. Among other things were some beautiful rugs and ostrich feathers in great quantities. There was a gentleman in “first class” who wanted feathers. He bought one lot and the next lot put up was too big; he did not want so many. He said to me, “Will you join me?” I knew I did not want feathers for I had no room or use for them and wouldn’t know what to do with them if I got them. However, he pleaded with me to join him. I perceived it was the Spirit as clearly as anything and I said, “Yes, I will.” So the feathers were knocked down for fifteen dollars. Then I found the man had no money on him. He had plenty in his cabin. I perceived it was the Spirit again, so it fell to my lot to pay for the feathers. He said to me, “I will get the money and give it to one of the stewards.” I replied: “No, that is not business. I am known all over the ship. You seek me out.”
The man came and brought the money. I said, “God wants me to talk to you. Now sit down.” So he sat down and in ten minutes’ time the whole of his life was unhinged, unraveled, broken up, so broken that like a big baby he wept and cried for salvation. It was “feathers” that did it. But you know we shall never know the mind of God till we learn to know the voice of God. The striking thing about Moses is that it took him forty years to learn human wisdom, forty years to know his helplessness, and forty years to live in the power of God. One hundred and twenty years it took to teach that man, and sometimes it seems to me it will take many years to bring us just where we can tell the voice of God, the leadings of God, and all His will concerning us.
Friends I can’t tell you what you need to change I need to take the log out of my eye before I take the splinter out of yours. But God is calling you for a year of change.
Much of the method is evident in the two short passages that we used from Ephesians this morning.
But the question is are you up for it. Will you do it. It starts now with an infilling of the Holy Spirit and your God given resolution.
How about a change for Good?
