ALWAYS For ALL THINGS--V—Ephesians 5:15-21
OR--A Distinctive Walk
Attention:
A developing embryo is genetically different from the sperm & egg that created it.
A human being has 46 chromosomes.
A sperm & egg each have just 23 chromosomes.
A geneticist can easily distinguish between the DNA of an embryo & the DNA of a sperm or egg.
However, that same geneticist cannot distinguish between the DNA of a developing embryo & the DNA of a full-grown human being....Because they are one-&-the-same. The foundational building blocks of every person are present immediately upon conception!
By their ‘Distinctive’ DNA makeup, a living person commands respect as a person, no matter the age!
OR:
An airline pilot flying blind with only the use of instruments.
Christians all have a life-“walk” that distinguishes them from the walk of the world. And their Distinctive Walk commands respect for God & all that is God’s.
Paul exhorted the Ephesian church toward a telling/distinctive/indicative walk.
God’s people have a(n) telling/distinctive/indicative walk.
What is telling/distinctive/indicative about the walk of God’s people?
*When is the walk of God’s people telling/distinctive/indicative?
7 indicators of a Christian walk.
We have seen that A telling walk is...
1. An ACCURATE WALK(:15)
2. A REDEMPTIVE WALK(:16)
3. An INSIGHTFUL WALK(:17)
4. An UNCOMPROMISING WALK(:18)
5. A SHARING WALK(:19)
6—A telling walk is...
A GRATEFUL WALK(:20)
Explanation:(:20)Comprehensive
:20—“giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,”
People who truly “walk as children of light”(:8) with God’s song in their hearts(:18-19) also have a pre-disposition toward continual gratefulness. These are “always” thankful. These are “thankful” under & “for” “all” circumstances. They are thankful because “God the Father,” though He wounds or chastises, He likewise also restores as do fathers with their children(Heb. 12:7).
God restores & redeems thru the saving grace of Jesus Christ Who is the “Lord” of the saved! All of our thankfulness is only rightly expressed “in the name of our Lord” who is Jesus(Savior) the Christ(Anointed) of God. The “name” encompasses every aspect of “God the Father’s” design for mankind & His Kingdom in Christ.
Regarding being “thankful” “for all things”(both good & bad):
Isa. 43:1-3—“But now, thus says the LORD, who created you, O Jacob, And He who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; You are Mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, Nor shall the flame scorch you. For I am the LORD your God, The Holy One of Israel, your Savior; I gave Egypt for your ransom, Ethiopia & Seba in your place.”
Job 5:17-18—(Eliphaz)--“Behold, happy is the man whom God corrects; Therefore do not despise the chastening of the Almighty. For He bruises, but He binds up; He wounds, but His hands make whole.”
Ps. 147:3—“He heals the brokenhearted And binds up their wounds.”
Hosea 6:1-3—“Come, & let us return to the LORD; For He has torn, but He will heal us; He has stricken, but He will bind us up. After two days He will revive us; On the third day He will raise us up, That we may live in His sight. Let us know, Let us pursue the knowledge of the LORD. His going forth is established as the morning; He will come to us like the rain, Like the latter & former rain to the earth.”
1Pet. 4:12-13—“Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy.”
Rom. 5:1-5—“Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, & rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; & perseverance, character; & character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”
Hab. 3:17-19—“Though the fig tree may not blossom, Nor fruit be on the vines; Though the labor of the olive may fail, And the fields yield no food; Though the flock may be cut off from the fold, And there be no herd in the stalls--Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation. The LORD God is my strength; He will make my feet like deer’s feet, And He will make me walk on my high hills. To the Chief Musician. With my stringed instruments.”
“Giving thanks”—eucaristew—Present Active Participle Nominative Plural Masc.—1) To be grateful, feel thankful; 2) Give thanks. Strong—To be grateful, i.e. actively--To express gratitude(towards); specially--To say grace at a meal.
“Always”—pantote—Adverb—1) At all times, always, ever. Strong—Every when, i.e. At all times.
“For”—Prep.—1) In behalf of, for the sake of; 2) Over, beyond, more than; 3) More, beyond, over. Strong—a primary preposition; "over", i.e.--Above, beyond, across, or causal, for the sake of, instead, regarding.
“All Things”—pav—Adj.—1) individually—1a) Each, every, any, all, the whole, everyone, all things, everything; 2) collectively—2a) Some of all types. Strong—apparently a primary word; All, any, every, the whole.
“God”—yeov—Noun Masc.—1) A god or goddess, a general name of deities or divinities; 3) Spoken of the only & true God. Strong—of uncertain affinity; A deity, especially(with o, h, to)--The supreme Divinity; figuratively--A magistrate; by Hebraism--Very.
“Father”—pathr—Noun Masc.—Strong—apparently a primary word; A “father”(literally or figuratively, near or more remote).
“In”—en—
“Name”—onoma—Noun Neuter—1) Name: universal of proper names; 2) The name is used for everything which the name covers, everything the thought or feeling of which is aroused in the mind by mentioning, hearing, remembering, the name, i.e. For one's rank, authority, interests, pleasure, command, excellences, deeds etc.. Strong—A “name”(literally or figuratively)--(authority, character)--.
“Lord”—kuriov—Noun Masc.—1) He to whom a person or thing belongs, about which he has power of deciding; master, lord. Kuriov has a wider meaning[than despothv], applicable to the various ranks & relations of life & not suggestive of either property or of absolutism. Strong—from kurov(supremacy); Supreme in authority, i.e. as noun--Controller; by implication--Mr.(as a respectful title).
Argumentation:
Ps. 147:5-11—“Great is our Lord, & mighty in power; His understanding is infinite. The LORD lifts up the humble; He casts the wicked down to the ground. Sing to the LORD with thanksgiving; Sing praises on the harp to our God, Who covers the heavens with clouds, Who prepares rain for the earth, Who makes grass to grow on the mountains. He gives to the beast its food, And to the young ravens that cry. He does not delight in the strength of the horse; He takes no pleasure in the legs of a man. The LORD takes pleasure in those who fear Him, In those who hope in His mercy.”
Ps. 34:1-9—--“A Psalm of David when he pretended madness before Abimelech, who drove him away, & he departed.-- “I will bless the LORD at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul shall make its boast in the LORD; The humble shall hear of it & be glad. Oh, magnify the LORD with me, And let us exalt His name together. I sought the LORD, & He heard me, And delivered me from all my fears. They looked to Him & were radiant, And their faces were not ashamed. This poor man cried out, & the LORD heard him, And saved him out of all his troubles. The angel of the LORD encamps all around those who fear Him, And delivers them. Oh, taste & see that the LORD is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him! Oh, fear the LORD, you His saints! There is no want to those who fear Him.”
**Eph. 5:1-5—“Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us & given Himself for us, an offering & a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma. But fornication & all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not even be named among you, as is fitting for saints; neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks. For this you know, that no fornicator, unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ & God.”
We are thankful to God for our gracious inheritance!
**Php. 4:6-8—“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer & supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; & the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts & minds through Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue & if there is anything praiseworthy--meditate on these things.”
**Col. 1:9-12—“For this reason we also, since the day we heard it--(the church’s faith & love in the Spirit)--, do not cease to pray for you, & to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom & spiritual understanding; that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work & increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience & longsuffering with joy; giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light.”
**1Thes. 5:18—“in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”
Jn. 14:12-14—“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; & greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.”
**Col. 3:14-17—“But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection. And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; & be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching & admonishing one another in psalms & hymns & spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.”
Illustration:
BE THANKFUL(by pastor Jeff Strite)—Back in 1988, a Polish railway worker named Jan Grzebski(grr-zeb-ski) was hit by a train. He existed for the next 19 years(until the year 2007), in a coma.
He awoke in 2007 to a whole new world. Nineteen years earlier, Poland had been a communist state. Before the coma, meat had been rationed & there were huge lines at nearly every gas station. “There was only tea & vinegar in the shops.”
But 19 years later, he awoke to a free nation where Jan said there were “people on the streets with cell phones & there are so many goods in the shops it makes my head spin.”
But something puzzled him. “What amazes me is all these people who walk around with their mobile phones & yet they never stop moaning.” These people had freedom, & food & wealth greater than Poland had had for decades...& yet Grzebski woke from his coma to find that ALL they seemed to want to do was grumble!
If you don’t get into the habit of thanking God for what you DO have, you’ll soon become ungrateful because what you DON’T have.
For Thanksgiving—Thanksgiving celebrations—If you will have enough time to enjoy time with family & friends, you will probably at some point, share personal trials with your family members & them with you/Though heart-rending events & difficulties abound, God’s loving provision super-abounds giving us a thankfulness “always for all things”/A GRATEFUL WALK
Application:
?Does your GRATEFUL WALK speak of trust in Christ?...or of trust in someone/thing else?
?What is your walk Telling others?
7—A telling walk is...
A FEARING WALK(:21)
Explanation:(:21)Loving
:21—“submitting to one another in the fear of God.”
Thankfulness expressed to God the Father thru Christ(:20) is manifested thru the believer’s mutual “submission” to their brothers & sisters in Christ.
It is a mutual submission among all the true children of God.
This “submission” is not blind conformance to human or fleshly hierarchical arrangements/boundaries. It is not blind conformance to the wishes of others over & above your own.
It is a “submission” born of respect for one another recognizing them as precious to God in Christ. Mutual submission among brothers & sisters in Christ, is born out of their unique use by God for His desire.
Godly(God compelled) Personal “submission” is accomplished out of “fearful” respect for God...out of a fear of failing God...The God Who sacrificed His only-begotten Son for the likes of yourself!
“The motive for submission is not social kindness. The motive for submission is not the law of God. The motive for submission is respect for Jesus Christ. If we respect Jesus, we then should submit to one another because we love Jesus. Paul uses the term ‘fear’ in this passage, but it is a fear - a respect - that is compatible with love. It is a fear of disappointing Jesus, a fear of grieving Him. That is totally compatible with love. When you really respect someone, you care about pleasing him or her, & you are afraid to disappoint that one.”—David Guzik
“Submitting”—upotassw—Present Passive Participle Nominative Plural Masc.—1) To arrange under, to subordinate; 2) To subject, put in subjection; 3) To subject one's self, obey; 4) To submit to one's control; 5) To yield to one's admonition or advice; 6) To obey, be subject. Upotassw is a Greek military term meaning “to arrange--(troop divisions)-- in a military fashion under the command of a leader.” In non-military use, it was "a voluntary attitude of giving in, cooperating, assuming responsibility, & carrying a burden.” Strong—To subordinate; reflexively--To obey. RWP—Present middle participle of upotassw, old military figure--To line up under(Col 3:18).
From—upo—Preposition—1)By, under. Strong—a primary preposition; Under, i.e. (with the genitive case)of place--Beneath, or (with verbs)the agency or means--Through; (with the accusative case)of place--(whither--Underneath, or where--Below, or time when--At).—&—tassw—a prolonged form of a primary verb(which latter appears only in certain tenses); To arrange in an orderly manner, i.e. Assign or dispose(to a certain position or lot).
“One Another”—allhlwn—Pronoun Plural Reciprocal—1) One another, reciprocally, mutually. Strong—Genitive--(?)-- plural from allov--(a primary word; "else," i.e. different(in many applications))-- reduplicated; One another.
“In”—en—
“Fear”—fobov—Noun Masc.—1) Fear, dread, terror—1a) That which strikes terror; 2) Reverence for one's husband. Strong—from a primary febomai(to be put in fear); Alarm or fright.
Argumentation:
Neh. 5:14, 15—“Moreover, from the time that I was appointed to be their governor in the land of Judah, from the twentieth year until the thirty-second year of King Artaxerxes, twelve years, neither I nor my brothers ate the governor’s provisions. But the former governors who were before me laid burdens on the people, & took from them bread & wine, besides forty shekels of silver. Yes, even their servants bore rule over the people, but I did not do so, because of the fear of God.”
**1Pet. 1:17-19—“And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear; knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish & without spot.”
**Php. 2:9-13—“Therefore God also has highly exalted Him--(Jesus)-- & given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, & of those on earth, & of those under the earth, & that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear & trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will & to do for His good pleasure.”
**Heb. 4:12-13—“For the word of God is living & powerful, & sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul & spirit, & of joints & marrow, & is a discerner of the thoughts & intents of the heart. And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked & open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.”
**1Pet. 5:1-7—“The elders who are among you I exhort, I who am a fellow elder & a witness of the sufferings of Christ, & also a partaker of the glory that will be revealed: Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion but willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly; nor as being lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock; & when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away. Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, & be clothed with humility, for “God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.” Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.”
**2Cor. 6:14-7:1—“Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever? And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will dwell in them And walk among them. I will be their God, And they shall be My people.” Therefore “Come out from among them And be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, And I will receive you.” “I will be a Father to you, And you shall be My sons & daughters, Says the LORD Almighty.” Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh & spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.”
**Php. 2:1-5—“Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection & mercy, fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus,”
Illustration:
When I was a little guy(6-12yrs. old), Daddy sent me across the street to apologize to Mr. Wilson for messing up his grass/Mr. Wilson coddled his grass & worked very hard to get it to grow(Shady-Sunny-Dry-Wet)/I on the other hand, loved to play in the creek which bordered Mr. Wilson’s property/Sometimes I would trample down his grass(unintentionally) with mud & clay from the creek/And if I had worked my way up the creek to the far end of Mr. Wilson’s property, I would sometimes walk home thru his yard..Oblivious to me, it was obvious to Mr. Wilson that I had walked thru it/I needed A FEARING WALK
My work ethic adage to my children—“Don’t ever give anybody ‘good’ reason to call you ‘sorry.’”/A FEARING WALK
Momma bird providing for her baby birds/If one of the babies does not grow as the others, she cannot change it—there are no doctors or solutions/All she can do & all she is equipped to do is continue to feed the babies that are healthy & hungry/In a sense, she submits the babies’ need, & they submit to her provision/They do this as God has ingrained such behavior in their hearts/A FEARING WALK
Application:
?Does your FEARING WALK speak of trust in Christ?...or of trust in someone/thing else?
?What is your walk Telling others?
CONCLUSION:
Visualization:
DNA of sperm & egg versus a conceived child.
OR
An airline pilot flying blind with only the use of instruments.
Action:
We have seen that A telling walk is...
6. A GRATEFUL WALK(:20)
7. A FEARING WALK(:21)
1. An ACCURATE WALK(:15)
2. A REDEMPTIVE WALK(:16)
3. An INSIGHTFUL WALK(:17)
4. An UNCOMPROMISING WALK(:18)
5. A SHARING WALK(:19)
Pts. 6-7 presented 02/19/2017pm to:
FBC Cbelle
206 Storrs Ave. SE(SE Ave. A)
Carrabelle, FL 32322
