This week, we continue our Ephesians study, and we find ourselves picking up midstream in Paul's argument. What we've seen up to this point, is that God is a good and loving God, who acts rightly toward his people, showing them grace and kindness. And God is the process of creating one holy family who will live with him, and who will live like him, in peace and righteousness toward God, and toward each other. Our job is to walk worthily of our calling, and become the holy people that God has created us to be.
At a certain point, all of this becomes really practical, and concrete. There are certain sins and lifestyle choices that are unacceptable for God's holy people, and God insists that we stop doing those things. Those sins are the old shirt we took off. They are the old road we used to walk. There are also certain types of righteous behavior that God wants us to wear instead, and to walk in. As we read, at every point we find that we can make two columns, one of bad behavior, and one of good, and Paul encourages us to choose the good. There are do's, and don'ts, and we don't need to feel embarrassed about this, or worry that we are slipping into legalism or "works righteousness." Every family has house rules, do's and don'ts, and God's family works the same way.
Let's start by reading the last four verses from last week, starting in Ephesians 4:31, and then we'll press forward:
(31) All bitterness and rage and wrath and harmful speech should be removed from you, together with all wickedness.
(32) Become toward one another kind, tenderhearted,
showing grace toward one another,
just as also God in Christ showed grace to you.
(5:1) And so then, become imitators of God, as beloved children,
and walk in love,
just as also Christ loved us,
and he gave himself over for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a pleasing smell (Genesis 8:21; Exodus 29:18).
Here's where we start new content. Verse 3-4:
(3) Now, sexual immorality and all uncleanness or greediness must not even be named among you,
just as it is fitting for the holy ones,
(4) and shameful behavior and foolish talk or coarse/crude joking,
which aren't proper,
but rather thanksgiving.
Starting in verse 3, Paul lists three sins that we, as God's holy ones, must completely avoid: (1) sexual immorality, (2) all uncleanness, and (3) greed. Paul knows these sins are wrong, and the Ephesians know these sins are wrong. So Paul can begin here, not by saying "don't do these sins" but by saying, "don't even name these sins among you." What does this mean? "Sexual immorality, and all uncleanness or greediness must not be named among you."
All of us appreciate a good story. If someone has something hilarious happen to them, you want to hear the story, right? A few years ago, there was a big news story about how a runner was attacked by a mountain lion, and he killed it by choking it out. No one believed him, but when they autopsied the mountain lion, his story checked out. Crazy.
These are the kinds of stories we find ourselves talking about sometimes at church-- "the things we name among us." And there is nothing wrong with these stories. But sometimes the stories we tell among ourselves have to do with people getting caught up in sin. We say, "Did you hear what so-and-so did?" Or, "Did you hear about that pastor's affair in such-and-such a town?" And then we tell the sordid tale. Probably, we make all right noises as we tell our story. We shake our heads, we go, "tsk, tsk." We say, "What a shame."
But why are we telling this story? We're making all the right noises, saying all the right things, but if we find these stories interesting, I think it says something about ourselves. For all our talk, maybe we find the deceitful desires of sin appealing. We find ourselves drawn to them. We know these sins are wrong; we know we shouldn't do them. But we're like a kid in a candy store, and we find ourselves wanting to get a close look. They're fascinating.
I think what Paul means when he says these sins must not be named among you, because they aren't fitting, is something like this. We hear stories about people sinning in really destructive, terrible ways, and we want to share. Someone else knows these stories, and we want to hear. But these sins are dangerous, and we need to treat them like they are dangerous. So these sins are not proper topics for casual conversation. If you need to warn someone about these sins, then warn them. If you're up front preaching, and the verse is about sexual immorality, you have to warn. If a fellow believer is doing these sins, you need to warn them. But don't be telling stories about celebrities, or people you know, who have been sexually immoral. This isn't the type of thing that's fitting conversation for God's holy ones.
Paul then gives three more sins to avoid naming in verse 4. "Shameful behavior, foolish talk, and crude joking." These sins aren't proper. Don't name them either. Most of us, I hope, are aware when we start saying really stupid things. We make a joke we shouldn't have, and we feel gross inside afterward. That was dumb. These sins aren't proper; they aren't fitting for God's holy ones. We are not supposed to be a people who make jokes about your mom, or say, "That's what she said." Crude jokes, aren't fitting for God's holy people.
What is fitting? What is proper? "Thanksgiving." Paul frames all of this, as though we have two choices for what comes out of our mouths. On the one side, we can talk about sexual immorality, uncleanness, greediness, shameful behavior. We can talk foolishly, and crudely. Or, on the other hand, thanksgiving is what can come out from our mouths.
Now, I think at this point we need to just stop and think about this. If I was going to make two lists, a list of things to do, and a list of things not to do, I'd put "obedience" on one side, and "sin" on the other.
This wouldn't be wrong, but that's not what Paul says here. He says, "instead of talking about these things in casual conversation, be thankful."
You know you are keeping the right perspective on everything in life when you find yourself regularly thanking God. People who are thankful value what God has done for them. We give God thanks, that we were dead in our wrongdoing and sin, but God mercifully forgave us through Jesus, and made us part of his family. We give God thanks, for his grace, and his mercy. We give him thanks for his presence among us, for his help. God has been ridiculously and obviously good to my family the last few months, and when you find yourself in that situation, and when you become aware of that, thanksgiving becomes a way of life. If we keep an awareness of how good God is to us, we will go through life constantly thanking God. And when we do that, sinful speech won't come out of our mouths. Thanksgiving and sin don't both flow easily out of the same mouth.
So when you see or hear a story about someone's greed, or moral uncleanness, or sexual immorality, ideally, you don't find yourself wanting to tell other people. You see these things, or hear these stories, and you know that these are the types of sins God rescued you from. These sins are dangers. They aren't entertainment. And maybe, the idea is that there's something about casually talking about these things, that makes them more appealing. If we tell a sordid tale about someone who got caught in sexual immorality, we find something in us wanting the same. If we tell a story about someone's very obvious greed, we find that something in us longs for the same lifestyle.
This brings us to verse 5, where we get a "for" statement. What "for" statements do is explain or strengthen some point just made.
(5) For this you know,
knowing that every sexually immoral or unclean or greedy one-- who is an idolater-- does not have an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.
Paul just told you that sexual immorality, uncleanness, and greed are not fitting-- not proper-- for God's holy ones. Instead, your starting point should be thanksgiving to God for everything he's done for you.
But, on the off chance that this isn't enough to keep you from doing them, Paul now offers you a serious warning. If you are sexually immoral, or unclean, or greedy, you have no inheritance in God's kingdom.
Before I say anything else, know that I hate talking about verses like this. I take no pleasure in this. Actually, let's do this. Let's turn to Acts 20:25-31. When Paul is saying goodbye to the Ephesians in Acts, he knows he's never going to see them again. This is it. Imagine that you're a pastor, giving your last message to your flock. What do you tell them? Paul says this:
25 “Now I know that none of you among whom I have gone about preaching the kingdom will ever see me again. 26 Therefore, I declare to you today that I am innocent of the blood of any of you. 27 For I have not hesitated to proclaim to you the whole will of God. 28 Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God,[a] which he bought with his own blood.[b] 29 I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. 30 Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them. 31 So be on your guard! Remember that for three years I never stopped warning each of you night and day with tears.
Paul says, as long as I was with you, day and night, I warned you with tears. What you do, after I leave, is up to you. But I have been faithful in telling you the whole will of God. I didn't hide any part of you. And because I was faithful in this, God won't hold me accountable for your blood, if you turn out to be unfaithful.
As a teacher, when I get to verses like this, the way this works, is that God sits up a little straighter on his throne, and listens more carefully, and takes notes. Maybe you think I'm joking. But I think this is how it is. How I explain verses like this, are the basis for how God will judge me as your teacher. If I warn you, and you repent, we are both good. If I warn you and you don't repent, you're blood is on your hands. But I'm ok. If I don't warn you, and you don't repent, your blood is on my hands (Ezekiel 3). I'm determined to be able to say to God, I'm innocent of your blood. If you ignore me, and ignore God, your stubbornness will not be my fault.
So let's start this over. Verse 5:
(5) For this you know,
knowing that every sexually immoral or unclean or greedy one-- who is an idolater-- does not have an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.
When Paul talks about inheriting God's kingdom, he's not talking here about special extra rewards you get. He's talking about eternal life (Gal. 6:6-8; 1 Cor. 6:9-11; Rom. 6:22 ESV; 8:12-13; best way to explain this is probably using Galatians, or Matthew 19:16-30, comparing verse 16 and 23 in particular). Inheriting the kingdom, is a way of talking about receiving eternal life. Do these sins, and you lose your inheritance. You lose eternal life. And Paul says-- notice this-- that you Ephesians already know this. He's not teaching something new. Every Christian knows that the basis for the final judgment is the works produced by faith in Jesus, through the power of the Holy Spirit. Good trees bear good fruit, and the final judgment is based on fruit. Are you a good tree? God looks at the fruit. This isn't controversial. It's not new. But sometimes we forget this, or downplay it.
Now, it'd be nice, when I'm teaching on verse 5, if I could at this point offer you some type of reassurance. I'd love to comfort you, and point to some other verse in the Bible to explain this one away. It'd be great if I could do that.
If Paul left the tiniest opening here, I'd jump through it. Believe me. But what we all need to do is look at ourselves in the mirror, honestly. Are we sexually immoral? Are we morally unclean? Are we greedy? Or have we repented of these sins? If we haven't repented, if we are tolerating these sins, we won't receive eternal life.
There's nothing really else to even say. You can't tolerate these sins.
Now, Paul knows that it's at exactly this point that we want to water down his words. He knows we don't want to hear this. And so he piles on top of all of this in verse 6:
(6) No one must deceive you with empty/valueless words.
For because of these things God's wrath is coming on the sons of disobedience.
Anyone who tells you anything other than what Paul just said is trying to give you a false hope. The reassurance they give you is hollow-- it's empty. It's because of these sins that God's wrath is coming. Just because God has been patient with us up to this point, doesn't mean that his wrath isn't coming. If you are practicing these sins, stop. Be ruthless in dealing with them. [Insert about a Lutheran pastor, who asked his congregation, "If you right hand causes you to sin, what should do you? If your eye causes you to sin, what should you do?" God expects us to be ruthless, in dealing with our own sin. Persist in those sins, and you are placing yourself in terrible danger. God's wrath is coming.
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What I'm teaching here aligns perhaps most closely with the classic Reformed Calvinist view. I'm not sure Lutherans typically explain it quite like this-- although Lutherans well-understand that faith must be a working faith, to be a living faith, and an ultimately saving faith (James). They also understand that faith and the Holy Spirit can be lost/taken away. In many ways, this is perhaps the most lost doctrine in the entire church.
Here's part of Robert Reymond's discussion in how salvation can be through faith, and the final judgment based on works (Robert Reymond, A New Systematic Theology of the Christian Faith, 1020-21):
"Believers will then be judged according to their works and will receive rewards accordingly. Paul teaches that not only unbelievers but believers as well will be judged in the judgment of the Eschaton (Rom. 14:10, 12; 1 Cor. 3:12-15; 2 Cor. 5:10). To them who, by persistence in doing good, seek glory, honor, and immortality, that is, to them who do good as the fruit of a lively faith in Christ, God will grant eternal life, glory, honor, and peace (Rom. 2:7, 10). The criteria of this judgment will be their works."
Here's an excerpt from James Buswell, another Reformed theologian (Buswell, A Systematic Theology of the Christian Religion, 510, emphasis mine):
"The basis of the judgment of those raised from the dead to stand before the Great White Throne is given in the last part of verse 12 and the last part of verse 13, ". . . and books were opened, and another book was opened which is the Book of Life, and the dead were judged out of the things written in the books according to their works . . . And they were judged each one according to works." See also Revelation 22:12, "See, I am coming speedily, and my reward is with me, to give to every one as his work is."
The objection is frequently raised, If the basis of judgment is 'works' and no one is saved 'by works,' how can it be that there will be some of the righteous standing for judgment before the Great White Throne?
The answer is that no one is saved by works but works are considered, in every judgment scene pictured in the New Testament, as an evidence of faith or the lack of faith. 'Faith, if it has not works, is dead, being alone . . . Show me thy faith without they works, and I will show thee my faith by my works . . . But wilt thou know, oh vain man that faith without works is dead?' (James 2:17-20)."
ME: The simplest way I've found to explain this, is this: "God insists that his people be good trees, in order to receive eternal life. Good trees bear good fruit. At the final judgment, God determines if we are good trees, by examining the fruit."
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Verse 5-6 one last time, and then we'll press forward:
(5) For this you know,
knowing that every sexually immoral or unclean or greedy one-- who is an idolater-- does not have an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.
(6) No one must deceive you with empty/valueless words.
For because of these things God's wrath is coming on the sons of disobedience.
(7) And so then, don't be/become companions/accomplices with them.
(8) For you were formerly darkness.
Now, [you are] now light in the Lord.
So if Paul's convinced you that you must avoid sexual immorality, uncleanness, and greed, what's the next step? That's verse 7.
We all know people who do these sins. Don't join them in these sins. Maybe you feel peer pressure. Maybe the sins look tempting. Don't do it. This doesn't mean you can't hang out with non-Christians. It means, don't hang out with them when they are doing these sins. Don't share in their sins.
These sins belong to the darkness. You were formerly darkness; now you are light.
Hopefully, you remember what life looked like before you were saved. You were darkness; you were dead. And you know God's wrath is coming on the disobedient. This used to be you.
Now, though, you are light. God has given you a higher calling; he's made you part of his family, creating peace with you.
Now, it's interesting in these verses how Paul talks about light and darkness. What I want to say is, you were walking in the darkness, and now you are in the light. But that's not quite what Paul says. You were darkness. Now you are light in the Lord-- in Jesus.
Paul then grabs this image of light and darkness, and runs with it. Continuing in verse 8:
As children of light walk.
For the fruit of the light [is] in all goodness and righteousness and truth,
(10) testing and approving what is pleasing to the Lord,
You are children of light. So walk as children of light. What does this mean? Paul gives us another "for" statement to explain this. The fruit of light is all goodness, and righteousness and truth. We are all familiar with the idea of the fruit of the Spirit, probably, from Galatians 5. You can tell if someone is walking in step with the Spirit, because their lives look like the fruit of the Spirit-- love, joy, peace, patience, and so on. Here, "fruit of the light" is basically the same thing. If you walk as children of the light, you will bear the fruit that is found in goodness, righteousness, and truth.
So as you walk through life, you will find yourself having to make choices about right and wrong. How do you make that decision?
The last line explains what this looks like. "Testing/examining what is pleasing to the Lord." The question you are supposed to ask as you go through life, is a simple one: "Does doing or saying this please Jesus?" Some things are wrong; some things are right; and some aren't one or the other. Choosing a cheeseburger or a taco for lunch-- I don't think Jesus cares. But when it's a moral decision, we need to think about what we are doing. You need to stop, and ask, "If I do this, or say this, am I walking in the light? Does the fruit of this lead to goodness and righteousness? Is it based on the truths about what God wants? Does it please Jesus?" Your goal is to please Jesus. So walk as children of light.
Verse 11:
(11) and don't participate in the unfruitful works of darkness.
Now, rather even, expose them.
(12) For the things in secret being done by them are shameful even to talk about.
(13) Now, all things being exposed by the light are made visible.
(14) For everything being made visible, light, it is.
You are children of light. So you walk in the light. You don't do the unfruitful deeds of darkness. Instead, you expose them. As you go through life, you are a light. And everyone who is around you is exposed by that light. You are not greedy people. You don't love money; you don't live for money and the things it can buy. And when you around people who are greedy, their greed is exposed. People see that you are content with what you have, and it shines light on their own sin.
You are not sexually immoral people. You are children of light. And when your co-workers share dirty videos on their smartphones, and you are in the room, they glance at you. In that moment they pass their phone, they know their sins are exposed. They feel like the light coming off you. And they know that what they are doing, is a deed of the darkness. It's the kind of sin that people hide, because it's shameful. But because you are there, their sin is exposed.
I'm not saying you should go around at work or school calling out people for specific sins they are committing. You can't expect non-Christians to walk as children of the light. That's not how it works. You aren't children of the light, unless you repented of your sins, gave your allegiance to Jesus, and were baptized as an appeal to God. You can't expect people to be content, and not greedy, if they aren't Christians. But people see the light coming off you, and it forces them to be honest with themselves about how they are living. You expose their sins, simply by being living as people who are holy-- who are set apart for God. And when you talk to non-Christians about sin, you're calling them to a whole life, 180 degree turn, and commit to Jesus as Lord and King, and join God's family.
This brings us to the interesting quote in verse 14.
Therefore, it says,
"Wake up, O sleeping one,
and rise from the dead,
and the Christ/Messiah will shine on you.
There's a lot of discussion about what exactly Paul is quoting here. There's no single verse that says this. Or really, anything close to this. So most scholars think Paul is quoting an early Christian hymn. But that's about as far as their agreement goes on this. What does the quote mean? If we view this in the context of Ephesians, I think it means something like this:
You used to be dead in your wrongdoing and sins. You were excluded from God's family, and you lived in the darkness, as children of the darkness. When you gave Jesus your allegiance, Jesus shined on you. You became children of light, reflecting Jesus' light.
But at some point along the way, some of us find ourselves on our old path, wearing the old sinful lifestyle, going back to the darkness. We become spiritual zombies, I guess you could say-- the walking dead. If that's you, if that's me, then Paul invites us to hear God's call. Wake up! Rise from the dead! Do this, and Jesus' light will once again shine again on you, and you will once again truly be children of the light.
So that's as far as I want to get for this morning. When we take a step back, what does this part of Paul's argument teach us?
For all of us, there are basically two ways to live. You can live as children of the darkness. This means walking through life in the way you used to, before you became part of God's family. You could walk in sexual immorality, uncleanness, and greed. You could act shamefully, talk foolishly, and tell crude jokes.
The question you need to ask yourself is this: "Should I?" "Should I go back to my old way of life, to my old road of sin and wrongdoing?"
Paul says, "Don't do this." These things aren't fitting-- they aren't proper-- for people who God as set apart for himself as holy. More than this, these sins will keep you from inheriting your share in God's kingdom. They will keep you from eternal life. If there was any wiggle room on this, I would be happy to share it with you. But the truth is what it is. And anyone who tells you otherwise, is teaching you hollow and empty words.
The bottom line is this: You really don't want to walk as children of darkness. You gave that up; don't go back to it. Instead, please, walk as children of the light. If you're here this morning as a spiritual zombie, wake up. Rise from the dead. Let Jesus' light shine on you, so that you become a child of light.
Translation:
(3) Now, sexual immorality and all uncleanness or greediness must not even be named among you,
just as it is fitting for the holy ones,
(4) and shameful behavior and foolish talk or coarse/crude joking,
which aren't proper,
but rather thanksgiving.
(5) For this you know,
knowing that every sexually immoral or unclean or greedy one-- who is an idolater-- does not have an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.
(6) No one must deceive you with empty/valueless words.
For because of these things God's wrath is coming on the sons of disobedience.
(7) And so then, don't be/become companions/accomplices with them.
(8) For you were formerly darkness.
Now, [you are] now light in the Lord.
As children of light walk.
For the fruit of the light [is] in all goodness and righteousness and truth,
(10) testing and approving what is pleasing to the Lord,
(11) and don't participate in the unfruitful works of darkness.
Now, rather even, expose them.
(12) For the things in secret being done by them are shameful even to talk about.
(13) Now, all things being exposed by the light are made visible.
(14) For everything being made visible, light, it is.
Therefore, it says,
"Wake up, O sleeping one,
and rise from the dead,
and the Christ/Messiah will shine on you.
