Ephesians 5:10

 

Ephesians 5:10

Living to Please the Lord

 

Eph 5:10  Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord. 

         1.     What Kind of Behavior Does God not Like?

a.      Minds that are darkened - Ephesians 4:18 

b.     Emotions that no longer feel - Ephesians 4:19 

c.      Wills that are broken - Ephesians 4:22 

         2.     What Kind of Behavior Does God Like?

a.      God loves goodness

                                               i.     Because He is good - Romans 2:4 

                                             ii.     Because He wants good for all - Luke 2:14 

                                            iii.     Because He does good to all - Matthew 5:45 

                                            iv.     Because He wants you to give His goodness to all

1.     Matthew 5:13-16 

b.     God loves righteousness

                                               i.     God is going to judge all unrighteousness - Romans 1:18 

                                             ii.     His law is the standard of righteousness - Matthew 5:17-19 

c.      God loves truth

                                               i.     Truth is the opposite of deception - Ephesians 5:6 

                                             ii.     Lies produce shame - Ephesians 5:12 

                                            iii.     Truth is the opposite of hypocrisy - 1 Peter 2:1 

         3.     What is the Difference Between a Good Pagan and a Christian

a.      The pagan may love goodness, righteousness and truth, but it is only the believer that desires to do what God wants

                                               i.     Romans 12:1-2 

b.     The believer is indifferent to the standards of others

                                               i.     1 Corinthians 4:3-4 

c.      The believer knows there is always a chance for redemption

                                               i.     1 John 1:9-2:1

d.     The believer knows that there is a higher purpose to all his actions

                                               i.     1 Corinthians 10:23 

e.      The believer strives ultimately for the glory of God

                                               i.     1 Corinthians 10:31 

f.      The believer’s ultimate purpose is not merely to please oneself

                                               i.     1 Corinthians 10:33 

g.     The believer longs to serve his true Master

                                               i.     Romans 6:11-13 

Daniel 2:44

 

Daniel 2:44

The Kingdom of Heaven

Dan 2:44  And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever. 

              1.     Context of a Kingdom

a.      Nebuchadnezzar is the source of this prophecy of the birth of Jesus

                                               i.     He was a Pagan

                                             ii.     He was a powerful tyrant

                                            iii.     He had a dream which his counselors could not interpret. Only Daniel could interpret the dream

1.     Daniel 2:37-43 

                                            iv.     The first kingdom is Nebuchadnezzars, the second is the Medo-Persian empire, the third is the Greek Empire and the fourth is the Roman Empire during which we have the birth of a New King!

                                              v.     As invincible that Nebuchadnezzar seems to be, he endures a series of humiliations until his final repentance

1.     The fiery furnace – Dan 3

2.     Made to live like an ox Dan 4

3.     Until his final confession

a.      Daniel 4:34 

               2.     Source of the New Kingdom

a.      At the time of Roman rule

                                               i.     Luke 2:1 

b.     At the perfect time

                                               i.     Galatians 4:4-5 

               3.     Strength of the New Kingdom

a.      This is a kingdom entirely independent of all the previous kingdoms

                                               i.     Matthew 4:16-17 

              4.     Invincibility of the New Kingdom

a.      The invincibility of this Kingdom comes from its humility, it does not rely on the might or intelligence of man

                                               i.     Daniel 2:34-35 

                                             ii.     1 Peter 2:6-9 

             5.     Victory of the New Kingdom

a.      1 Corinthians 15:22-26 

             6.     Eternality of the New Kingdom

a.      Jesus gives us the examples of two kinds of people that will reject His Kingdom

                                               i.     The Self-Righteous

1.     Matthew 6:1-4 

                                             ii.     And the Self Absorbed

1.     Matthew 6:19-21 

                                            iii.     The saved embrace the Grace of God

1.     Hebrews 12:28-29

Luke 4:18

 

Luke 4:18

A Mission to Save the World

 

Luk 4:18  The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, 

 

             1.     Why Did Jesus Come to the World?

a.     The Spirit of the Lord is upon me

                                               i.     Matthew 3:16-17 

             2.     To Preach the Gospel to the Poor

a.     Jesus is not come merely to help the financially poor. He came to help the spiritually destitute.

                                               i.     To fully appreciate the Christmas season, you must know your need for a Savior

1.     Luke 5:30-32 

             3.     To Heal the Brokenhearted

a.     We are brokenhearted because of the devastation that is caused by our sin

                                               i.     Isaiah 61:1-4 

1.     There are three illustrations here:

a.     An old rotting tree

b.     A desert wasteland

c.     An abandoned, decaying city

            4.     To Preach Deliverance to the Captives

a.     Continued failure in sin can bring us to the prison of despair, it is for those kinds of people that Jesus came

                                               i.     Psalm 51:14-17; Isaiah 57:14-15; Romans 7:14-16; Romans 7:24; Philippians 1:21 

           5.     To Recover the Sight of the Blind

a.     Luke 19:1-10 

           6.     To Set Free Those that are Crushed

a.     Jesus does not come to this world to condemn

                                               i.     Isaiah 42:3; Luke 7:36-42; John 8:3-11; Matthew 11:28-30 

 

Ephesians 5:9

 

Ephesians 5:9

The Fruit of Light

 

Eph 5:9  (For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;) 

             1.     To be a Child of the Light You Must be Demonstrating the Fruits of the Holy Spirit:

             2.     Goodness

a.     No one good

                                               i.     Psalm 104:30-35; Mark 10:18 

b.     You know what kind of man a person is because of his fruit

                                               i.     Matthew 7:17-20 

c.     Which means we can only be good because of an outside source and that is the Holy Spirit

                                               i.     The Holy Spirit produces the good works in us

1.     Ephesians 2:10; Titus 2:14 

                                             ii.     The Holy Spirit produces wonderful fruit

1.     Galatians 5:22-23 

                                           iii.     Holy Spirit enables us to treat all with kindness

1.     1 Thessalonians 5:15 

                                            iv.     The works of the Holy Spirit cannot be hid

1.     1 Timothy 5:25 

          3.     Righteousness

a.     No one is righteous - Romans 3:10 

b.     Righteousness is a gift from Jesus - Philippians 3:9 

c.     Righteousness comes from obedience to the teachings of Jesus - Romans 6:17 

d.     Righteousness is to be our main pursuit - 1 Timothy 6:11 

e.     Righteousness is the mark of the new man - Ephesians 4:24 

f.      Righteousness is to be the pattern of lifestyle for the believer - Romans 6:13 

           4.     Truth

a.     No one is truthful

                                               i.     Romans 3:4 

b.     Truthfulness comes from Jesus

                                               i.     John 1:14 

c.     Truthfulness should be what we say

                                               i.     Ephesians 4:15; Ephesians 4:25 

d.     Truthfulness is our greatest protection

                                               i.     Ephesians 6:14 

Ephesians 5:7-8

 

Ephesians 5:7-8

After Darkness Light

Eph 5:7  Be not ye therefore partakers with them. 

Eph 5:8  For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light: 

          1.     Do not Be Partakers with the Children of Darkness

a.     What is Paul referring to? - Ephesians 5:3-5 

b.     In the past our:

                                               i.     Our thinking was darkened - Ephesians 4:17-18 

                                             ii.     Our bodies were darkened - Matthew 6:23-24 

                                           iii.     Our actions were darkened - John 3:19 

          2.     Because Once Upon a Time You Were Children of Darkness

a.     Once upon a time our nature was darkened

                                               i.     1 Corinthians 2:14 

b.     Once upon a time we were not followers of God, but were on our way to hell

                                               i.     Ephesians 2:1-5 

c.     Once upon a time God intervened and prevented our destruction

                                               i.     2 Corinthians 4:3-6 

            3.     But Now You are Children of Light

a.     As children of the Light, we have now been transferred into a new Kingdom

                                               i.     Colossians 1:13 

b.     As children of the Light, we now have a new identity

                                               i.     1 Thessalonians 5:4-5 

c.     As children of the Light, we now have a new way of thinking

                                               i.     Ephesians 4:22-24 

d.     As children of the Light, we now have a new guide

                                               i.     Psalm 119:105 

e.     As children of the Light, we now have a new purpose

                                               i.     2 Thessalonians 1:11 

f.      As children of the Light, we now have a new form of protection

                                               i.     Romans 13:12 

g.     As children of the Light, we now are set free

                                               i.     John 8:31-32 

           4.     Therefore, Walk as the Children of Light

a.     Jesus is the light - John 8:12 

b.     We are made the light through Jesus - Matthew 5:14-16 

c.     We are to demonstrate the light of Jesus - 1 Peter 2:9 

d.     The Light has no fellowship with darkness - 1 John 1:5-10