SPEAKER_00: If you have a Bible, go ahead and grab it.
SPEAKER_00: Turn to Ephesians chapter 5.
SPEAKER_00: Since the 1st of March, we've been walking through the book of Ephesians.
SPEAKER_00: We have made it to the fifth chapter.
SPEAKER_00: Two weeks ago, we looked at, as Paul would talk about primarily through the fourth chapter, of putting off the old self and putting on the new self, which is a way of saying to no longer walk in sin, but to now walk as one who has been saved from their sin by receiving that salvation in Christ Jesus, to walk, to seek after Christ, to walk in the way that we are called to walk through the Word of God, to walk in righteousness, not with a spirit of self-righteousness, but to pursue after righteous things, things, the things of God.
SPEAKER_00: And so we've seen that through chapter four.
SPEAKER_00: That theme is somewhat going to continue in chapter five, but what you're going to see is what we are called to do specifically is to imitate Christ.
SPEAKER_00: If you're able and willing, I'm going to ask you to stand in honor of reading God's word.
SPEAKER_00: We're going to cover verses one through 21 this morning.
SPEAKER_00: I'm going to read for us verses 1 through 11.
SPEAKER_00: Verses 1 through 11 is what we're going to read.
SPEAKER_00: We're going to cover verses 1 through 21.
SPEAKER_00: So this is the word of the Lord.
SPEAKER_00: Therefore, be imitators of God as beloved children and walk in love as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
SPEAKER_00: But sexual immorality and impurity or covetousness must not be named among you as pro as is proper among saints.
SPEAKER_00: Let there be no filthiness or foolish or talk or crude joking which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving.
SPEAKER_00: For you may be sure of this that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, who is covetous, that is an idolater, has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.
SPEAKER_00: Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.
SPEAKER_00: Therefore, do not become partakers with them.
SPEAKER_00: For at one time you were dark, for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the world.
SPEAKER_00: Walk as children of light, for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true.
SPEAKER_00: And try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord.
SPEAKER_00: Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them.
SPEAKER_00: Father, we ask that you would give us ears to hear and eyes to see what your word tells us.
SPEAKER_00: Father, we pray that we would not come at this with a spirit of self-righteousness, but Father, that we would come to this, to your word with a spirit of humility, knowing what you have saved us from, knowing what you have called us to.
SPEAKER_00: And Father, we pray this morning that that, God, I pray this morning that I would not read these words and think of other people that they apply to, God, but they would apply to my life, that I would apply them to myself.
SPEAKER_00: And Father, I pray the same thing for every single person in this room that as we read your word, we wouldn't think about who needs to hear this, but God, that you would speak directly to us.
SPEAKER_00: Father, we need these words.
SPEAKER_00: Father, there is darkness within all of us that you are continuingly, and you need to continue to expose.
SPEAKER_00: And so, Father, we pray that you in your light would expose them, that they would, as your word tells us, that your word would cut between soul and spirit and would lay us bare before you.
SPEAKER_00: Father, so that you can do your work of making us more like Jesus.
SPEAKER_00: Father, give us humility this morning.
SPEAKER_00: Father, convict our hearts.
SPEAKER_00: Father, I pray that you would give me the words to say that it would be your words and not mine.
SPEAKER_00: You would keep me from saying anything that goes against your word, and ultimately, Father, that you would receive all honor and glory this morning.
SPEAKER_00: Pray this all in Jesus' name.
SPEAKER_00: Amen.
SPEAKER_00: You can be seated.
SPEAKER_00: This passage begins with the example that you and I are called to live by, the example that we are to look to and to be like, and that is what Paul says in the beginning of this passage.
SPEAKER_00: He he says, therefore be imitators of God as beloved children.
SPEAKER_00: I imitate a lot with my kids at home.
SPEAKER_00: I like to do, I mimic.
SPEAKER_00: I I mimic and imitate.
SPEAKER_00: I like to do accents, I like to do other things.
SPEAKER_00: You can tell that my son lives with me.
SPEAKER_00: Shelby was gone at a convention this week, so it was just me and the kids, and I'm doing breakfast, and I go to give Everett his breakfast, and I put it all on his plate, and I go, here you go, buddy, and all in in just with the most nonchalant expression ever, he just looks at me and goes, Thank you, good sir.
SPEAKER_00: Don't know what in the Monty Python he had heard.
SPEAKER_00: Like at first, I was like, why the Cockney accent, though?
SPEAKER_00: Like, I don't know, like, there's is there much better British, but but it's because like I've I've said that to him.
SPEAKER_00: Like, I I I I can do that, and that scares the life out of me now because I don't know what he's gonna do in other settings.
SPEAKER_00: Um, but children imitate their parents.
SPEAKER_00: Children spend enough time around their parents that they can imitate them.
SPEAKER_00: They know their mannerisms, they know their expressions.
SPEAKER_00: Children in the room, when it comes to your parents, you knew when your parents came home angry or when they came home happy.
SPEAKER_00: You're able to read those things.
SPEAKER_00: And now, as you're growing up, you have children of your own.
SPEAKER_00: Here's what you're starting to realize.
SPEAKER_00: You were saying the whole time that you were a kid, man, I hope I'm nothing like my parents.
SPEAKER_00: And then one day, as you're parenting your child, you go, that sounds like my mom.
SPEAKER_00: That sounds like my dad.
SPEAKER_00: Children imitate parents.
SPEAKER_00: We are called those who have been saved by the blood atonement of Jesus Christ for for sin, have been called children of God, and children imitate their parents, therefore, as Paul's saying, imitate God as his children.
SPEAKER_00: And so the first question should be well, how do I imitate God?
SPEAKER_00: Well, Jesus Christ is God incarnate.
SPEAKER_00: That is the example God gave us, is Himself taking on the flesh.
SPEAKER_00: So imitate God by becoming like Christ, to imitate Christ.
SPEAKER_00: The goal of the Christian life is for you to look like Jesus.
SPEAKER_00: And we're gonna talk about that over the next week or so because next week we're gonna we're gonna see how imitating Christ then influences every area of our life.
SPEAKER_00: It influences how we work at home, it influences, or I'm sorry, it influences how we work, it influences our home, it influences every area of our life.
SPEAKER_00: But but the main thing that we have to see before we get to all of those examples is that we are called to imitate Christ.
SPEAKER_00: Your main point this morning that I want you to that I want you to think through think about as we look through this is how you live your life should reflect your love for the Lord because of what Christ Jesus has done.
SPEAKER_00: I added that little, that, that second part.
SPEAKER_00: But that's the main idea.
SPEAKER_00: How you live your life should reflect your love for the Lord because of what Christ Jesus has done.
SPEAKER_00: Everything that you do should reflect a love for the Lord that's based upon the salvation that you have received.
SPEAKER_00: Believers are called to imitate Christ by walking in love, light, and wisdom.
SPEAKER_00: That's what you're gonna see in this passage.
SPEAKER_00: If you've again been here over the last few weeks, that's what we've been talking about.
SPEAKER_00: This is putting on the new self, no longer living your life gratifying the desires of the flesh, but living a life that reflects externally what God has done internally.
SPEAKER_00: We who once walked in darkness, which is all of us, because all of us were born into sin, are called to put aside that darkness.
SPEAKER_00: Darkness is describes the character of the life of the unconverted, of the non-follower of Christ.
SPEAKER_00: That life is void of truth and virtue and intellectual and moral matters because it is it is seeking after what makes me feel good, what what what makes me happy.
SPEAKER_00: And you know what makes me happy?
SPEAKER_00: Whatever I want, whatever I desire, whatever I like.
SPEAKER_00: And my desires are to worship me, my desires are to please me.
SPEAKER_00: And for some, that that goes however far they want it to go to find what pleases me.
SPEAKER_00: But when I came to Christ, what I what what God told me, what what the gospel says is you died to that former way because that's what Christ Jesus came to pay for, and you live your life in response to the salvation that you have received in Christ Jesus, and that response is not to continue to walk in sin, not to continue to put you on the pedestal of life that makes you the Lord that you serve, but you humble yourself, you remove yourself and go, Christ Jesus has saved me, he is Lord of all.
SPEAKER_00: Over every area of my life.
SPEAKER_00: That's what is declared in baptism that we are dead in trespasses and sin, raised to walk in a new life where Christ Jesus is at the headship.
SPEAKER_00: That's hard.
SPEAKER_00: Especially when darkness comes so easy to us because of our nature.
SPEAKER_00: Nobody had to teach you to steal or lie.
SPEAKER_00: If you have kids in the room, say amen.
SPEAKER_00: I didn't teach my kids to steal or lie, but they'll they'll lie to me before they tell the truth.
SPEAKER_00: But but the no one had to teach you that this is how we were naturally, this is our nature that we have, but upon salvation, the calling of the gospel is to no longer walk in darkness of sin, but to receive the light that has come into the world because of what Christ Jesus did.
SPEAKER_00: He came not because not just to display love, his greatest display of love is to die for your sin that you earned, that you that it was your trespass that you committed that would condemn you.
SPEAKER_00: He came to die on a cross as a sacrifice to the Lord because of your sins, so that you may no longer walk in darkness, but walk in the light.
SPEAKER_00: He has reconciled you from the domain of darkness, Paul says in Colossians chapter 1, and brought you into the kingdom of his glorious Son because of what Christ Jesus has done.
SPEAKER_00: So let me say it again, as I've said over the last few weeks.
SPEAKER_00: If you're in this room thinking that God is somehow okay with you living however you want, just as long as you keep coming to church, you don't understand the gospel.
SPEAKER_00: He saves you from your sin to bring you from sin and to walk with him.
SPEAKER_00: That's hard.
SPEAKER_00: Because there's a lot of there's a lot of darkness in here that that that that when I first came to Christ, everything was dark.
SPEAKER_00: And as that light has come in and touched, then we're we're able to change.
SPEAKER_00: But there's still areas of my heart that God continues to need to change, and that's why Paul is saying, be imitators of God.
SPEAKER_00: Live a life that brings him glory because of what he has done.
SPEAKER_00: And he's given us an example of how we are to live, and that is in the person of Jesus Christ, the second person of the Godhead.
SPEAKER_00: We who were in darkness but are now in light must walk in the light, imitating Christ.
SPEAKER_00: Look at the first point that I have for you this morning.
SPEAKER_00: Our lives are meant to imitate Christ.
SPEAKER_00: There we go.
SPEAKER_00: Our lives are meant to imitate Christ.
SPEAKER_00: Now, how do I imitate Christ?
SPEAKER_00: Well, where do I well that first begins in reading his word?
SPEAKER_00: This is why every week we say you need to read the word of God, because if your life is meant to imitate Christ, the only way you learn more about Christ Jesus is to actually read his word.
SPEAKER_00: Let me give you a quick caveat.
SPEAKER_00: Don't read what someone else read about it and thought that that's what Jesus said.
SPEAKER_00: Read it for yourself to see what actually Jesus said.
SPEAKER_00: We would be in a lot better place as a church if we wouldn't outsource our daily devotion to the thoughts of other people and we would actually read the word.
SPEAKER_00: Read the word and see how Jesus lived, see how Jesus acted, see what he said.
SPEAKER_00: Imitate Christ.
SPEAKER_00: Remember, Jesus is the standard, he's the one that we look to imitate.
SPEAKER_00: There's a few places where we're we're we're called to do this.
SPEAKER_00: So look at look at verse 2.
SPEAKER_00: Therefore, be imitators of God as beloved children and walk in love as Christ loved us.
SPEAKER_00: So there's the first imitation right there.
SPEAKER_00: Walk in love because Christ has loved us.
SPEAKER_00: So there's the first imitation.
SPEAKER_00: To walk in love as Christ has loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
SPEAKER_00: That's what makes him the greater high priest, is that his offering and his sacrifice to the Lord pleased the Lord in every way, perpetually.
SPEAKER_00: He is the lamb who was slain that has paid for the sin of all who trust in him forever.
SPEAKER_00: So, because of that and how he loved us so much that he died for us, then I'm supposed to imitate Christ in how I love.
SPEAKER_00: Now, here's the difference between what we might understand as God's love and what love looks like.
SPEAKER_00: Greater love has greater, we don't have any other expression of greater love than this than someone that would come lay down his life for his friends.
SPEAKER_00: That's what Jesus said.
SPEAKER_00: His love came to pay for our sin.
SPEAKER_00: His love did not come to dismiss our sin.
SPEAKER_00: His love did not come to condone our sin.
SPEAKER_00: His love came to forgive us of our sin, to pay that penalty.
SPEAKER_00: And his love, he loved his disciples.
SPEAKER_00: In his love, he called his disciples his friends.
SPEAKER_00: In his love, he rebuked his disciples while at the same time still pointed them to Christ Jesus.
SPEAKER_00: That's how you're to love.
SPEAKER_00: This love is not whimsical, this love is not mystical.
SPEAKER_00: It is to love others like Christ loved us.
SPEAKER_00: We'll see next week to love others like Christ loves his church.
SPEAKER_00: The second thing, though, that we see in this example, look at verse 3.
SPEAKER_00: But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not be manged among you as is improper among the saints.
SPEAKER_00: All of these sexual immorality kind of brings in this idolatry, it brings in this impurity.
SPEAKER_00: If you remember back, the the pagan deity Artemis in Ephesus, one of the main ways that that deity was worshipped is through uh sexual immorality within the temples.
SPEAKER_00: Prostitution within the temples is how that God was worshipped.
SPEAKER_00: And so Paul's saying, there needs to be no sexual immorality among you.
SPEAKER_00: Not even whispers, not even any kind of hint, none of it.
SPEAKER_00: Sexual immorality, impurity.
SPEAKER_00: That's why Paul says in Colossians chapter 3, because this is an issue that happens outside of Ephesus, and it happens outside of Colossians.
SPEAKER_00: If he was writing to Live Oak, he would say the same thing.
SPEAKER_00: Colossians chapter 3, verse 5, put to death therefore what is earthly in you.
SPEAKER_00: And he starts off the list: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.
SPEAKER_00: He'll go on to say in verse 6, because of these, the wrath of God is coming.
SPEAKER_00: No hint of impurity, no hint of uh of any kind of sexual impurity or idolatry among you.
SPEAKER_00: That means in how you live, that means in how you scroll social media, that means in what you watch.
SPEAKER_00: All of these things.
SPEAKER_00: Now, again, hear me.
SPEAKER_00: This is not from a place of self-righteousness.
SPEAKER_00: You have been purchased by Jesus because you yourself could not be righteous enough.
SPEAKER_00: So let's just throw self-righteousness out of the way.
SPEAKER_00: Any person that's this, I'll pull myself up by my bootstraps, hates help, and you needed all the help in the world that that God could give you, and he sent himself.
SPEAKER_00: So, like, let's we're already beyond the past of I can do this on my own.
SPEAKER_00: We can't.
SPEAKER_00: Our goal is then to, well, if this is what God has called me to, and this is what God is calling me from, then I need to completely leave these things behind.
SPEAKER_00: I need to leave covetousness, I need to leave idolatry, and I need to leave sexual immorality, impurity.
SPEAKER_00: That even goes into that sexual immorality, even goes into how I talk.
SPEAKER_00: Look at verse 4.
SPEAKER_00: Let there be no filthiness or foolish talk, nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving.
SPEAKER_00: No crude or foolish talking, but thanksgiving.
SPEAKER_00: We'll talk more about this in verse 18.
SPEAKER_00: But the language of the believer is not one that is brash, nor is it one riddled with profanity or crudeness.
SPEAKER_00: Jesus tells us, and we talked about this two weeks ago, he tells us that you and I will give an account for every single word that is said.
SPEAKER_00: Were there times where Jesus had to be stern?
SPEAKER_00: Yes.
SPEAKER_00: But do we also see how he lovingly cared for others and and how he talked?
SPEAKER_00: Yes, we do.
SPEAKER_00: The other thing that I want you to see that that in imitating Christ and and walking in this holiness that we're called to, look at verses 6 through 7.
SPEAKER_00: Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes from the sons of disobedience.
SPEAKER_00: Let no one deceive you into saying, hey, God really doesn't care about what I just said.
SPEAKER_00: That sexual immorality, that impurity, that covetousness, the way you talk and the crude joking.
SPEAKER_00: That's not what the wrath of God is coming for.
SPEAKER_00: The wrath of God is coming for murderers.
SPEAKER_00: Not here.
SPEAKER_00: Paul says, Because of these things, the wrath of God is coming, and let no one deceive you.
SPEAKER_00: Therefore, verse 7, do not become partners with them.
SPEAKER_00: So the other way that we imitate Christ is the community that we surround ourselves with.
SPEAKER_00: Having Christian community.
SPEAKER_00: As brothers and sisters in the faith, you and I need to surround ourselves with other brothers and sisters that encourage us to walk with the Lord.
SPEAKER_00: You would say today that you would have loved to be a disciple at that time because you get to walk with Jesus and ask him questions and you know, maybe I'll be the one that he rebukes.
SPEAKER_00: I don't know, like I don't want to be the second Peter, but but but but that if the Lord could just tell me what to do.
SPEAKER_00: Well, he's told you in his word.
SPEAKER_00: Now, the problem that we have though is we read in this word, I'm supposed to do these things, and then we go out and we have no Christian community.
SPEAKER_00: We have no brothers and sisters that are there to encourage us, that are there to walk with us.
SPEAKER_00: When we get away, we don't get away with other brothers and sisters like Jesus did.
SPEAKER_00: We stay with those that are not following after Jesus, and then over time they they wear us down to the point where.
SPEAKER_00: They say you don't need to worry about living this way.
SPEAKER_00: God doesn't care.
SPEAKER_00: He does.
SPEAKER_00: You know where you're reminded that God does care how we walk, and you know where you find that accountability of how to how to walk with the Lord?
SPEAKER_00: With with Christian community, with brothers and sisters in Christ, with your Sunday school classroom, with your with your D group, with your Bible studies on Wednesday nights.
SPEAKER_00: Brothers and sisters that come up behind you and encourage you and exhort you to continue to go on and be more like Christ.
SPEAKER_00: Now, is is Paul saying don't befriend lost people?
SPEAKER_00: By no means.
SPEAKER_00: Paul calls Christians to be salt in society to love and befriend those outside of the faith.
SPEAKER_00: However, our mission does not involve participating in the sin of unbelievers.
SPEAKER_00: We must flee from those things.
SPEAKER_00: The joint venture of brothers and sisters in Christ are to expose and exhort one another to love and good works.
SPEAKER_00: Remember who Paul is writing to?
SPEAKER_00: He's writing to the church.
SPEAKER_00: So here's a shamus plug to be a part of a church.
SPEAKER_00: To be a part of a body of believers, to be a part of brothers and sisters that will encourage you and that will push you and that will not push you towards darkness, but to call you out from it.
SPEAKER_00: And if that means calling you out in it, then praise God that He's put someone in your life to be that used by the Spirit to expose different things in our lives.
SPEAKER_00: This is why we're part of a church.
SPEAKER_00: Also don't hear me in this.
SPEAKER_00: You're not always the person to call other people out.
SPEAKER_00: Like there are people that go, I'm just that perpetual person that always is looking for other things to call out.
SPEAKER_00: And people, no, you're not.
SPEAKER_00: You're just not focusing on yourself.
SPEAKER_00: Paul actually knew that you were going to be in this audience, and he actually writes to you.
SPEAKER_00: So let's keep reading.
SPEAKER_00: Look, let's look at verses 8 through 17.
SPEAKER_00: And here's what I would say with that with this right here, and we'll bring it up after we read it on the screen.
SPEAKER_00: So let me just read it.
SPEAKER_00: For at one time you were in darkness, but now you are light in the Lord.
SPEAKER_00: Walk as children of the light.
SPEAKER_00: I want you to circle every time you see the word you or any or any any language that would speak to you personally.
SPEAKER_00: What I mean by that is that this is for you right now.
SPEAKER_00: For the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true.
SPEAKER_00: And try to discern, that's for you, try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord.
SPEAKER_00: Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them for yourself.
SPEAKER_00: For it is shameful even to speak of things that they do in secret, but when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible.
SPEAKER_00: For anything that becomes visible is light.
SPEAKER_00: Therefore it says, Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.
SPEAKER_00: Verse 15 Look carefully then how you walk.
SPEAKER_00: Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise, but as wise, making best use of the time because the days are evil.
SPEAKER_00: Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.
SPEAKER_00: The will of the Lord is to do what?
SPEAKER_00: To look like who?
SPEAKER_00: Jesus.
SPEAKER_00: So if you want to look like Jesus, you need to examine you.
SPEAKER_00: That's the second thing that I want you to see.
SPEAKER_00: Examine yourself daily.
SPEAKER_00: You and I must wake up and preach the gospel to ourselves.
SPEAKER_00: That I am I am a sinner saved by the grace of God, who has been saved not to continue to walk in sin, but to walk as imitators of Christ Jesus, so that every day you and I put our biblical lenses on to go.
SPEAKER_00: Lord, what is impure or darkness in me?
SPEAKER_00: And God, would you change that?
SPEAKER_00: Because here's the problem.
SPEAKER_00: When we read passages like this, you're like, great, I was really looking for a passage to go on Facebook and talk to that one person that's been saying all this stuff.
SPEAKER_00: Great, I was really looking for something that I can point people to that are practicers of sexual immorality or impurity, so I can just prove them wrong.
SPEAKER_00: No.
SPEAKER_00: Yes and no.
SPEAKER_00: God calls every follower of Jesus to this.
SPEAKER_00: We keep other people accountable, but the first people person you need to keep accountable in your life is you.
SPEAKER_00: And all of us struggle keeping ourselves accountable.
SPEAKER_00: And all of us excel at keeping other people accountable.
SPEAKER_00: Jesus says, or the Bible says that examine yourself daily.
SPEAKER_00: Verse 15, and then we'll go back.
SPEAKER_00: Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise, but wise.
SPEAKER_00: So here's the thing that we got to do.
SPEAKER_00: There are areas of our life that that is sinful.
SPEAKER_00: We know that.
SPEAKER_00: It is unwise to walk in that way.
SPEAKER_00: We're to walk in the wisdom and knowledge of God, of his love for us and the salvation we received.
SPEAKER_00: And so that is what we're called to.
SPEAKER_00: There's some things in our life where it's not necessarily sinful, but is that wise?
SPEAKER_00: It's not sinful to have social media, but if you struggle with looking lustfully on others and your social media is filled with that, then is it wise to have it?
SPEAKER_00: This is what we're called to expose darkness, even if it's dim.
SPEAKER_00: Because I tell you, when the light bulb starts flickering, something needs to be going off in your head that I gotta replace this before it gets dark.
SPEAKER_00: Because then that's when we make decisions that we would say 10 years ago, I will never do that.
SPEAKER_00: I wouldn't, and you sit back and go, I can't believe that this is where I find myself.
SPEAKER_00: It's because the question is, are we examining ourselves daily?
SPEAKER_00: Don't fall asleep at the will.
SPEAKER_00: The question that you and I should be asking is every day is Am I living my life to imitate Christ Jesus?
SPEAKER_00: And is my worship a sweet aroma to him?
SPEAKER_00: Look at Christ Jesus' sacrifice to the Lord, the life that he lived, verse two, and walk in love as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
SPEAKER_00: John talked about this last week in Romans chapter 12, verse 1.
SPEAKER_00: Therefore, because of the mercies of God, live your lives as what?
SPEAKER_00: Living sacrifices that are holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual act of worship.
SPEAKER_00: And that's exactly what Paul is saying here.
SPEAKER_00: Examine yourself so that your life can be lived as a sacrifice unto the Lord, to the to the best, to the best of your knowledge, what you see before.
SPEAKER_00: You and I are not going to get this perfect, and if you're a perfectionist going, great, I've been really wanting to know how I can be perfect in this life.
SPEAKER_00: Now I know.
SPEAKER_00: Good luck.
SPEAKER_00: One.
SPEAKER_00: Number two, though, that's not what Paul is calling you to be like Christ, not to be self-righteous.
SPEAKER_00: There's a difference.
SPEAKER_00: To be like Christ is a worshipful response to what God has done in you, and Christ's likeness does not come with it any kind of arrogance, and instead comes with humility.
SPEAKER_00: The fruit of walking in the light is holy living.
SPEAKER_00: 1 Peter 1, verse 14 through 16 says, As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conducts, since it is written, You shall be holy, for I am holy.
SPEAKER_00: Now Christ's righteousness has been imputed to you upon salvation.
SPEAKER_00: He's not talking about an earned holiness or an earned righteousness, he's talking about walking in what Christ Jesus has given to us into salvation, walking in Him.
SPEAKER_00: If your desire is to be more like Jesus, then we are called to let the light expose those dark crannies of your heart that you don't want anybody to see.
SPEAKER_00: Those dark places that only your spouse knows, or only your kids see, or only your coworkers see, every area of your life should have the light touching it so that the Lord can continue to do his work.
SPEAKER_00: What you and I are not called to do is to walk through life with our eyes covered, being blissfully ignorant to what is abundantly evident in front of us.
SPEAKER_00: What I mean by that is there is sin in your life that God does care about, that God is calling you from as a person who is indwelt with the Holy Spirit, and we do not brush those things off as going, well, you know, I'm still sinful, a sinner, still trying to be, you know, who I need to be.
SPEAKER_00: No, no, no, no.
SPEAKER_00: We allow the light to expose those things so that by God's grace and to his honor and glory, he can take us, take those things away from us and continue to work on our hearts so that our lives can be lived as a greater sacrifice to the Lord.
SPEAKER_00: I was reading John 21 the other day, and I found something that I loved so much.
SPEAKER_00: Jesus has restored Peter, but he's told Peter that Peter is going to be martyred because of his faith, that he would be crucified.
SPEAKER_00: And shortly after that, Peter sees John walking up, and there's probably already some disagreement because you know John beat him at a race to the to the tomb, right?
SPEAKER_00: And so John's walking up, and Peter looks at Jesus and goes, Hey, Jesus, what's gonna happen to him?
SPEAKER_00: Like, what about that guy?
SPEAKER_00: Don't tell him, don't talk about me.
SPEAKER_00: What's gonna happen to him?
SPEAKER_00: Do you what Jesus says?
SPEAKER_00: Whether I choose to come before he dies or take him with me, what is that concern to you?
SPEAKER_00: Let me put it in layman's term.
SPEAKER_00: Jesus goes, hey, uh, who cares what happens to him?
SPEAKER_00: This has nothing to do with you.
SPEAKER_00: When we walk desiring the Lord to expose the things in our lives, we don't walk through going, man, God's just doing a work.
SPEAKER_00: He's just mean, I just feel terrible all the time.
SPEAKER_00: And like, I know that person gossips over there.
SPEAKER_00: God, are you working on them like you're working on me?
SPEAKER_00: God's not doing that.
SPEAKER_00: His desire is that you would walk with him, his desire that all his children would be imitators, but the first person that you worry about in that situation is you.
SPEAKER_00: And as you allow the Lord to do his work, and as you allow the spirit, as we'll look at right now, to permeate through, then the way you approach brothers and sisters will be completely different.
SPEAKER_00: Look at the second thing that I want to point out to you really quick.
SPEAKER_00: Be filled with the Holy Spirit.
SPEAKER_00: Now, this word filled means to permeate.
SPEAKER_00: Allow the Holy Spirit to permeate.
SPEAKER_00: You upon salvation, as we've said, have received the Holy Spirit.
SPEAKER_00: There's not more that the Lord can give you.
SPEAKER_00: You didn't receive less than everybody else.
SPEAKER_00: You receive the Holy Spirit to allow that work of the Holy Spirit to permeate through you is what Paul is commanding here.
SPEAKER_00: Look at verse 18.
SPEAKER_00: And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery.
SPEAKER_00: Let's go back to that pagan worship.
SPEAKER_00: That pagan worship that was done through sexuality and sexual orgies was fueled by alcohol.
SPEAKER_00: This is what they believed.
SPEAKER_00: As they would get drunk, they could have these euphoric experiences with these deities that as they went through these sexual acts and drunk, that they would be close to the God or goddess that they worshiped.
SPEAKER_00: So can you understand why Paul is saying, hey, um, don't be filled with the with wine, thinking that that's what gets you closer to God.
SPEAKER_00: Be filled with the spirit.
SPEAKER_00: Allow the spirit to permeate through.
SPEAKER_00: We saw last week or two weeks ago, don't grieve the spirit by not conforming yourself or putting off the old self and putting on the new by not conforming yourself to the image of Christ.
SPEAKER_00: Do not quench the spirit by locking him out of the places that he desires to do his work that is sinful within you, but allow his work to permeate through your entire life.
SPEAKER_00: This is the desire of God.
SPEAKER_00: There's a compare and contrast here.
SPEAKER_00: Do not seek after the Lord by doing these things that you think would get you closer to him, but but allow him to bring you closer to him through his work and by his spirit.
SPEAKER_00: Look at verse.
SPEAKER_00: I'm sorry, before that.
SPEAKER_00: Let me let me say this.
SPEAKER_00: The Christian knows a better way than by wine of being lifted up above the depression and the joyless monotony of life.
SPEAKER_00: A better way of removing self-consciousness and quickening thought and word and action than by the use of intoxions is being filled with the spirit, as one commentator stated.
SPEAKER_00: A life that is filled with the spirit is a life that the Lord is working in, a life that is being made more like Christ and drawn closer to the Lord, a life that is finding their joy and satisfaction in Christ Jesus alone.
SPEAKER_00: And the evidence of that life that has the Spirit permeating through them is the fruit of the Spirit.
SPEAKER_00: Now, here's what I want you to think: the fruit of the Spirit.
SPEAKER_00: Think of a bouquet.
SPEAKER_00: That bouquet is made up of nine roses.
SPEAKER_00: And those roses are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
SPEAKER_00: If you show up supposed to have a bouquet and we only got three of them roses, we got a problem.
SPEAKER_00: The evidence of a life that is filled with the spirit and allowing the light to expose is that the fruit of the spirit are being displayed.
SPEAKER_00: Now, that first fruit of the spirit being in you is you just gotta have Sunday school.
SPEAKER_00: You can say it.
SPEAKER_00: Come on.
SPEAKER_00: Love, there we go.
SPEAKER_00: A love for the Lord, a love for others, right?
SPEAKER_00: That's what we call to.
SPEAKER_00: That's the first thing to imitate Christ is to love others.
SPEAKER_00: A life that's filled with the Spirit also has self-control, gentleness.
SPEAKER_00: Sometimes you need to marry those two together, right?
SPEAKER_00: Like, but but but faithfulness, patience.
SPEAKER_00: Look at where Paul goes in verse 19, though.
SPEAKER_00: Addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs.
SPEAKER_00: Don't worry, I'm not gonna sing today.
SPEAKER_00: Singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another after out of reverence for Christ.
SPEAKER_00: One of the second evidences is of that, of that Holy Spirit permeating through your life as it brings a joy to your life.
SPEAKER_00: Because of the love that God has shown, because of the salvation you receive, being filled with the Spirit, I then love the Lord.
SPEAKER_00: I desire the Lord to do his work, I desire to live my life, to honor the Lord.
SPEAKER_00: And then I just can't help but worship the Lord through song because of what he has done.
SPEAKER_00: Like the the evidence of a spirit-filled church is a church that sings praises to God because they can't do anything but praise God.
SPEAKER_00: Like you being the manly man standing there going, I love the Lord, but I'm not gonna sing.
SPEAKER_00: I don't know, brother.
SPEAKER_00: A life that's spirit-filled is one that the Lord works on.
SPEAKER_00: Jesus said, You'll worship him in spirit and in truth.
SPEAKER_00: And as that spirit moves and brings to mind the truth of his word, it stirs an affection for the Lord of what he has done for you that is expressed without any hesitation in song.
SPEAKER_00: A spirit-filled life.
SPEAKER_00: The spirit permeates through you, reaching every part of your life to make you more like Jesus.
SPEAKER_00: A per spirit-filled life that's permeating through you that way when you read the scripture, the spirit reveals to you as you read the scripture how beautiful Jesus is, how gentle he is, how worthy he is, how loving he is, and you go, man, I want to be like that.
SPEAKER_00: God, make me more like Jesus.
SPEAKER_00: Help me to be more forgiving, help me to be more gentle, help me to have more self-control, give me more faith.
SPEAKER_00: All of these things I see when I read your word because the spirit is revealing to me all that you are and calling me to so much more than I have saddled, settled for.
SPEAKER_00: You should have.
SPEAKER_00: Spirit-filled life says the same thing that John the Baptist says.
SPEAKER_00: What did he say in chapter 3, verse 30 of John?
SPEAKER_00: He must increase, and I must decrease.
SPEAKER_00: That is a spirit-filled life.
SPEAKER_00: Look at the subpoint that I have really quick.
SPEAKER_00: The effects of being spirit filled with the spirit are a thankful and humble heart.
SPEAKER_00: That spirit should be capitalized.
SPEAKER_00: I'm sorry.
SPEAKER_00: The effects of being filled with the spirit are a thankful and humble heart.
SPEAKER_00: A heart that is thankful for what God has done, that sees his death on the cross, not as something to just glance at and keep going the way that you want to go, living the way that you want to live, but a life that sees the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross, recognizing it was for your sin and going, man, I want to live my life in a way that responds worshipfully to what you have done for me.
SPEAKER_00: I want to live my life like that.
SPEAKER_00: I don't want to worry about this person living their life that way.
SPEAKER_00: I want to live that way.
SPEAKER_00: And as I find myself in communion with you, with other brothers and sisters, I want to encourage them to join with me as we seek to live that way.
SPEAKER_00: A spirit-filled heart is one that is fueled by the Word of God and so moved by the Word of God that the response is thanksgiving and praise through singing to the God that has saved them.
SPEAKER_00: So let me ask you a question this morning.
SPEAKER_00: Are you allowing the Holy Spirit to expose darkness in your heart and continue to conform you into the image of Christ?
SPEAKER_00: That's a question for you to ask yourself.
SPEAKER_00: That's not a question for you to like nudge your neighbor beside and be like, yeah, are we?
SPEAKER_00: That's not a question for you to look at your spouse and and kind of give them the side eye.
SPEAKER_00: That's a question for you to ask.
SPEAKER_00: Are you allowing the Holy Spirit to permeate through you, to be filled with the Holy Spirit?
SPEAKER_00: Are you allowing the Holy Spirit to expose darkness in your heart and continue to conform you into the image of Christ?
SPEAKER_00: Or are you just kind of leisurely strolling your way through life, thinking that you can have Jesus on the side, but also live how you want and everything's gonna be okay.
SPEAKER_00: It's not.
SPEAKER_00: The wrath of God is coming for sin.
SPEAKER_00: This is the warning.
SPEAKER_00: The wrath of God is coming for sin because God is holy.
SPEAKER_00: We sing that.
SPEAKER_00: He is holy forever, he is righteous, and sinfulness is against his holiness.
SPEAKER_00: It it absolutely disregards his holiness.
SPEAKER_00: It is an offense to his holiness.
SPEAKER_00: Your sin and my sin spit upon the face of God who is holy.
SPEAKER_00: Yet God being rich in mercy came and died on a cross.
SPEAKER_00: He was beaten, he was also spit upon, he was flogged, he was mocked so that he could.
SPEAKER_00: Die in your place to pay the penalty for your sins so that you could have life in him and salvation from that sin and life now filled with satisfaction in who he is, sealing for you an eternity where you get to go be with him.
SPEAKER_00: This is what God has done for you.
SPEAKER_00: So let me ask you the question again: knowing that, being reminded of that gospel truth, are you allowing the Holy Spirit to expose the dark places of your heart that you know are there?
SPEAKER_00: And are you allowing the Spirit to conform you into the image of Christ?
SPEAKER_00: If that answer is no, then the question becomes Am I really a child that's seeking to look like Christ?
SPEAKER_00: Am I really a child of God that is seeking to look like God?
SPEAKER_00: You're in here this morning, and I know that there are areas of your life that you're going, that's me.
SPEAKER_00: Maybe you're a follower of Christ in here this morning, you're like, I got him.
SPEAKER_00: That's me.
SPEAKER_00: I've been trying to kick this anger, I've been trying to kick this slander, I've been trying to kick this lack of gentleness, I've been trying to kick this no self-control, all of these things.
SPEAKER_00: What God is calling from you today is to be spirit-filled.
SPEAKER_00: Allow the spirit to permeate through you.
SPEAKER_00: So you're saying, how allow the spirit to do his work through his word, and allow his word to influence every area of your life.
SPEAKER_00: His word is a lamp unto my feet and a light into my path.
SPEAKER_00: His word is what leads me and guides me.
SPEAKER_00: It is his word that leads me down paths of righteousness.
SPEAKER_00: It is his word that leads me through this life.
SPEAKER_00: Start in the word.
SPEAKER_00: No.
SPEAKER_00: Start before his throne in prayer on your face, asking him to do that work in you.
SPEAKER_00: Allow his conviction to lead you to the word so that you would read to know and understand, grow in the knowledge of him, of who he is and what he's done for you.
SPEAKER_00: Maybe you're in here this morning and you're sitting back going, I have never done that in my life.
SPEAKER_00: But while I've been talking, there's been this prompting in your spirit to say that needs to be you.
SPEAKER_00: That needs to be you.
SPEAKER_00: You need to repent of sin.
SPEAKER_00: You need to be crushed in Christ Jesus.
SPEAKER_00: You need to repent of sin.
SPEAKER_00: You need to trust in Christ Jesus.
SPEAKER_00: Repent of your sin.
SPEAKER_00: Trust in Christ Jesus.
SPEAKER_00: That is the work of the Holy Spirit knocking at your door, calling you to salvation.
SPEAKER_00: This morning, would you receive that?
SPEAKER_00: It is a free gift of salvation.
SPEAKER_00: You don't have to perform your way into his good graces.
SPEAKER_00: You don't have to perform your way into his love.
SPEAKER_00: He lavishes it on you and he gives it to you through Christ Jesus.
SPEAKER_00: But I will tell you this: He will take you from where you are now and take you closer to Him.
SPEAKER_00: He doesn't leave you in that place of sin to allow you to stay there to continue to walk in sin.
SPEAKER_00: No, He will call you to righteousness and He will call you to Him.
SPEAKER_00: But I can tell you this it is the most satisfying call that I have ever received.
SPEAKER_00: It is the most joyous calling that you can ever have in your life.
SPEAKER_00: And it brings peace that nothing else can to know that the God who created the universe and you, who paid for your sin, loves you and is Lord over your life.
SPEAKER_00: There's nothing else that can satisfy your heart like that.
SPEAKER_00: We're going to go into a time of response.
SPEAKER_00: We're going to sing songs of response, but there's going to be pastors up front during that time.
SPEAKER_00: If you would like to pray with the pastor, if you would like to ask how what must I do to be saved, would you come and respond to the word of God?
SPEAKER_00: Let's pray.