What is the place in the cannon of Scripture for the Book of Joshua? What place do we give it in out lives? We read it as the story of God building a people to birth His Messiah out of. But also it can be guidance for how we are to live as His people, drawing on principals and ways we can relate to our Lord. Today’s passage shows us a a continuing pattern of God leading His people. He makes it clear what He is going to do and then He does it. As part of that He calls His people to purity and obedience as they follow where He leads.

Before when God took His people OUT of Egypt He took them through water. When He brings His people INTO The Promised Land, it is through water also. He does what we can’t… which is the basis for our relationship with Him.

We cannot remove the guilt of our rebellion against our creator, yet we all long for that barrier to be removed between us and God. Christ removed that barrier by doing what only God could do: paying the price for our sin and then rising to show HE is the master of life and death and so He can give us eternal life. So we follow by faith, in obedience and without fear: because we have given Jesus Christ our lives!

Today we see an example of God doing what only He can do and He people doing what they have been called to do

Joshua Chapter 3

1 Early the next morning Joshua and all the Israelites left Acacia Grove and arrived at the banks of the Jordan River, where they camped before crossing.

• God placed the people so that everyone could see the obstacle
• What did they know of water? Could any of them swim?

2 Three days later the Israelite officers went through the camp, 3 giving these instructions to the people: “When you see the Levitical priests carrying the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord your God, move out from your positions and follow them.

• They do another three days (time of preparation)
• For the last 40 years they have moved when the Ark moved

4 Since you have never traveled this way before, they will guide you. Stay about half a mile behind them, keeping a clear distance between you and the Ark. Make sure you don’t come any closer.”

• Only Joshua & Caleb had been this way… walking thru bodies of water
• Why were they told to keep such a distance?

5 Then Joshua told the people, “Purify yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do great wonders among you.”

• ‘Consecrate’ or ‘Set Apart’ (obedience to what God has made very clear: Law)
• Purify yourselves had some very specific practices involved for them
• We don’t do it by prescription of ‘The Law’ (Ritual that played a role)
• We ‘set ourselves apart’ by being obedient to Christ, empowered by HIS Spirit

6 In the morning Joshua said to the priests, “Lift up the Ark of the Covenant and lead the people across the river.” And so they started out and went ahead of the people.

• The Ark was going to take them through the water…sound familiar?
• Ark means ‘vessel of safe keeping’
• Noah’s Ark kept people and creatures safe, now it is God’s written Words
• The Ark of The Covenant was the carrier of the manifestation of God on earth
• Mercy Seat / Mana / Bidding Staff / The Five Books of Moses: Pentateuch

7 The Lord told Joshua, “Today I will begin to make you a great leader in the eyes of all the Israelites. They will know that I am with you, just as I was with Moses. 8 Give this command to the priests who carry the Ark of the Covenant: ‘When you reach the banks of the Jordan River, take a few steps into the river and stop there.’”

• God uses leaders; geographically local and relationally available leaders
• Joshua is a unique leader, but he represents a pattern of how God works
• God is just beginning to make Joshua a great leader (in the eyes of people)
• God’s leadership training program is ‘Learn to Lead by Following HIM’
• God is recreating a miracle HE 1^st did through Moses (repetition of HIS ways)

9 So Joshua told the Israelites, “Come and listen to what the Lord your God says. 10 Today you will know that the living God is among you. He will surely drive out the Canaanites, Hittites, Hivites, Perizzites, Girgashites, Amorites, and Jebusites ahead of you.11 Look, the Ark of the Covenant, which belongs to the Lord of the whole earth, will lead you across the Jordan River!”

• Joshua takes the focus off of himself, God’s Word is what we listen to
• On this day, more so than yesterday, you will experience God personally
• That experience is going to make you confident about where you are headed
• The opposition will be dealt with by The Living God Himself!
• His personal presence embodied in HIS Written Word is going to take you thru
• We can apply these principals to our lives (it begins and ends with God’s Word)

12 “Now choose twelve men from the tribes of Israel, one from each tribe.”

• Choose for what? Each tribe is going to volunteer a guy but the job is unknown
• Are you willing to volunteer without knowing the assignment or being credited?

13 “The priests will carry the Ark of the Lord, the Lord of all the earth. As soon as their feet touch the water, the flow of water will be cut off upstream, and the river will stand up like a wall.” 14 So the people left their camp to cross the Jordan, and the priests who were carrying the Ark of the Covenant went ahead of them.

• The Lord of all the earth…
• HIS power will flow through their feet, instead of making the Ark touch the water
• God has always wanted to involve people in the display of HIS Glory
• They are told to do it and they just do it

15 It was the harvest season, and the Jordan was overflowing its banks. But as soon as the feet of the priests who were carrying the Ark touched the water at the river’s edge, 16 the water above that point began backing up a great distance away at a town called Adam, which is near Zarethan. And the water below that point flowed on to the Dead Sea until the riverbed was dry.

• They had been looking at the swollen river for three days, but God said…
• It happens: God gave the vision, the people did what God told them to do: BAM
• The supernatural aspect of this must have been overwhelming

Then all the people crossed over near the town of Jericho.

• It was in sight of people on the walls of the city
• Close to two million people, plus animals…how long would that take?

17 Meanwhile, the priests who were carrying the Ark of the Lord’s Covenant stood on dry ground in the middle of the riverbed as the people passed by. They waited there until the whole nation of Israel had crossed the Jordan on dry ground.

• All the while the priest stand there with the Ark
• What were their names? Did they have any idea what they had signed up for?

Title: When Led By God…We have nothing to fear

SUMMARY:

God’s uses HIS servants to lead HIS people by HIS Presence & HIS Word to places they have not been, in ways they have not traveled. This is part of what makes us HIS Community.

As HIS people, our obedience is crucial, how we set ourselves apart to God as we follow HIM has always mattered. If we want to see HIS wonders, we have to do things HIS way!

The Jordan river is symbolic of frightening challenges we must trust God to lead us through as we follow HIM. The same God who made a way then can make a way now!

Those who serve God’s Word & God’s Community must be willing to do whatever, whenever and not get much attention.

APPLICATION:

What are some specific things you could change that would help to purify yourself / set yourself apart to God?

What is an example of something you have not tried to do because you don’t think you can do it?

What is an example of something you have done that you didn’t think you could do until you trusted God for it?

What is your contribution to the Midtown culture of humble, faithful service?

How might you better prepare for your role as a member of God’s people based on Scripture and Church History?

VISION & PRACTICE

Vision: Our world is not a ‘brave new world’… it is a world dominated by fear!

As God’s people / Jesus’ Body we can live without fear when we let God lead us!

Practice: Our lives can be set apart to God, not taken up with self fulfillment and consumerism. Our day to day can be full of God’s presence by obeying scripture.

How we are going to be reading the book of Joshua: They were God’s people then… WE are God’s people now. The principles God is wanting us to live by are the same now as they were then

Today’s passage is about God’s people preparing to take the land they have been promised. It is also about committing to do it together (physical presence) Is there spiritual ground that you know is yours and yet you have not taken possession of it? Have you fallen short of your growth expectations and have not matured in your disciple walk like you thought you were going to? Have you considered that you have not grown as much as you can because you have not not been consistently, physically present with your fellow Spirit indwelt Christ followers? Perhaps what is holding you back is that you have not been present with your brothers & sisters as they face challenges.

I learned early on in my walk the value of ‘Showing Up’. Prior to coming to christ I was fine not going to church or small group… I could always find reasons to miss. Once Christ made me His I was drawn to gatherings of God’s people.

God’s word teaches that as Christ’s Body our lives must be connected, physically. Can you be part of a body and not ever be physically in the same place as all the other members of that body?

Your possessing of the Spiritual ground God is giving you is tied to the community He has placed you into. That ground has to be covered together with the rest of the body, physically together! Being there ‘In Spirit’ won’t cut it! 90% of discipleship is SHOWING UP! The devil’s favorite trick on you is to get you to not show up.

The people of Israel are now being commanded to take the rest of the land God has promised them. Three tribes have already been given their land. The leader God has appointed tells the people what they are to do. For some of them it means leaving the land they have been given to help their brothers & sisters possess THEIR promised land.

Today’s text has a clear lesson about following God’s appointed leaders. A lesson about being physically with your ‘tribe’ / church family / Body of Christ, and a lesson about how our eternities are connected thru Christ.

WE ARE BROTHERS AND SISTERS BY GOD’S SPIRIT, WE STICK TOGETHER!

BIG Themes of the Book of Joshua:

• Our obedience can fuel the miraculous
• We are to take possession of what God promises us
• Trusting God’s sovereignty enables us to be strong and courageous
• The exercise of true faith requires us to act
• Our disobedience can lead to disaster
• Leadership matters to all of us
• God always fulfills His Promises

How did last week end? “This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” ~ God @ Joshua 1:9

Pt. 2: Unity of Physical Presence 1:10-18

10 Joshua then commanded the officers of Israel, 11 “Go through the camp and tell the people to get their provisions ready. In three days you will cross the Jordan River and take possession of the land the Lord your God is giving you.”

• Torch passed, marching orders given, time to get ready…3 days until GO TIME!
• They are not going to ‘take’ the land, they are going to possess what God gives
• There’s no spiritual ground you can ‘take’ on your own, God has to give it to you

12 Then Joshua called together the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh. He told them, 13 “Remember what Moses, the servant of the Lord, commanded you: The Lord your God is giving you a place of rest. He has given you this land.’”

• Joshua reminds them of what has been agreed to back in Deuteronomy 3
• These three tribes already received their land, they are on it as they speak

14 “Your wives, children, and livestock may remain here in the land Moses assigned to you on the east side of the Jordan River. But your strong warriors, fully armed, must lead the other tribes across the Jordan to help them conquer their territory.”

• Your families and herds can stay here but you need to physically go with us
• They will actually be the ‘Vanguard’, the guys in front
• They helped you possess your land, you are going to help them possess theirs
• We are to play a role in the spiritual growth of others, to show up for them

15 “Stay with them until the Lord gives them rest, as he has given you rest, and until they, too, possess the land the Lord your God is giving them. Only then may you return and settle here on the east side of the Jordan River in the land that Moses, the servant of the Lord, assigned to you.”

• You can’t leave until the job is done! You got your land (rest), they get theirs
• Once your brothers have possessed their land you can go back home
• Physical presence is required…

16 They answered Joshua, “We will do whatever you command us, and we will go wherever you send us. 17 We will obey you just as we obeyed Moses. And may the Lord your God be with you as he was with Moses.”

• Absolute submission to Joshua; because of God
• God appointed Moses, we obey! God appointed Joshua, we obey!
• They are praying that God is with Joshua as He leads (The Lord YOUR God)

18 “Anyone who rebels against your orders and does not obey your words and everything you command will be put to death. So be strong and courageous!”

• Not only will they obey Joshua’s authority but they will kill anyone who doesn’t
• Because we are behind you: be strong & courageous
• Leaders need people to follow them well for them to lead well
• When people respect the authority God has placed them under, leaders do well

SUMMARY:

You (Christian) may need to prepare in order to possess new spiritual ground by following the leaders God has placed you under. All spiritual growth is God Given, your job is to make the most of what HE gives you!

Life as a part of God’s people involves sacrifice and a large part of that is showing up for others and being with people. You are not a functioning part of the body of Christ if you are not physically present when they gather.

Our spiritual destinies are tied together by the Spirit Christ puts in His followers, that means we stay together in hard times and we receive what God has for us together, in person.

God places each of us under spiritual leadership and He expects us to honor that leadership. We are to unite behind and be protective of the leadership God puts us under, this glorifies God.

APPLICATION:

Are you ready to cover some new spiritual ground? How would you determine that?

As a member of this church body, what can you give to others with your physical presence and care? Is this a priority in your life?

Are you convinced that God desires each of us to be in regular physical contact with the rest of the church body He has placed us in? If not, why? If so, how consistent are you about showing up?

How well do you support the leadership of the body God has placed you in? How might you do a better job of that? (be specific)

THE CHALLENGE: SHOW UP!

This letter is addressed to those defined as ‘The Saints’. This scripture assumes a faith in Christ as Lord. Throughout this letter The Holy Spirit uses Paul to communicate to His Church in Ephesus and His Church Universal, a number of key truths. These truths shape our Biblical Culture here at Midtown Church. Here is a relatively comprehensive overview of this letter’s ‘Big Ideas’ for us as individuals and as Christ’s Body:

• We don’t in any way deserve to be rescued from eternal separation from God, what we call HELL. But in His amazing love the Triune God of Scripture predestined those who surrender their lives to the Biblical Jesus Christ to an eternity WITH HIM, based on HIS grace alone.
• We are all rescued by the same God, by means of the same sacrifice and resurrection, indwelt by the same Spirit and given the same eternal destiny based on the same Word of God that has been understood by HIS people the same way since MOSES!!!
• We have been illuminated by God’s sovereign agency to saving faith, moving us from a state of spiritual darkness to one of Spiritual enlightenment.
• Being ‘enlightened’ by Christ informs and governs all of our conduct and relationships, aligning our standards and values with scripture.
• We are no longer separate ethnicities but are together one people’ in Christ.
• We have been birthed into His body so we can grow and mature in Christ-likeness.
• We actively, not theoretically, devote our lives & lifestyles to the Biblical Jesus Christ.
• As members of Christ’s Body we are part of a supernatural war, so we must rely on His power to hold our own in the battle between Good & Evil.

This letter is chocked full of Gospel Truth but the truth that each of us must personally embrace before any of this letter matters is what Jesus The Christ said:

Then Jesus said to his disciples,“If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it. And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul?”

~ Jesus Christ @ Matthew 16:24-26 NLT

You can do it today: cry out to God, repent of your sin and lay down your life. To quote Jim Elliot: “”He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose.”

OUR TEXT TODAY:

The last party of chapter 6, verses 10-24, is the conclusion to this letter. We want to view this text together with the passage last week, as examples of lifestyle, disciplines and habits that move us towards the relational and conduct standards for Christ’s follower. As His Body it is how we live in honor of HIM! In other words this is some of how we fashion a Biblical lifestyle that God will use to make us more like Christ Jesus and bring His presence to our world.

The beginning of this final passage sets the tone for how we lead this lifestyle we have been called to (Ephesians 4:1)

6:10 So in all things, be continuously invigorated by our Lord and His all surpassing power.

…be supernaturally infused with strength through your life-union with the Lord Jesus. ~ The Passion Translation

…draw your strength and might from God. ~ The Voice Translation

…be strong—not in yourselves but in the Lord, in the power of his boundless resource. ~ The JB Phillips Translation

This is the call to be in intimate relationship with God the Father, because of what Jesus the Son did, connected by the Spirit He places in us. Keeping that in our sights, let us look at the end of Ephesians:

Ephesians 6:18-24

18 And at all times, use all methods of prayer, always communicating with God thru His Spirit. To make this happen remain attentive, fully dedicated to always seeking God’s favor for all of His people.

• This is not the idea of saying prayers…this is constantly connection with God
• ‘All’ 4 times in the sentence is not bad grammar…repetition always has a point
• God’s Spirit in us is the connectivity
• One of our key purposes in pray is to seek God’s favor for other believers

19 And pray for me that when I speak God will speak through me and I will be without fear to declare the mystery that is the Gospel message.

• We are to ask other members of Christ’s body to pray for us
• We should remember those on the front lines and uphold them in prayer
• Every month I send a donation for the church to D.R., for me & Barbie to Israel
• The focus is on God using people to declare HIS message
• In this case Paul is asking that that the Ephesians pray for him to be fearless

20 Being an ambassador of that message has landed me in prison. Ask God that I keep declaring the message faithfully when given the opportunity to speak.

• Paul sets for us an example of going wherever God leads
• Paul understands his role and that he needs God to empower him to fulfill it
• Behind every person sent to do God’s will there are always people praying
• Ultimately the focus is not on Paul’s wellbeing but on getting the message out

21 To get you up to speed on what my situation is and how I am holding up, Tychicus, a dear brother and servant leader of the Lord is going to share all the details with you. 22 I sent him to let you know what has transpired, and to bless your hearts.

• Part of what hold people together in Christ is knowing about the other people
• Communication of information regarding ministry and what God is doing
• Those who pray need to know what is going on so they will be encouraged
• The body is blessed through prayer and the sharing of information and feelings

23 God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ gives peace, generous love and faith to the members of His body. His grace is with all who truly and devotedly love our Lord Jesus Christ.

• A promise from God to give His people what they truly need
• A statement of fact about God’s grace being upon those devoted to Christ

SUMMARY:

Members of Christ’s Body are meant to have a different orientation towards prayer. It should be marked with constancy, creativity, Spirit-connectivity, and a focus on asking God to bless other members of ‘His Body’.

We are called to pray for those God has raised up to declare the Gospel in hostile and dangerous places. Our prayers spiritually and emotionally sustain kingdom work on ‘The Front Lines’.

Our prayers for those on the front lines should always be more concerned with the message getting out rather than the circumstances of the Ambassador we are praying for.

Staying in touch and having accurate information regarding kingdom work and the kingdom workers strengthens the relational bonds that keep the body together. The blessings of intertwined care flow both ways.

All members of Christ’s Body are ultimately sustained by His gifts of peace, love and faith, we access those gift through prayer. Our loving surrender of our lives to Christ releases all of these gifts to us ‘In Christ’!

APPLICATION:

How much have you intentionally developed your prayer life? What are the methods of prayer you need to grow in?

Intercessory / Worship / Listening / Imaginative / Scripture / Presence / Prayer Lists Thanksgiving / Non-verbal H.S. / Consecration / Corporate / Confession / Tongues

Increase or begin cultivating relationships to prayerfully support Kingdom Workers in hostile territory! (Carlos & Manuel in The D.R.)

In the Body God has placed you in currently, how can you play a more active and informed role in prayer concerning that Body?

Then Jesus said to his disciples,“If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it. And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul?” ~ Jesus Christ @ Matthew 16:24-26 NLT

The letter to the church @ Ephesus starts with the Holy Spirit clearly defining salvation in Christ: how God predestined Christ to be crucified and resurrected to forgive our sin and how those He predestines to eternal life receive that forgiveness and the indwelling of His Spirit.

The part we just finished declares that ‘In Christ’ we are spiritually enlightened: that brings us to eternal life and enables us to live and grow ‘In Light of Christ’. Some examples of how we live In Light of Christ as HIS body:

We surrender our lives and let God do a renovation project of our thoughts & actions. We are unified as Christ’s Bond Servants, around the singular message of Scripture that has been the same for 2000 years. We are to have nothing to do with; sexual relations that are not God ordained, all forms of impurity and lust, and foolish talk full of obscenity and degrading humor.

There are various other things: for a full recap listen to all the sermons!

Last week The Holy Spirit gave us specific instruction on dealing with substances and about the central human relationship of biblical marriage. In both cases we get to obey God’s Word as it has been practiced for centuries.

Today the Holy Spirit is going to give us clear guidance as to how we get to deal with relationships that are difficult by nature and can entangle us in sin.

We are called to do these relationships different than the world that does not name Christ as Lord. We get to obey the ‘The Light’ Christ has placed in us, so we can shine that light into our relationships.

Whether it is our relationship with our parents, our co-workers, our children, our boss or our subordinates…what is the overarching focus in how we relate? What is the essential attitude we as Christ’s Body can brings to these relationships? How shall we specifically conduct ourselves? What are our standards as ‘Bond Servants of Christ’?

Here at Midtown, as Christ’s body, we get our attitude, values and standards from the inspired word of God: The Bible. For two thousand years it has guided ‘The Church’ with clear theology and applications that always seeks to emulate our Lord Jesus Christ.

Ephesians 6:1-9

1 Our Children are to obey their parents in light of our Lord. This is the essence of righteousness: 2 ‘honor your father and mother’. It is the first commandment containing a promised blessing: 3 ‘so that you may be established and live long in the chosen Land’.

• As Christ’s Church we are ‘The Called Out Ones’. We have a different standard
• We can only raise OUR children. We are fighting against a perverse culture
• When children obey their parents, things are as they were meant to be: SHALOM
• There are no conditions on the command to honor our parents (good or bad)
• The way we honor God is by obeying him
• The way we honor our parents is by obeying them (there are exceptions)
• So how does the promise work? Obedience to parents is a foundation we establish faith on
• As dependent children the focus is on obeying our parents
• As an independent adult the focus shifts to honoring

4 Likewise, fathers don’t exasperate your children. Instead, gently educate them in Our Lord’s council and guidance.

• You exasperate your children when you have unreasonable expectations of them
• Putting too much pressure on them, assuming they know things they don’t
• When parents are patient & gentle with their children…more SHALOM
• Our standard is to have a Christ-Like attitude as we teach them Christ’s ways
• The assumption is that in the body of Christ, children will be taught God’s ways
• When we do things God’s way our relationships will be rich and loving
• This can pertain to your ‘Spiritual Children’ as a mentor discipling someone

5 Obey those people who have been placed in authority over you with reverence, honor and sincerity, just as you would obey Christ.

• How to be a good employee: do what your boss says!
• What if they are wrong?
• What makes you think you know enough to understand what they should do?
• Recognize your place and honor those who God has placed you under
• Stay in your lane: worry about honoring Christ rather than if your boss is right
• It is not just obey, obey them like you would Christ

6 Don’t seek attention and accolades from people, but from Christ. Continue intentionally seeking God’s will, 7 enthusiastically serving The Lord, not people. 8 Be assured that everyone who does what is virtuous will be rewarded by our Lord no matter their status.

• Who is your Lord and God? Who sets that standards you shoot for?
• Who is the ONE you get to be focused on pleasing?
• Do us humans like to have others notice and admire us? Oh yeah!
• Continuously serving is the means by which we intentionally seek the Lord’s will
• In Christ’s body we do what is right based on scripture & Christ rewards us!
  • (Disclaimer: That reward may not be until heaven)

9 And those placed in authority must themselves do the same; don’t use that authority to oppress those under you. We act this way because we know who has all authority; He inhabits the heavens, and there is no injustice in Him.

• As a follower of Christ we are called to a different view of authority & position
• Matthew 20:25-28: But Jesus called them to him and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great men exercise authority over them. It shall not be so among you; but whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave; even as the Son of man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
• Do the same: Intentionally seek God’s will & approval / serve the Lord / do right
• YOU, Bond Servant of Christ get to not oppress those serving under you
• WHY? Because you know God! You have surrendered your life to Christ!
• No one surrenders to Christ unless they believe HE has all authority
• HE not only inhabits the heavens, HE owns the heavens… HE IS the heavens
• HIS standards are perfect, HIS justice is perfect & HE will dispense it perfectly

SUMMARY:

For those in the Body of Christ, all of our relationships are to be lived ‘In Light of Christ’.

In Jesus’ Biblical Church, dependent children obey their parents as a demonstration of their obedience to Christ.

God’s command to Honor our parents is not conditioned on them being honorable. God is the ‘Honorable One’. We honor HIM by obeying & honoring our parents.

In the practice of benevolent headship over their family, fathers are to be focused on instructing their children in the ways of Christ, with His grace and patience.

When God places us under a boss in an organization or community we obey Christ by obeying that boss in the exact way we would obey Christ if HE was our boss.

In our Bible based culture we orient our lives to please an audience of ONE: Christ. We don’t live to please or get attention from people who don’t have biblical values.

Serving Christ’s Body while seeking God’s will gets us doing what He considers virtuous and worthy of earthy or eternal reward.

If God places us in authority over anyone, we are to emulate Christ in the exercise of that authority; balancing grace & truth.

We don’t use our God given authority to participate in the evil oppression of those under us because we know and trust God’s authority, power and justice.

APPLICATION:

How could you improve your biblical obedience and honoring of your parents?

As a father or mentor what can you stop doing that exasperates your child / protegee?

What are some attitudes and actions you have toward your boss that are not Christ honoring? What needs to change?

How are you guilty of pleasing people rather than pleasing God? What needs to change?

What are intentional ways you can follow Christ’s example in the treatment of any subordinates you have?

I believe ‘Light’ is one of God’s favorite and most powerful ways to describe HIS essence. The Biblical Jesus Christ uses ‘Light Examples’ about 35 times (based on translation) to describe God. In the New Testament ‘Light’ is used to describe God or His influence more than 80 times! 

When scripture speaks of God’s light it is not natural light, it is ‘supernatural light’. There are supernatural connotations attached to the way Jesus, Paul and other New testament writers used ‘Light’. It was understood to mean ‘Spiritual Illumination’ & ‘Divine Enlightenment’. 

In this section of the letter to the Church in Ephesus, the Holy Spirit uses ‘Light’ in this way SIX times, drawing a stark contrast to what is not God’s light, spiritual darkness, which is described as willful rebellion, unrepentance and sin lifestyles.

Light is universally valued, desired and considered good. About the only time that light is not embraced is when it exposes things we don’t want to see. What makes us want to hide from the light? SIN! Part of God ‘Enlightening’ our thinking enables us to admit to our sin and renounce it. This is broadly know as repentance. Repentance is an incredible gift from God! Don’t underestimate the role it plays in salvation and the subsequent life of a disciple.

Ephesians 5:1-15

1 Since we are His prized offspring, let’s keep on imitating God, 2 grounding our lives in generous love just as Christ loved us; laying down His life as a fragrant sacrificial offering to God on our behalf.

• Our (Christ’s Church) motivation is based on revealed spiritual reality (Gospel)
• God made us His eternal kids by dying to forgive us
• He made the offering that we could not; the offering that was good enough
• We follow His ways by laying down our lives
• The foundation of our lives is the sacrifice Christ made for us: Generous Love
• This is the ‘Big Picture’ of how we live (We need big picture & specific lifestyle)

3 In light of this, allow no place in your community for the following: sexual relations that are not God ordained, all forms of impurity and lust, and 4 foolish talk full of obscenity and degrading humor. It is not proper for those who have been made holy to live in such ways. Instead live from a grateful heart. 

• So because of this overarching spiritual reality there are specific ‘Don’ts’
• We are to have a culture that calls these things what they are: SIN 
• We are to call them wrong but also to forgive those who repent of them
• Because we have been forgiven we live from the reality of ‘Gratefulness’
• We are not to tolerate a ‘little bit’ or change our standards to reflect the world
• 3 categories ‘Sin Lifestyle’ not to be confused w/ ‘acts of sin repented for’ 
• #1 The only sexual relations God ordains are within Biblical Marriage
• #2 We, Christ’s Spirit Indwelt Church, define impurity & lust based on scripture
• #3 Vulgar foolishness & degradation are also defined by scripture as ‘Anti-Christ’
• If Christ makes you holy; then you surrender how you live to HIM
• We must never, ever forget how much we’ve been forgiven, thankful for grace!

5 It is surely known amongst us that those who habitually fornicate, embrace impurity and defraud others as a lifestyle will not enjoy the privileges of Christ and of God’s Kingdom. Such people make these things their gods.

• From the beginning of ‘The Church’ certain things been agreed upon
• Have you studied the early church? What were their standards?
• Why in the world should ours be ANY different? Because we know better? HA!
• The language here clearly speaks of habitual, unrepentant lifestyles of sin
• Individuals Christ makes fit for His Kingdom He releases from the power of sin 
• God says: If you embrace and make sin a lifestyle, that is your god, not Christ

6 So don’t be fooled by false doctrine! It is clear that non-repentance of these things invokes the judgement of God upon those who are willfully disobedient. 7 Therefore do not partner in anything with such people.

• What is doctrine: Specific statements of theological truth
• What is false doctrine? Statements based on inaccurate bible interpretations
• Examples pertaining to our text:

• Doctrine that claims certain things are not really sin
• Doctrine that claims Christ has a different definition of sin VS the O.T.
• Doctrine that redefines certain sins based on current societal views 
• Doctrine that claims God gives forgiveness without repentance
• Doctrine that claims God will not judge us, He tolerates all sin 
• We must deal with God as He is revealed in Scripture

8 Once we all existed in spiritual darkness but now we are spiritually enlightened because of our Lord. 9 A life that flows from spiritual illumination yields virtue, integrity and truth 10 that comes from discerning what the Lord values. 

• We should always remain humble because we start without spiritual light
• ‘Spiritually Enlightenment’ happens by the power & will of GOD / CHRIST 
• HE is the source of our spiritual enlightenment, the life HE creates honors HIM
• Post Illumination: our lives display fruit that looks like God’s character 
• With HIS LIGHT we are now able to clearly see what really matters to God

11 Therefore don’t participate in the poisonous acts of spiritual darkness, 12 instead expose the unspeakable things that are done in secret. 13 Everything that is exposed to divine light is revealed for what it is.

• Because we have been given ‘The Light’, & know it’s good, we rebuke darkness
• Our goal & standard in the body of Christ is to have nothing to do with The Dark
• Don’t partake of evil AND take an active role in working to bring evil to light
• Expose evil to the light of God’s truth as a way of life!
• Ultimately all evil will be exposed for what it is, by God’s divine illumination.

14 Truly; God’s illumination clarifies all things. Scripture says: ‘when you are enlightened by Christ you are resurrected from spiritual death’. 15 So pay close attention to how you conduct your daily life, don’t live like you’re without divine wisdom, but rather as one who is spiritually enlightened.

• ‘Truly’ conveys intense emphasis on the statement that follows it…
• Jesus used a similar phrase almost 80 time in the Gospels: “Truly I say to you…
• We need God to enable us to see things for what they truly are: Illumination!
• We only see Christ clearly when God gives us spiritual insight 
• If we have this ‘Enlightenment’, this Spiritual insight, then we should live like it
• The Spiritual reality God has enabled us to see will make us examine our living
• We must use the gift we have been given, to the Glory of God!

SUMMARY:

Part of the call to salvation in Christ is the call to imitate Him. The love that defined Christ sacrificial death on our behalf must also define the way we live as His Kids!

In light of The Gospel, there are things we are to have absolutely nothing to do with in our church body. At the same time our culture must clearly reflect the humble gratitude we share for what Christ has given us.

The standards and values of Christ’s Body were established based on The Old Testament and Christ’s teachings early on in the Apostolic Church, and have remained know since. We are warned by God about false doctrines because we can all be deceived if our guard is down.

We are to separate ourselves from evil conduct and the people who make sin their god and lifestyle. At the same time we are to be graceful and sympathetic for them because we all have come out of spiritual darkness.

The only thing that brought us out of spiritual darkness was God enlightening our minds to surrender to Christ. And by that divine illumination we are to live, imitating God’s character, heart and actions.

In the Biblical Body of Christ we intentionally uphold the God given standards in His Word, relying on the spiritual enlightenment that comes only from being resurrected by Christ to live God’s way.

APPLICATION:

Why are you a true imitator of The Biblical Christ? What does that look like?

When have you justified mixing darkness with light in your life and why?

Why would you say you have been spiritually enlightened? What evidence can you offer from your lifestyle?

Why do you think smart, honest, well meaning people in churches get deceived by false doctrines?

Last Words…

The all powerful God of the universe, the God revealed in The Bible, came to dwell amongst His creation to illuminate and enlighten our thinking as to who He really is: The essence of love, grace, mercy and forgiveness.

It is the illumination of divine enlightenment that causes us to surrender our lives to The Biblical Christ as His disciples. It is that same spiritual illumination that enables us to discern how we are to live based on the example of the Biblical Christ Jesus.