I
am Adopted
Ephesians 5:1-21
Read Eph 5:1-21
That’s
a lot to unpack, so lets start in the fun stuff he had a lot of don’ts in there
so lets start with them.
DON’TS!
Do not engage in
sexual immorality or impurity.
·
“What if she’s hot?” So is hell. Put your hands
back where they belong.
·
What if He is Rich!! NO!
·
“What if we’re married in God’s eyes?” God’s
eyes are flaming, burning red. I assure you, you’re not married in his eyes.
·
“What if we’re gonna get married? What if we’ve
known each other for a long time? No! No more touching, no!
·
What’s it say in the Greek?” It says you’re
nasty. That’s what it says in the Greek.
·
“Do not
engage in”—and that’s a big junk-drawer word. Friends with benefits, adultery,
pornography—whatever. Just big old bucket of nastiness. No!
Number two, do not
engage in covetousness.
·
We call it advertising and marketing. we just
rename things, right?
·
So, coveting is when you’re like,
o “Boy,
that’s a nice car. I wish I had that car.”
o “Oh, they’re an attractive person. I wish I
was beautiful like them.”
o “Pastor
Chris has a nice Hat. I wish I had a Hat like that.”
·
It’s when
you see desirable things and you long for them in an unhealthy way.
Number three; do
not participate in filthiness, foolish talk, or crude humor.
·
Right? How many of you guys say stuff when
you’re with the guys that you would never say when the gals are around.
·
It’s inappropriate, crude, sexual, base, vulgar,
joking and jesting. I don’t know if women do this a lot. I know that men do,
right? He says, “No. Do not.”
Number four; do
not associate with sinful behavior.
·
It doesn’t say, “Don’t associate with sinful
people,” because you’d need to find a new planet!
·
But don’t participate in sinful
behavior—meaning, if some people are doing something that’s wrong, you can’t do
what they’re doing.
·
And the Holy Spirit will convict you, and you’ll
know. “I shouldn’t be here. I shouldn’t be doing this. This is wrong.
·
I know my group of friends does this, but I’ve
got to remove myself.
·
It doesn’t mean I can’t love them, I can’t be
friends with them, I can’t communicate with them. But when they’re going to do
that, I can’t go with them.”
·
Right, ladies? This is like your single
girlfriends. Friday night they get dressed up. Their hemline and neckline meet,
and they’re going out to do immoral things. You say, “You know what? I’m going
to find some sweats and just love Jesus, OK?” You can’t do what they’re doing.
Number five, do
not take part in works of darkness, but expose them.
·
This can be all kinds of things.
·
This can be whatever—and I love just the
language. It’s just dark.
·
What we tend to is when we’re in darkness, it’s
because we’re hiding. We’re doing something we’re not supposed to be doing.
·
D.L. Moody was fond of saying, “Character is
what you are in the dark.”
·
Do we think God cant see?? It’s not like God’s
in heaven going, “They turned the lights out. I wonder what they’re doing down
there. I wish I could see that. From the noises, it is concerning” right?
·
It’s sacred. It’s hidden.
o You
don’t want people to know you visited this website, you went to this place,
you’re engaged in this relationship, you’re participating in these activities.
You’re trying to keep it all in the darkness, and what he says is, “No, don’t
do that.
o “Expose
those things. Talk about those things. Confess those things. Get help for those
things.”
And number six, he
says do not get drunk.
·
Do not get drunk.
·
It’s not a sin to have a drink—if you’re over
twenty-one, you don’t cause others to stumble.
·
Because some of you grew up in religious
traditions where they did really weird things to the Bible. They’d go to “Jesus
turns water into wine.” They’d be like, “It’s grape juice.” No, it’s not.
·
All right, the Bible talks about wine. It talks
about alcohol. It talks about beer in Proverbs. It’s not a sin.
·
But it is a sin to disobey the law.
·
It is a sin to cause others to stumble.
·
And it is a sin to get drunk—to get drunk.
·
And yes, this would include other substances.
·
It means being controlled by another substance.
·
This would include prescription medications that
you’re just using in an unhealthy way.
·
This would include self-medicating with drugs,
alcohol of various sorts and kinds.
·
The Bible says that we’re to be self-controlled
and alert.
·
You can’t do that if you’re drunk or you’re
high.
·
he says, “Don’t get drunk. Be filled with the
Holy Spirit.”
·
Don’t escape your problems, overcome them by the
power of God.
And that’s the big idea of what he’s unpacking. So, there’s your six “Do not!”s.
Here are the Do’s!!
Imitate God (5:1)
·
This is sort of a definition of your life,
Imitate God.
·
How would God treat them?
·
What would God say?
·
What would God do? What would God give?
·
How would God respond?
·
How would God react?
·
What would God think?
·
What would God feel?
·
All of life now becomes God-centered.
We live life, then, coram Deo, as the theologians say,
“in the face of God.” And that’s worship—responding as God would respond,
reflecting who God is.
Walk in love (5:2)
·
This is a habitual, ongoing lifestyle.
·
You love people.
·
This includes generosity and affection and service and
investment in people.
Walk as in the light (5:8b)
·
This is being honest about your own sin, putting
it all out in the light.
·
Walking in the light means talking to God and
other Christians about our sins and our struggles.
·
I don’t want to hide it in the darkness, I bring
it out. I put it in the light. And I say, ‘Look, I need help. I need
accountability. I need support.
·
I’m here because I need Jesus and Jesus’
people.” That’s walking in the light.
·
Too oftentimes, I see people keep everything in
darkness until their life falls apart, and then run into church and try and
microwave relationships for help.
·
walk in the light before it’s a crisis. Allow
others to know you.
·
“Who are you? Who am I? “Where are you? Where am
I? “How can I help you? How can you help me so that together we can imitate
him?”
Discern what pleases God
(5:10)
·
All of sudden, then, for the Christian, life is
no longer, “What do I want?” The question is, What does he want? “Lord, what
would please you?
·
Should I do this or not do this?
·
Should I say this or not say this?
·
Should I give this or not give this?
·
Lord, what would please you? That’s the goal.
·
So often, we don’t ask that question. In fact,
we decide what we want, and then we pray, telling God what we want.
·
We need to first pray, “God, what do you want me
to do?” And then we should obey.
That’s why we have the Word of God, so that we can know
God and who he is, so that we can discern what pleases God. Most of the answers
to most of your questions have already been answered, and they’re right in your
bible And sometimes, Christians go searching for answers, and they should be
searching the Scriptures because that’s where the answers lie.
Walk as wise (5:15)
·
The world is filled with foolishness.
·
Some things are sinful. Others are just stupid;
they’re just dumb.
·
You can say, “Oh, it’s not a sin.” It’s not
wise.
·
That’s not a good use of your time.
·
That’s not a good use of your energy.
·
That’s not a good use of your money.
·
That’s not a good investment of your life. It’s
just not.
·
And I would put under this issue of wisdom the
practical, daily, simple issues of life.
o When
your hobbies overtake your life,
o When
you don’t have time for God and his people and his Word because of your
recreational activities,
o Your
online addiction, or your absolute obsession with social media
·
At the end of the day, you may say, “It’s not a
sin,” but it’s not wise.
·
And if you look at your life as a steward—“And I
only have so many dollars and so many days. How will I invest them so that it
would be what pleases God?”—it’ll help keep you from stupidity.
Make the best use of time
(5:16)
·
How are you doing with your time?
·
You and I only have a certain number of hours on
the earth.
·
We’re to make an investment, make a deposit for
the kingdom of God and the well being of others.
·
How is it going? I mean, today,
·
How much time is wasted surfing the Internet,
social media, gossiping, stalking, video game playing, chatting—just wasted
time?
·
I mean, in your pocket, you’ve got now, in the
shape of a phone, a potential capacity to waste your entire life.
·
How’s
your time?
Be filled with the Spirit
(5:18b)
·
Jesus promised us that he would return and that
he would send the Holy Spirit, and that he would convict us of sin.
·
He empowers the life of Jesus’ people. As he
allowed and empowered and enabled Jesus to be obedient, so he does the same for
us.
·
And we can live our lives not filled with
drunkenness but filled with the Spirit.
·
The holy Spirit is with you at salvation and is
just waiting on you to let him take charge of your life
·
“Be filled
with the Holy Spirit,” he’s saying, “Repent of your sin.
o Repent
of your foolishness.
o Repent
of your rebellion.
o Repent
of your hard heart and your stiff neck
The Holy Spirit wants to fill you, and he wants to change
you, and he wants to inform you and enlighten you, and he wants to move you,
and he wants to work through you, and he’s already there, and he’s waiting on
you. It’s not that the Holy Spirit is unwilling; it’s sometimes that we are.
That’s the issue.
Sing in passionate worship
to God (5:19)
·
Those who are filled with the Spirit—they sing.
·
Churches that believe in the Holy Spirit tend to
sing a lot louder, and their band, frankly, tends to be better. That’s why we
rock!
·
If you’re filled with the Holy Spirit, you want
to sing.
·
You can’t be filled with the Holy Spirit and not
sing.
·
Worship is happening everywhere. It certainly
should be happening among God’s people. They’re singing for their team. They’re
singing for their band. You may as well sing for the God who conquered sin and
death.
Give thanks (5:4, 20)
·
So, this is an attitude of gratitude where
you’re always wondering, “What could I be thankful for today?”
·
You need to be seeking and searching out the
goodness of God in your life, and then stopping to thank him for the grace that
he provides through the course of the day.”
Submit to one another (5:21)
·
This means, as you’re part of the church family,
if somebody loves Jesus and speaks into your life, you’re at least willing to
hear them.
·
It doesn’t mean you immediately agree with them,
but you’re willing to hear them, and if they’re right, you’re willing to
repent, to apologize, to learn, to make a course correction.
·
Because at the end of the day, to be filled with
the Spirit is to be submissive to the truth.
Your adopted by a
Father
So
if you’re new this is where you are expecting me (the Pastor) to put the hammer
down, Get moralistic on ya!! But that’s not the way to go about things, so then
how do we not do the things we shouldn’t, and do the things we should be
doing??
So
are you ready, are you ready??? Her ya go!! All right, here it is:
“Adopted by God the Father.” You know how you’re going to do what’s right and
not do what’s wrong? Not by getting focused on yourself but getting to know
your Dad.
He says in Ephesians 5:1, Christians are beloved children
of God. And he says at the end, in Ephesians 5:20, that God is our Father.
So, here’s our identity, if you’re a Christian, God’s our
Father, and we are beloved children. He already told us in Ephesians 1:5, at
the beginning of the book, that we’d been adopted.
You ever seen a kid who’s adopted? It’s a beautiful
thing, isn’t it? A kid doesn’t have a dad, and they get a dad. It changes that
kid’s whole life. Everything changes because of who their new dad is. Well,
God’s our Father, and this is a unique concept.
Eight times in Ephesians, he talks about God as our
Father, explicitly and overtly.
,
God’s heart is a
father’s heart.
·
God’s heart is an adoptive heart.
·
I want you to see salvation as adoption.
·
God’s a father who adopts his kids.
·
If you’re a Christian, he picked you. He picked
you to be his son or daughter.
·
He adopted you into his family.
·
You now bear the family name of “Christian.”
·
You now receive all the inheritance rights of
the Father, and that includes the totality of the kingdom of God.
Why does God do
this?
·
Because this is simply what he’s like.
·
He’s this great. He’s this glorious. He’s this
grand. He’s this good.
·
God is a father and Christians are adopted into
his family.
So, as we read this list from our Heavenly Father of “Do
not do this” and “Do, do that,” all of that is to be learned in community with
the family.
The view of God in the Bible is absolutely different than
the view of God in culture. In the Bible, God is Father. I need you to know that.
I need you to believe that. I need you to trust that. And for some of you, this
is a truth that’s gonna take awhile to penetrate your hardness of heart.
And Paul summarizes it by saying, “Be imitators of God as
dearly loved children of God.” That’s his thesis statement. Little kids who
have a dad who absolutely adores them want to be like their dad, right?
As dearly loved children of God, imitate your Dad. So,
number one, you’re adopted by God the Father.
Adopted With a New
Identity!!
Before you’re adopted by God the Father, as a non-
Christian, your identity is “Sons of disobedience under the wrath of God.” Once
God the Father adopts you into his family through Jesus—Ephesians 5:8—your new
identity is what? “Children of light.” “Dearly loved children,” he says as
well. Do you understand that?
·
Before you were a Christian, God was angry,
·
Now that you’re a Christian, he’s not.
·
Before you were a Christian, there was
punishment awaiting you.
·
Now that you’re a Christian, there’s not.
The punishment already went to Jesus; the wrath already
went to Jesus. Your big Brother took care of everything, friend. Everything’s
changed. You have been adopted in to Gods family by the work of your Big
Brother Jesus!
“You’re now
children of the light.”
·
That means that God’s grace is shining upon you.
·
God’s affection is always set before you.
·
God can’t love you any more.
·
He won’t love you any less.
·
And once he’s signed the adoption papers by
sealing you with the Holy Spirit, he will never leave you nor forsake you.
·
He will never disown you.
·
You are his child forever.
·
Your Dad loves you. It changes your identity,
right?
Adopted in to a family by
Jesus
The bible uses the language
of family!!
·
In Hebrews 2:17, it says
that Jesus had to be made like his brothers.
o See,
we’re the rebellious kids. It’s not that the Father has orphaned us, but
through sin, we’ve run away from home.
o We’ve
rebelled against our Father.
o So
Jesus, the second member of the Trinity, comes to human history and he’s made
like his brothers.
o He
takes upon himself human flesh.
o He
walks upon the earth.
o He
suffers temptation, though he says no to the temptation.
o And
he’s on a rescue mission to go out and get all the rebellious and wayward
children that the Father wants to adopt into the family.
·
Hebrews 2:11 says
that Jesus calls us his brothers if we are Christians.
·
Romans 8:29, where it
talks about salvation, that Jesus is the firstborn among many brothers.
A beautiful Love
Story
And Jesus is our big Brother died so that we could be
adopted into the family of God. And he rose, conquering sin and death, and he
reconciles all of the sons and daughters back to their loving Father. And
whatever inheritance we receive—the Holy Spirit, eternal life, forgiveness of
sin, the kingdom of God—all of those things are the possession of Jesus, the
firstborn, and he shares them with the family of God. It’s beautiful, isn’t it?
It’s amazing.
A couple of things
I want to say on that.
·
The church family is where you meet your
brothers and sisters.
·
You know why you need to be involved in church?
Because you don’t have a personal relationship with Jesus exclusively, you know
have brothers and sisters that you will spend eternity with
·
Everyone in the family has a chore!
For those of you who get frustrated with the church, hang
in there, because once a family works through their hard times, that tends to
be where they really know how to love one another. If you’re one of those
people who pull into the church, has a little conflict and pulls out, the
reason it doesn’t feel like family is because you keep quitting. I know I’ve
driven my family nuts. It’s my spiritual gift. But they have endured with me,
and as a result, we love each other. And that’s what families do: they hang in
there together.
And I want you to hear this, My heart for our church is a
family, and my heart is a father’s heart.
Adopted to
Worship!
Ephesians 5:18–21 (NLT)
18Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will
ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit,
19singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs
among yourselves, and making music to the Lord in your hearts.
20And give thanks for everything to God the
Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
21And further, submit to one another out of
reverence for Christ.
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