FHBC Sermon Notes

Sermon Audio: Click to Listen
Scripture: Ephesians 5:1-14 - Listen
This is such a awesome sermon for Father's Day. How great is it that God has these passages of study line up with the flow of our lives.

How do we walk in Light?

1. By imitating God. (5:1)
2. By demonstrating Christlike love toward the brethren. (5:2)
3. By abstaining from the practices of darkness. (5:3-6)
• Focus on the behaviors of the world, that are in contrast to the will of God. These are the sins that are related to how we interact and treat others. 
• What are these practices of darkness:  
• Sexual immorality: These activities were celebrated in the time of Paul.  When are truly into.  This is so bad, because it is rooted in lust, in the desire to find fulfillment in things other than God.  It is selfishness at its core, and ultimately it is idolatry.  
• Impurity: Related to the foulness of a wound. A NT example is perjury. The desire to lie to harm others. 
• Covetousness: 
• Sinful Speech: Foolish talk, crude joking. Why do we so often celebrate these things. . (Rebecca just wrote Go Jim! Go God! as he was making this point.) We as Christians love to debate this point. What is something we can joke about, and what is not?  I believe this is much simpler that it seems. We live in a world where joking is divided into child friendly or adult friendly.  This is what leads us wrong. It isn't a matter of whether it is socially acceptable, but whether is brings glory to God. Blood on a cross brought Him glory. The messiness of child birth brings him glory. Becoming filthy with grime in the service of other brings God glory. False interpretation of this verse has driven people to shelter away and not engage the world for Christ, but also what drives people to indulge and immerse our lives in this that bring no glory to God.
•  Idolatry - The core description of all of these sins.
• What results from all this?  The Wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.
• If we are living in faith, we evaluate our lives, and ask is Christ at work in us.  If so, we come to hate these things, for they are abominable to God. That which God hates, we hate.
4. By refusing to become partners with the people of darkness (5:7-11)
• This is not isolation, but to be partners.
• Partners - One who shares ownership and in relationship with another.
• Don't participate in their sin. 
• What are we do?  Walk as children of life.
• This is well said. It is the answer to how to engage the world. Isolation isn't the answer. Seek out the lost and shine Christ light on them! They are darkness, we are light in Christ.
• This is good verse to look at in regards to my essay on Avoid Obligation and Embrace Responsibility.
5. By exposing the darkness.
• Rebecca notes that this is hard for us. How do we shine our light in conversation with friends? I think part of the answer is not to argue from our own opinion - with polite societal plurality of truth, but instead claim and praise the Words of the One in whom we trust. "You know in whom I trust."
• What happens when shine the light? 
• Sometimes they hate the light.