Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Evening Sermon Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/ev/ev20130519.htm

THE PRISON EPISTLES: NURTURE FOR OPPRESSED BELIEVERS
I. Ephesians: Nurture In Living Focused On God's Eternal Purpose For Christians
C. Nurture In Applying The Believer's Positional Truth To Life And Ministry
4. Nurture In A Godly Personal Walk
(Ephesians 5:1-17)
  1. Introduction
    1. When Paul wrote the "Prison Epistles" of Ephesians, Colossians, Philippians and Philemon, the fact that he was in prison troubled believers, Philippians 1:12-13; Colossians 2:1-2; 4:7-8 and Philemon 22; Ryrie Study Bible, KJV, 1978, p. 1672, "Introduction to the Letter of Paul to the Ephesians."
    2. To nurture his readers, and for them to nurture others, Paul urged them to apply their positional truths in Christ to a godly personal walk as described in Ephesians 5:1-17 as follows:
  2. Nurture In A Godly Personal Walk, Ephesians 5:1-17.
    1. The believer should walk in selfless love to enjoy God's blessing himself, Ephesians 5:1-2:
      1. In the realm of love, the believer should imitate God in Christ Who loved us so that He selflessly gave Himself for us as a sweet savour offering typified in Leviticus 1-3, Eph. 5:1-2; Ibid., ftn. to Eph. 5:2.
      2. Accordingly, the believer should especially imitate God's self-sacrificing love toward other people.
    2. The believer should walk in discriminating holiness to enjoy God's blessing himself, Ephesians 5:3-14:
      1. Along with selfless love, the believer should separate from sin, especially from "fornication" (porneia, Arndt & Ginrich, A Grk.-Eng. Lex. of the N. T., 1967, p. 699-700), "every kind of immorality" (akatharsia, Ibid., p. 28) and "greediness, covetousness" (pleonexia, Ibid., p. 673), Ephesians 5:3.
      2. This holy walk should also be absent of "obscene speech" (aischrotes with aischrologia, Ibid., p. 24), "foolish, silly talk" (morologia, Ibid., p. 533) and "coarse jesting" (eutrapelia, Ibid., p. 327) that are not "fitting" (aneko, Ibid., p. 65), but rather "thanksgiving" (eucharistia , Ibid., p. 328-329), Eph. 5:4.
      3. Paul's reason for such discriminating holiness is based in God's attitude toward such vices: no unsaved fornicator (pornos) or immoral person (akathartos) or covetous man (pleonektes) (U. B. S. Grk. N. T., 1966, p. 674), who is an idolater, has any inheritance in God's Kingdom, Ephesians 5:5, and the believer should not be deceived by anyone who would say otherwise, for the wrath of God comes upon the lost for these particular vices, Ephesians 5:6!
      4. Accordingly, Paul implied that to avoid the loss of God's supportive spiritual fellowship and divine discipline in the Christian life, the believer not partake with the unsaved in practicing these vices, but walk as a child of God's light, not of the darkness of the lost world, Ephesians 5:7-8.
      5. The fruit of the light of God is in all goodness, righteousness and truth, the will of God (Eph. 5:9-10 NIV), so the believer should not fellowship with such unfruitful works of, but rather even expose (elegcho, Ibid., Arndt & Gingrich, p. 248-249) them as shameful evil, Ephesians 5:11-12 NIV.
    3. However, the believer should walk carefully this way to disciple others into God's blessing, Eph. 5:13-17:
      1. Paul added that all things that are exposed are made manifest by the light, for whatever exposes evil is of the light, so a believer's godly life will expose the darkness of sin in other people, Ephesians 5:13.
      2. For this reason, the believer who sees his walk exposed as evil by a godly "light" walk of another is to wake up and rise from the dead for God to give him light, Eph. 5:14; Bible Know. Com., N. T., p. 639.
      3. In effect, Paul called believers to live discriminately holy lives separate from sin that their lives might expose sin in others who walk in darkness and lead to their salvation or repentance as believers, Ibid.
      4. The believer should also then walk "accurately, carefully" (akribos, Ibid., Arndt & Gingrich, p. 32), not as foolish but as wise, "redeeming, making the most of" (exagorazo, Ibid., p. 271) the time, for the days are evil, Eph. 5:15-16. Many walk in sin, and since the time is short before judgment, the believer must take care to walk uprightly to lead others who live in darkness to the light, Ibid., B. K. C., N. T.
      5. This is God's will, so the believer must not be unwise, but understand this to live carefully, Eph. 5:17.
Lesson: To enjoy God's personal nurture versus discipline, the believer should walk in selfless love and discriminating holiness, and carefully so in order to disciple others to escape judgment and be blessed.

Application: May we enjoy God's nurture by walking in selfless love and discriminating holiness, being careful to maintain this lifestyle so it will illumine others for their discipleship and blessing in the Lord.