Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Sermon Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/Sermons/zz20030727.htm

EPHESIANS: GOD'S SURE PLAN FOR INSECURE TIMES
Part VIII: Mutual Edification In The Church By God's Power
A. Conduct To AVOID For Mutual Edification In The Church
(Ephesians 4:17-5:17)

Introduction: (To show the need . . . )

As a result of last Sunday's message on Ephesians 4:1-16, Kathy Brunetti remembered she had constructed some sanctuary banners for a former missionary conference that highlighted the Ephesians 4:16 theme. She retrieved them from storage and asked me at last week's Sunday evening service if she could hang them up behind the pulpit while we continue our study through Ephesians.

I agreed, and you can see Kathy's handiwork up and behind me.

Though I didn't realize it at the time, but only when I began to study Ephesians 4:17ff in preparation for today's message, the decision to hang these banners is very fitting, for Ephesians 4:17-6:9 is just a long conclusion based on what Ephesians 4:16 says: indeed, Dr. Ryrie's Study Bible says of Ephesians 4:17: "Here begins a long passage (ending at 6:9) in which Paul draws the logical conclusions, in terms of life and morals, that follow from membership in Christ's body." In other words, our study today DETAILS the SUMMARY Paul makes in Ephesians 4:16 on HOW we individual members of the body are to EDIFY one another EFFECTIVELY!



Accordingly, GOD is leading us to discern in what SPECIFIC WAYS, in what SPECIFIC DEEDS we can ACTUALLY be used by God to EDIFY one another!



(We turn to the sermon "Need" section . . . )



Need: "In Ephesians 4:16 where we learn we are to edify one another, what did GOD have in mind in PRECISE terms? WHAT may I SPECIFICALLY DO to edify the church body at Nepaug?"
  1. After his word in Ephesians 4:16 that God wills for each believer in a local church to EDIFY other believers in the body, Paul began a long discourse to DETAIL what was involved in this ministry:
    1. Paul began verse 17 with the inferential conjunction, oun (translated "therefore") that draws a conclusion based on the theme of verse 16, UBS Greek. N.T ., p. 672; Thayer, Greek-Engl. Lex. of N.T., p. 463.
    2. That conclusion is a long list of detailed functions in thought, word and deed that Paul begins to describe in verse 17 and continues up to Ephesians 6:9 (Ryrie Study Bible, KJV, footnote to Ephesians 4:17).
    3. Thus, the statement of verse 16 about the members of a local church edifying one another is clarified in detail beginning in Ephesians 4:17.
  2. Well, Ephesians 4:17-5:17 reveals the SINS we are to AVOID in GOD'S POWER in our ACTIONS so we may EDIFY one another:
    1. To emphasize the importance of what he was about to write beginning at verse 17, Paul solemnly testified that not only he, but the LORD Himself asserted the long list of functions he was about to describe in Ephesians 4:17b-5:17, cf. Ephesians 4:17a.
    2. Paul asserted these functions were to be accomplished by boycotting the use of the sin nature through relying upon the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit, cf. Eph. 4:22-24 with 5:18a; Rom. 8:3-4.
    3. That LIST of conduct that is to edify one another begins with the SINFUL functions we believers are to AVOID in a life of dependence upon the Holy Spirit by faith (as follows, cf. Ephesians 4:17b-5:18a):
      1. By depending upon the Holy Spirit's power by faith to boycott life by the sin nature's power, we are to edify one another by refusing to be hardened against the ministry of God's Word in the church lest we become calloused to it (as are the unsaved) and ignorant and ungodly in our actions toward each other, Ephesians 4:17b-19.
      2. Thus, with minds open to Scripture in the Spirit's power, we are to AVOID a host of evils in relating to one another, Eph. 4:25-5:17:
        1. In the Spirit's power, we must avoid lying (misleading others), but lovingly speak the truth to each other, Ephesians 4:25, 15.
        2. In the Spirit's power, we must avoid letting our anger build until Satan tempts us to vent harmful wrath against each other, 4:26f.
        3. In the Spirit's power, we must avoid taking or withholding what belongs to others, but liberally repay the wronged parties, 4:28.
        4. In the Spirit's power, we must avoid grieving the Holy Spirit by hurting each other's feelings by our words, but speak kindly and Biblically forgive each other in love, Eph. 4:29-32; Mtt. 3:5-9.
        5. In the Spirit's power, we must live in love as God's dear children in avoiding deeds of immorality, greed and vile speech, 5:1-5.
        6. In the Spirit's power, we must avoid heeding the errant words of evil men and not associate with them (summetochoi, v. 7), Eph. 5:6-14; Ibid., UBS Greek N.T., p. 675; Ibid., Thayer, p. 596.
        7. In the Spirit's power, we must avoid living outside of God's will by living inaccurately (opposite "circumspectly," from akribos in v. 15) from how Scripture actually calls us to live (Bib. Know. Com., N.T., p. 639). We then make the most of our time by learning the Bible's actual teaching so we can be sure of God's will and align our lives to it for God's blessing, 5:15-17.
Application: What GOD wants us to do to edify each other in SPECIFIC terms is this: (1) He first wants us to become part of Christ's spiritual body by trusting in Christ as Savior from sin, Acts 17:30; John 3:16. (2) As believers who are then indwelt by the Holy Spirit, and possess God's new nature created in Christ Jesus as well as have the old sin nature (Rom. 8:9b; 2 Pet. 1:4; Rom. 8:3-4), GOD wants us (a) to rely on His indwelling Spirit to AVOID our sin nature's disposition when we relate to each other, Eph. 4:21-24; 5:18a. (b) The resulting state will cause us NOT to harden our hearts to Scripture teaching in the church or lie or harbor anger or steal or be verbally abusive or indulg e in immorality, greed and vile speech or heed and associate with evil men of errant teachings or live careless of God's actual, Biblical will for us. (c) We will then begin to edify one another in Christ!

Lesson: The SPECIFIC ACTS of EDIFICATION that GOD HIMSELF wants in the local church include AVOIDING (1) hardening our hearts to Scripture teaching, (2) lying, (3) letting our righteous indignation fester to the unjust harm of others, (4) stealing, (5) verbal abuse, (6) indulging in the coarse evils of immorality, greed and vile speech, (7) heeding and associating with evil men of errant teaching and (8) living careless of what Scripture says. Such AVOIDING ACTIONS are to be done by the indwelling Holy Spirit's power as we thus boycott our OWN sin natures.

Conclusion: (To illustrate the sermon lesson . . . )

 My wife, Nadine recently finished reading Gracia Burnham's book, In The Presence Of Mine Enemies and has shared with me the moving lessons God gave the Burnhams during their captivity. You may recall how the Christian world prayed for a whole year, asking God for the safe release of Martin and Gracia Burnham from their Muslim captors. They had been missionaries with New Tribes Mission in the Philippines, and were taken by Muslim terrorists from the vacation resort where they were celebrating their wedding anniversary.

After a year of captivity, during a fire fight between the liberating soldiers and their captors, Martin was killed and Gracia survived with a wounded leg. Gracia's book is a powerful account of their journey into deeper maturity in Christ in the midst of fiery trials.

One of the most moving revelations in the book comes from Gracia's report of a remark by her husband in their captivity regarding the evil he was witnessing. Gracia thought her husband meant the evil in their captors, but was taken back when Martin explained that the evil to which he made reference was the evil he saw in himself! The same selfishness, the same insensitivity to the sufferings of others, the same visceral hatred for those of a different religious faith that was on display in his captors, though it was more inflated and coarse in expression, nevertheless reflected the same sins Martin saw in himself!

Consequently, Martin and Gracia confessed these sins to God and looked to Him to grant them victory in these issues! In the process, the Lord granted them special, rewarding opportunities to minister in victorious Christian kindness to their abusive captors. The book thus records a stark contrast in Gracia's more earthy state of mind at the start of her captivity with her gracious maturity in Christ at the end of her captivity ordeal!



May we have the COURAGE to do what MARTIN and GRACIA BURNHAM did -- to FACE sin in OURSELVES as the Lord might REVEAL it, and TRUST HIM for victory OVER it! THEN, like THEM, we can MORE EFFECTIVELY edify fellow believers in the body of Christ!