Pastor Glenn Packiam, 19/09/2010
Eph 4:1 I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called
Eph 5:1-2 Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. (2) And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
The key to a good marriage is understanding our strengths and weaknesses.
Sometimes we know where we want to go but we don’t know how to get there.
Worthy in Eph 4:1 is axios which has a picture of a balanced scale. Paul essentially urged us to live our life equal to our calling.
We should read epistles in one sitting because that’s how letters are read.
Eph 1 discussed Jesus redeeming the cosmos. Eph 2 is about salvation. Eph 3 talked about reconciliation through Christ. Eph 4 is like a hinge. It asks us to have our living right. Eph 1 to 3 is the calling and Eph 4 to 6 is the living.
There are two camps – one that emphasizes the rules (law, memorize the Bible ) and the other grace (the spirit, spontaneous, easy, automatic.) That doesn’t always work out the way we like.
The earlier depends on a lot of ‘rules’. The Bible doesn’t tell us every single rule. The latter may lead one to do anything they feel like doing.
What is the key to growing up?
In Eph 2, Paul told us we are adopted into God’s family. The Ephesian church has both Jews and gentiles. Belonging to the family of God is very significant to the gentile believers.
It is a grave mistake to substitute law in Paul’s writing with rules. When Paul mentioned Christ being the end of the law, it means Jesus is the goal / fulfillment of the law. This is in line with what Jesus said about him being the fulfillment of the law instead of being the conclusion. It doesn’t mean there is no more law.
When did God give the law? Was it before or after he save them? God chose Abraham by grace not because he observed all the law. God helped the Israelites because they were his people. Even in the OT, the law is not how we become people of God, rather, it is how we should live as people of God.
We don’t live in a certain to become the people of God. We live a certain way because we are the people of God.
Jonas is 10-month old and he prefers to roll himself to get to a place. But it’s something wrong when he does that when he is 10. But only Glenn can tell him.
We can tell our children what to do because they are our children. We don’t tell them what to do to make them our children.
Eph 4:17-19 Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds. (18) They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart. (19) They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity.
Paul said the people have lost all sense of their mind (thinking, heads), hearts and habit. Sin is habit forming.
Eph 4:20-24 But that is not the way you learned Christ!-- (21) assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, (22) to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, (23) and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, (24) and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.
Taught – heart. Renew – mind. Put on – habit (learn to unlearn the bad habits).
Jesus told us our from our hearts came the words we speak. Everything that comes out from us comes from what is inside of us. Our tongues reveal our hearts. Sometimes we wonder why we say certain things. They came from our heart. How to maintain a tender heart? Pay attention to our own responses to allow the Holy Spirit to guide us.
When we feel annoyed or irritated, repent and let the Holy Spirit work in us.
Eph 5:15-17 Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, (16) making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. (17) Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.
Often we consider whether something is right or wrong. We need to grow up and instead think about something as either wise or unwise. There are a lot of things that are not wrong but they are foolish.
Wisdom can be come a habit. Paul told us this requires efforts.
This can be discouraging. We long to have someone to pray for us and make us mature instantly. But it doesn’t work that way. We need to put off old habits and put on new ones. The NT talks more about the fruit of the Spirit than the gifts.
Every time we say yes to God and no to flesh, it makes it easier to do so the next time. (We cannot undo the effect of a long term habit instantly.)
Eph 5:18 And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit,
This is not a one time event. “Be filled.” Let the Holy Spirit constantly help us to acquire good habits, making good friends and making wise decision.
Captain Sullenberger landed a plane where geese flew into both engines. He glided the plan into the river safely. He stayed on until everyone was safely out of the plane. He started learning how to fly at the age of 16. He went into a good flying academy. He was one of the 12 selected into the gliding program. He did so well he became an instruction on the following year. He went to Purdue U. He became a fighter pilot and later a commercial pilot. At the time of the Miracle of the Hudson, he has already been flying a plane for 40 years. The miracle is a result of divine intervention and a man who has been practicing good habits. He could not refer to a rule book. He also could not just do what he feels right.
There are moments when enemies flew into our engines. We don’t know how to survive. But if we have formed a pattern of saying yes to the Holy Spirit to have a tender heart, a renewed mind and developing a good habit, we will do well. If we have been intentionally saying yes to the Holy Spirit, we will find that we have imitated God. We were children of God, we can become children of God that now resembles the Father.
The Holy Spirit does this. But we need to co-operate with him. And don’t do this alone. Let someone it. Be accountable to someone.
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