WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:09.720 Evening everyone. It's so good to be here. As you've heard my name is Philip and Mike 00:00:09.720 --> 00:00:16.960 ! Hill asked me to speak when he was away. It was like the best phone call I've ever had 00:00:16.960 --> 00:00:24.960 to be invited. I said Mike if you asked me to wash your car I would come and do it. He 00:00:24.960 --> 00:00:31.440 said well actually it is a little bit dirty but it's a tremendous privilege to be able 00:00:31.440 --> 00:00:38.260 to join with you. To be able to come to this church. As you've heard I work for Care for 00:00:38.260 --> 00:00:43.980 the Family. You saw some of the work that we do on the video. When I look at those videos 00:00:43.979 --> 00:00:50.000 I'm always profoundly moved. The people that are looking after those that are widowed young, 00:00:50.719 --> 00:00:58.500 bereaved parents, helping parents with children with additional needs. Family is at the heart 00:00:58.500 --> 00:01:06.479 of so much of what makes life work for us. And when I see the work that is done I'm amazed. 00:01:06.640 --> 00:01:10.359 You know I'm not one of those that does that stuff. I'm a little bit more of the support 00:01:10.359 --> 00:01:16.959 staff. But one we every week we have a little briefing of what we're all going to be doing 00:01:16.959 --> 00:01:24.719 and I said I'm coming to. Sorry is it better if I use this microphone? Okay. I said I'm coming 00:01:24.719 --> 00:01:31.939 to Christchurch Clevedon and all the different people in the team. We've got about 80 different 00:01:31.939 --> 00:01:37.840 people that work for Care for the Family. One was saying I was in Sunday school as a little 00:01:37.840 --> 00:01:44.640 girl in Christchurch. Another said I was baptised in Christchurch. So there was a lot of goodwill 00:01:44.640 --> 00:01:50.579 and a lot of people who are friends of this church. A lot of people that are friends of Clevedon in 00:01:50.579 --> 00:01:58.719 general and the church here. So it's a really great opportunity. Now I am very privileged to be able to 00:01:58.719 --> 00:02:06.920 be your substitute teacher tonight. I can't pretend to have the kind of the knowledge and the experience 00:02:06.920 --> 00:02:15.139 of Mike. And I'm not also aware of how he's taught and what he's done. So if you allow me I'd just like 00:02:15.139 --> 00:02:21.919 to give you my little overview take of the book of Ephesians. We're focusing in on these 20 verses 00:02:21.919 --> 00:02:30.379 but it's helpful to be reminded of the wider context of how the book fits together. And maybe 00:02:30.379 --> 00:02:36.339 you've already heard this so this will be a good reminder. But for me the best book written about 00:02:36.339 --> 00:02:45.219 Ephesians was written by Watchman Nee. Who's heard of Watchman Nee? Wow. Good knowledge. 20th century 00:02:45.219 --> 00:02:52.800 Chinese church teacher. Part of the underground church. And he wrote the best book on Ephesians. 00:02:53.280 --> 00:02:59.900 It's so good you don't even have to read it. All you need to know is the title of the book and that is 00:02:59.900 --> 00:03:08.120 Sit, Walk, Stand. And that simple title, I can't remember what's in the book but I've always remembered 00:03:08.120 --> 00:03:15.280 the title because it perfectly helps you to understand the book of Ephesians. So chapters 00:03:15.280 --> 00:03:21.360 one to three is about sitting. Chapters four to five is about walking and chapter six is about standing. 00:03:22.240 --> 00:03:30.140 Sit, it means that the book tells us where we are seated. We're seated with Christ in heavenly realms. 00:03:30.139 --> 00:03:38.479 It tells us not what we have to do but what has been done for us. We have been blessed with every 00:03:38.479 --> 00:03:44.139 spiritual blessing in Christ for in Christ he chose us before the foundation of the world to be holy and 00:03:44.139 --> 00:03:50.579 blameless in his sight. Every spiritual blessing and we just have to sit in that. We have to just be aware 00:03:50.579 --> 00:03:56.259 and for three chapters Paul just lays in again and again. This is what God has done for you. 00:03:56.259 --> 00:04:04.699 This is your position in Christ and so therefore when we get to chapters four and five it's how we walk. 00:04:05.199 --> 00:04:12.840 We walk in the light of our position in Christ and then chapter six the armor of God that's how we stand 00:04:12.840 --> 00:04:20.000 against the schemes of the evil one. So when we look at chapters like chapter five it's really important to know 00:04:20.000 --> 00:04:27.980 that what we're doing is we're walking uh we're walking out in practice what is true in position. 00:04:28.740 --> 00:04:35.980 So what is true about me what God says about me what Jesus has done for me the more that I understand that 00:04:35.980 --> 00:04:44.800 the more I'm able to walk that out. It's a mistake if we take things like this chapter 00:04:44.800 --> 00:04:52.220 and just beat ourselves up saying I've got to be better I've got to do better that's a mistake. 00:04:52.520 --> 00:05:00.379 What Paul is saying is this is who you are now walk in the good of it. So let's go through the um 00:05:00.379 --> 00:05:06.699 this this passage what I've done is I've actually inspired by the kind of the simple three 00:05:06.699 --> 00:05:15.579 words I've broken this 20 verses into three words for us to look at tonight which is light love light 00:05:15.579 --> 00:05:28.680 and live love light and live. So love the first section is basically about our inspiration and our 00:05:28.680 --> 00:05:34.819 inheritance. So what we're going to do is we just go through a little bit at a time it's very um 00:05:34.819 --> 00:05:42.860 it's just very powerful to read scripture slowly to think about it but there's also two kind of tricky 00:05:42.860 --> 00:05:51.379 passages in this 20 verses and we'll have a crack at getting a little bit underneath those and finding 00:05:51.379 --> 00:05:56.319 out exactly what they're saying because I don't know if you followed uh in the reading if they if you 00:05:56.319 --> 00:06:03.180 if all of it was perfectly clear for most people there's a couple of verses that don't really fully 00:06:03.180 --> 00:06:11.340 um they're a little bit complex complicated complex okay so let's start off it says follow God's example 00:06:11.340 --> 00:06:20.540 in verse one and for me this is why it's so important to know the sit walk stand thing because if you say 00:06:20.540 --> 00:06:28.740 to someone out of the blue without any context follow God's example that seems like the bar is set 00:06:28.740 --> 00:06:36.379 extremely high uh how on earth are we supposed to follow God's example you know you can't even follow 00:06:36.379 --> 00:06:41.920 the example of your better half most of us you know people that we look up to in a mother that are just 00:06:41.920 --> 00:06:50.600 people and yet he says follow God's example so how do we do that that's when he then explains and goes on 00:06:50.600 --> 00:06:59.340 so the next part of the verse says follow God's example as dearly loved children everyone say as 00:06:59.340 --> 00:07:10.060 dearly loved children very good by the way word of warning for me I am half Nigerian and I'm half 00:07:10.060 --> 00:07:19.920 English half Nigerian means I've got rhythm half English means I can't dance and in Nigeria where I 00:07:19.920 --> 00:07:28.020 was born and grew up uh everyone gets very excited so if I seem more animated than um than normal then 00:07:28.020 --> 00:07:34.140 just bear with me that's why I like to get a little bit of feedback and and we're all in this together 00:07:34.140 --> 00:07:43.600 but he says follow God's example as dearly loved children everything that follows in this chapter 00:07:43.600 --> 00:07:55.600 comes out of the fact that we are dearly loved it is our identity that determines how we behave we're 00:07:55.600 --> 00:08:00.780 not trying to be something that we're not we're not striving for some kind of religious perfection 00:08:00.780 --> 00:08:09.220 we simply need to understand that we are loved if you have children just been hearing about 00:08:09.220 --> 00:08:15.800 Neville's children and grandchildren and when they know when children know that they're dearly loved 00:08:15.800 --> 00:08:25.240 they act with security and they are confident in who they are they just act out of that and Paul says 00:08:25.240 --> 00:08:31.900 the only way that you'll be able to follow God's example is if you understand profoundly that you are a 00:08:31.900 --> 00:08:37.500 dearly loved child turn to the person next to you and say I'm a dearly loved child 00:08:37.500 --> 00:08:54.960 our identity is dearly loved children and because we are loved I know I'm laboring this and don't 00:08:54.960 --> 00:09:00.659 worry we're not going to go this slowly on all the verses we will be finished by nine o'clock I promise you 00:09:00.659 --> 00:09:12.959 but because we are loved then we can walk in the way of love so there's our sit walk stand and you see 00:09:12.959 --> 00:09:22.039 walk come again and again in chapter four as well it is only once I realize and deeply appreciate that I 00:09:22.039 --> 00:09:29.620 am loved by God agape loved other oriented choice based self-sacrificial love 00:09:29.620 --> 00:09:37.940 not dependent on what I do not dependent on my goodness or my badness simply unconditional 00:09:37.940 --> 00:09:46.480 self-sacrificing love and because I realize and appreciate that I am loved then I can walk 00:09:46.480 --> 00:09:55.580 in the way of love I know that I'm loved therefore I love it's not that we try to be loving it's just 00:09:55.580 --> 00:10:04.020 that we naturally respond in the way of love once we know that we are loved ourselves it's really 00:10:04.020 --> 00:10:11.740 really important because he then moves up a gear and talks about stuff which can be quite challenging 00:10:11.740 --> 00:10:20.180 next verse just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice 00:10:20.179 --> 00:10:27.579 to God so we follow God's example because we understand and he's given us three whole chapters 00:10:27.579 --> 00:10:35.719 worth of good theological basis that you're loved a child of God and so there we walk in the way of 00:10:35.719 --> 00:10:43.620 love just as Jesus loved us so every way on every side we are bombarded with love and everything that 00:10:43.620 --> 00:10:51.019 comes out of love is an expression of what it means to walk in love next verse says this 00:10:51.019 --> 00:10:58.879 but among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality or of any kind of impurity 00:10:58.879 --> 00:11:07.100 or of greed because these are improper for God's holy people nor should there be obscenity foolish talk 00:11:07.100 --> 00:11:16.279 or coarse joking which are out of place but rather thanksgiving do you notice those two phrases improper 00:11:16.279 --> 00:11:26.740 and out of place what Paul is saying is follow me on this you are loved by God you are loved children 00:11:26.740 --> 00:11:35.320 and so therefore you have to walk that out we walk out in practice what is true in position 00:11:35.320 --> 00:11:41.740 and walking the way of love certain things are compatible with that way of love and certain 00:11:41.740 --> 00:11:50.100 things are incompatible with the way of love what is the issue with sexual immorality is it about 00:11:50.100 --> 00:11:57.520 religious rules is it about a code and the standard of living actually it's about what is most 00:11:57.519 --> 00:12:08.899 compatible with the way of love so with Paul he's saying the issue with sexual immorality is that it's not fitting 00:12:08.899 --> 00:12:18.799 it's improper it is not compatible with this lifestyle where we're loving one another the word sexual immorality 00:12:18.799 --> 00:12:31.899 in the Greek anyone know what the word is Greek scholars pornea very good 10 points pornea from which we get 00:12:31.899 --> 00:12:40.279 the word pornography and pornea literally means any sexual activity that's outside the committed 00:12:40.279 --> 00:12:50.959 relationship of marriage and so it's a catch-all phrase like adultery would be part of pornea pornography would 00:12:50.959 --> 00:12:59.559 be part of pornea and pornea this kind of breaching of sexual boundaries outside of marriage what Paul says 00:12:59.559 --> 00:13:09.480 the reason that we don't do that is not because sex is wrong or dirty or shameful the reason is that 00:13:09.480 --> 00:13:17.240 sex outside its proper context is unfitting it's improper because it's not loving because it takes 00:13:17.240 --> 00:13:25.940 advantage of others because it dehumanizes others because it uses others as objects I mentioned about 00:13:25.940 --> 00:13:35.080 the working care for the family and what you may not know if you see videos like that is that not only 00:13:35.080 --> 00:13:44.200 resources created and not only are people befriending those that have lost family members or those that 00:13:44.200 --> 00:13:50.639 are struggling to be parents or struggling to keep their marriage together but every Thursday we have a 00:13:50.639 --> 00:13:57.820 prayer meeting and the staff gather together and we pray and what we pray about is this we pray about 00:13:57.820 --> 00:14:08.820 the requests that come into us through the phone lines through email and we get literally dozens of requests 00:14:08.820 --> 00:14:16.820 every single week from people asking for help and it is it's absolutely heartbreaking the things that 00:14:16.820 --> 00:14:23.760 people are going through and I've only been in the organization since last September so only just about 00:14:23.759 --> 00:14:32.399 seven months since I came in and I have been shocked to the core with the the problems and the 00:14:32.399 --> 00:14:42.600 difficulties that come in and every single week we get a whole raft of people writing in or phoning us on our 00:14:42.600 --> 00:14:49.240 care line saying please help us in our marriage we're struggling with the issue of pornography 00:14:49.240 --> 00:15:00.960 pornography pornography is it's ruining our intimacy and our trust in some cases I just a couple weeks 00:15:00.960 --> 00:15:06.000 ago we're praying for someone and they said my husband has become addicted to pornography has started 00:15:06.000 --> 00:15:12.720 spending money on pornographic sites and actually started a series of affairs and it is absolutely 00:15:12.720 --> 00:15:24.759 devastating today the stats about porn we have around about 60 percent of adult men yeah bring that back up 00:15:24.759 --> 00:15:32.500 60 percent of adult men view porn once a week which is absolutely staggering did you know sorry to get 00:15:32.500 --> 00:15:39.340 sidetracked on this but it's it's just one of the ways in which the bible deals with very real life 00:15:39.340 --> 00:15:48.139 issues sometimes in church we can avoid talking about such things but this is a real issue in our culture 00:15:48.139 --> 00:15:57.160 right now particularly a big increase after the pandemic which just had a very detrimental impact on people's 00:15:57.160 --> 00:16:04.460 viewing habits but 60 percent of men view porn once a week the figures for women are not too far 00:16:04.460 --> 00:16:16.379 behind when you look at young men it's almost 100 percent viewing porn on a weekly basis but here is a 00:16:16.379 --> 00:16:27.560 shocking statistic it says 75 percent of christian men view porn on a monthly basis and even more devastating 00:16:27.559 --> 00:16:36.819 57 percent of pastors this is a barna study admit to struggling with porn either currently or at some 00:16:36.819 --> 00:16:46.500 point in their pastoral ministry so this is something that has an absolute grip on our culture and our society 00:16:46.500 --> 00:16:53.619 and paul says let's talk about it let's bring it out into the open and let's deal with it because this 00:16:53.620 --> 00:17:01.899 kind of behavior and these kinds of struggles they're not compatible with who you are and if you know that 00:17:01.899 --> 00:17:07.279 you're loved and if you're walking the way of love then this is the kind of thing that you will want to be 00:17:07.279 --> 00:17:20.259 fleeing from so he's talking again about the kind of identity that we have but then he moves on verse 8 it says this 00:17:20.259 --> 00:17:32.759 sorry verse 5 for of this you can be sure no immoral impure or greedy person such a person is an idolater 00:17:32.759 --> 00:17:43.500 has any inheritance in the kingdom of christ and of god so we move from identity with children 00:17:43.500 --> 00:17:52.500 dearly loved and we move into an issue of inheritance again picking on neville he has children who are 00:17:52.500 --> 00:18:00.740 dearly loved and they will inherit his vast wealth one day they are inheritors it comes as part of the 00:18:00.740 --> 00:18:09.640 package and that is why paul in ephesians is telling us you've got to live out the reality of who you are 00:18:09.640 --> 00:18:16.759 you're you're you're a loved child but you're also an heir you get to inherit the kingdom of god but he 00:18:16.759 --> 00:18:24.040 says if you are immoral impure or greedy essentially what it is it's it's idolatry at the heart of the 00:18:24.040 --> 00:18:35.100 kind of immorality impurity thing it's an idolism an idolatry looking for something sex to give you a sense 00:18:35.099 --> 00:18:45.579 of worth or um pleasure that is not god it's elevating something and worshiping it above 00:18:45.579 --> 00:18:55.439 its rightful place and this is the first of our tricky passages have you ever wondered why it says 00:18:55.439 --> 00:19:02.259 such person is an idolater they don't have any inheritance in the kingdom of christ and of god 00:19:02.259 --> 00:19:09.660 how many kingdoms is that is that one kingdom two kingdoms or is it one kingdom and paul's just 00:19:09.660 --> 00:19:16.420 using flowery language saying it's the kingdom of christ and of god um you ever wondered about that 00:19:16.420 --> 00:19:25.099 because when you look at that passage either paul is just needlessly repeating himself or he's saying 00:19:25.099 --> 00:19:31.539 there's the kingdom of christ and there's the kingdom of god okay take a little moment turn to the person 00:19:31.539 --> 00:19:37.759 next to you and ask them the question and come up with your own answer here do you think that this 00:19:37.759 --> 00:19:42.839 is the same kingdom or is there some difference is there any distinction between the kingdom of christ 00:19:42.839 --> 00:19:48.839 and the kingdom of god okay that's the question any distinction or are they exactly the same thing 00:19:48.839 --> 00:19:53.019 turn to the person next to you see what you think and then we'll get some feedback 00:19:53.019 --> 00:20:23.019 turn to the people across the john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john john 00:20:23.019 --> 00:20:39.000 okay how many of you think there's no distinction it's exactly the same thing put your hands up 00:20:39.000 --> 00:20:43.460 all right how many of you think that there's a subtle but important difference 00:20:43.460 --> 00:20:54.100 okay well let me show you a passage from corinthians um because i think that actually there is 00:20:54.100 --> 00:21:02.940 something it is the same kingdom but it's a kingdom at a different time so we need to go into one 00:21:02.940 --> 00:21:07.880 corinthians chapter 15 just to get into paul's mindset how he thinks about the kingdom of god 00:21:07.880 --> 00:21:13.440 so one corinthians 15 verse 22 and if you want a little bit more of this you can read around those 00:21:13.440 --> 00:21:19.799 verses but paul's talking about the resurrection and talking about how death entered the world 00:21:19.799 --> 00:21:26.140 through one man but jesus is the firstborn of those risen from the dead so he says for as in adam all 00:21:26.140 --> 00:21:33.500 die so in christ all will be made alive but each in turn first of all christ the first fruits 00:21:33.500 --> 00:21:40.539 then when he comes when jesus returns those who belong to him so first of all jesus is risen from 00:21:40.539 --> 00:21:50.139 the dead on easter sunday hallelujah we celebrate soon secondly he comes back and we will be risen up 00:21:50.139 --> 00:22:00.579 with him the resurrection of the saints then the end will come when he hands over the kingdom 00:22:00.579 --> 00:22:09.859 to god the father after he has destroyed all dominion authority and power for he must reign 00:22:09.859 --> 00:22:17.359 until he has put all his enemies under his feet the last enemy to be destroyed is death again paul goes 00:22:17.359 --> 00:22:23.740 on and expands this a little bit more in verses 27 and 28 sorry i haven't put those up uh that's 00:22:23.740 --> 00:22:30.299 tantalizing that's homework you can check on uh them yourselves but essentially what paul is saying to 00:22:30.299 --> 00:22:41.799 the corinthians here is that right now jesus is king of his kingdom that in the resurrection jesus becomes 00:22:41.799 --> 00:22:49.559 the the the king of the kingdom it's it's like we're now living in the dome where jesus is king 00:22:49.559 --> 00:22:55.399 but it is very much a now and then not yet we've heard about the now and the not yet in terms of 00:22:55.399 --> 00:23:01.200 we now have the kingdom of god jesus says repent believe the kingdom of god is near it's here it's at 00:23:01.200 --> 00:23:09.659 hand but one day the kingdom will come fully when every enemy is defeated it's like that thing of the 00:23:09.659 --> 00:23:19.099 world war where we have the the normandy landings d-day and essentially the battle has been won there is 00:23:19.099 --> 00:23:26.299 no way back for the other side they have been defeated all that happens now is a kind of 00:23:27.299 --> 00:23:35.039 uh a mopping up if you like or a ratifying of that final thing there's no way that this is not 00:23:35.039 --> 00:23:44.159 the victory is won it's it's just victory but it's victory partially and then finally the full victory 00:23:44.160 --> 00:23:52.259 is is won and we live in that kind of in between now and not yet phase i don't know if i explained 00:23:52.259 --> 00:23:59.340 that very well but essentially what paul is saying and this is something that we don't often get to 00:23:59.340 --> 00:24:05.900 hear about in this context particularly in ephesians is paul is saying that right now we're in the kingdom 00:24:05.900 --> 00:24:12.000 where jesus is king but he's fighting against every enemy and the last enemy to be defeated is death 00:24:12.000 --> 00:24:20.600 and death is finally defeated on the the day when the end of the age comes and we are resurrected to be 00:24:20.600 --> 00:24:27.940 with him and on that day jesus comes and hands over the keys of the kingdom to god the father 00:24:27.940 --> 00:24:35.720 essentially what paul is saying he's saying is if we are sexually immoral and if we are idolaters 00:24:35.720 --> 00:24:42.360 then we don't have any inheritance either in god's kingdom on the earth right here and now 00:24:42.360 --> 00:24:52.259 or in the age to come when god's kingdom is fully realized that i think is what paul is saying 00:24:52.259 --> 00:25:00.480 again you can look into it and you can see and pray and may god give us clarity wisdom and the insight of 00:25:00.480 --> 00:25:09.539 his holy spirit but essentially the point is this you've been created and chosen as dearly loved children 00:25:09.539 --> 00:25:17.640 that's your identity walk out of that and you have an inheritance if i am living against the grain 00:25:17.640 --> 00:25:24.480 in ways that are not proper not fitting then i am putting myself out of my own inheritance i'm 00:25:24.480 --> 00:25:32.880 disinheriting myself from god's kingdom right now here on earth but also in the eternal age the kingdom 00:25:32.880 --> 00:25:44.420 to come so that is basically the first section so we talk about the first section being to love so we've got love 00:25:44.420 --> 00:25:53.100 inspiration and inheritance and then the second section is light and that's about identity 00:25:53.100 --> 00:25:56.860 and illumination so let's read the passage 00:25:56.860 --> 00:26:08.580 okay verses 8 to 12 for you were once darkness but now you are light everyone say you are light 00:26:08.579 --> 00:26:17.319 in the lord live as children of light for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness 00:26:17.319 --> 00:26:23.559 righteousness and truth and find out what pleases the lord have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds 00:26:23.559 --> 00:26:30.000 of darkness but rather expose them it is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret 00:26:30.000 --> 00:26:40.160 so first of all paul says your identity is you're loved you're loved you're loved you can't earn it you 00:26:40.160 --> 00:26:47.559 can't lose it you don't deserve it you you are just loved because you are loved because you are loved and out 00:26:47.559 --> 00:26:57.299 of that love it is appropriate for you to live and walk in love now paul says you are light 00:26:57.299 --> 00:27:05.359 he doesn't say that you are in the light although the bible uses that language he says you are actually 00:27:05.359 --> 00:27:15.379 light and the idea that he comes up with he says that light has fruit sometimes paul sometimes paul 00:27:15.379 --> 00:27:23.879 mixes his metaphors uh it's almost like this is too inexpressible to really be captured fully in words 00:27:23.880 --> 00:27:31.860 but he's saying you are light and the light has fruit and that's contrasted with the darkness which 00:27:31.860 --> 00:27:42.640 is fruit less and so what we want to do is we want to not only walk in love but we want to walk in light 00:27:42.640 --> 00:27:52.600 verse 13 goes on it says this but everything exposed by the light becomes visible and everything that is 00:27:52.599 --> 00:27:59.919 illuminated becomes a light this is why it is said wake up sleeper rise from the dead and christ will 00:27:59.919 --> 00:28:06.419 shine on you now for me i don't know about you maybe this is completely clear to you but this to me seems 00:28:06.419 --> 00:28:14.319 again a little bit of a challenging verse everything exposed by the light becomes visible fine and everything 00:28:14.319 --> 00:28:21.419 that is illuminated becomes a light what does that mean that's why it is said very helpful explanation 00:28:21.420 --> 00:28:29.000 wake up you sleeper rise from the dead and christ will shine on you now when it says that is why it 00:28:29.000 --> 00:28:35.539 is said is that passage wake up sleeper rise from the dead and christ will shine on you is that a quote 00:28:35.539 --> 00:28:45.700 from the bible hands up if you think that's a scriptural quote okay couple of brave souls hands up if you 00:28:45.700 --> 00:28:58.920 think i'm not putting my hands up it's a trap it's actually paul quoting from an early church hymn which 00:28:58.920 --> 00:29:07.400 is incredible we get you know we sang our songs uh at the beginning this is paul quoting early i mean 00:29:07.400 --> 00:29:16.620 this is fascinating right this is the early church hymn still if you think you know modern day hymns aren't 00:29:16.620 --> 00:29:23.220 very theologically strong they're quite simple but that's quite simple too isn't it it's like we've 00:29:23.220 --> 00:29:30.180 always had very simple songs that christians like to sing but it's full of truth wake up sleeper rise 00:29:30.180 --> 00:29:36.820 from the dead and christ will shine on you what is illuminated becomes a light everything exposed by the light 00:29:36.820 --> 00:29:43.920 becomes visible now if you're talking about something being exposed normally you talk about something which 00:29:43.920 --> 00:29:53.960 is shameful right normally we expose things that we want hidden so why would something that is exposed in the 00:29:53.960 --> 00:30:07.980 light become illuminated and become a light i think what is happening is paul is saying i want you to live your 00:30:07.980 --> 00:30:16.640 lives completely transparent we're no longer in darkness but we live everything in the light and that means 00:30:16.640 --> 00:30:25.200 that even our weakness and our failing if it comes out into the light christ can shine on it if we are 00:30:25.200 --> 00:30:33.800 sleeping if we are dead and experiencing death and a lack of life in our light in in our life 00:30:33.800 --> 00:30:46.000 then christ shines on that and christ makes it a light now here's the thing i um 00:30:46.000 --> 00:30:58.000 that care for the family video it's put together by our guys in the studio so we have cameramen and 00:30:58.000 --> 00:31:05.740 they're incredibly talented so i went to one of them and i said can i borrow one of those special things 00:31:05.740 --> 00:31:12.380 that you use it's like a light but it's not a light it's a it's something that is not a light in itself 00:31:12.380 --> 00:31:19.720 but it's illuminated and he said do you mean a reflector philip i said yeah so can i borrow a reflector 00:31:19.720 --> 00:31:26.620 because i think it would make a really great illustration so here it is right now it is hidden 00:31:26.620 --> 00:31:37.600 in the dark depths of my bag but if i was to bring it out you see that it is now exposed 00:31:37.599 --> 00:31:49.399 and when it's exposed it can now be illuminated now if this thing catches the light from these 00:31:49.399 --> 00:31:55.039 spotlights it now as a reflector becomes a light and i know this because i've seen the guys making 00:31:55.039 --> 00:32:01.159 the videos what you don't see when they're doing that filming is there's someone going around and 00:32:01.160 --> 00:32:08.240 they're exposing this thing and it reflects sometimes the light from the sun sometimes they have studio 00:32:08.240 --> 00:32:14.860 lights and it reflects back i mean it's it's a bright day today right it's bright in here this is not 00:32:14.860 --> 00:32:23.240 can you see any light there you can see a bit you get the point the the point is this what is 00:32:23.240 --> 00:32:32.319 kind of dark shameful and hidden when it's brought out into the light the light shines on it and it 00:32:32.319 --> 00:32:39.240 becomes a light in fact there are some filmmakers who use all natural light to get very sort of 00:32:39.240 --> 00:32:45.960 beautiful natural compositions and all they use is these reflectors sometimes they're gold sometimes 00:32:45.960 --> 00:32:54.340 they're silver sometimes they're white and this thing becomes a light and what paul is saying is he's 00:32:54.340 --> 00:33:02.180 saying look you might feel like there's dark parts of you there's weaknesses there's failings there's things 00:33:02.180 --> 00:33:11.920 that you don't feel confident in but we are light amen we're not darkness and we get to rise from the 00:33:11.920 --> 00:33:20.759 dead we get to wake up and jesus takes the weakness the failings the things that we um wish others could 00:33:20.759 --> 00:33:30.060 not see and yet somehow our weakness becomes a light as he shines upon us and we become witnesses that's 00:33:30.060 --> 00:33:36.779 all we have to do you know sometimes when i talk about being a witness and sharing faith and um walking the 00:33:36.779 --> 00:33:43.759 way of love and light to people people say oh i'm i'm not very good i'm not very strong i'm i'm weak i i 00:33:43.759 --> 00:33:49.779 feel hypocritical i feel like i i'm not very good representation of a christian but this is precisely 00:33:49.779 --> 00:33:58.960 what paul is saying he's saying live in the light allow jesus wake up sleeper don't be put down and don't 00:33:58.960 --> 00:34:09.559 be bound in death but rise up and jesus christ will shine upon you and what is illuminated becomes a light 00:34:09.559 --> 00:34:22.500 so that is um yeah that is light so let's move on we've got identity and illumination we've done love 00:34:22.500 --> 00:34:29.659 and then finally how we live and that's intentional and intelligent and i tell you what as i was reading 00:34:29.659 --> 00:34:35.500 this and just meditating and praying this is the thing that struck me the most because you could be 00:34:35.500 --> 00:34:42.940 forgiven for thinking that paul is just saying you're loved by god you are light therefore just do your 00:34:42.940 --> 00:34:51.179 thing you know just be yourself and it will all pour out of you but this is where paul says we have to be 00:34:51.179 --> 00:35:01.919 intentional and we have to be intelligent in other words god has made me his dearly loved child god has 00:35:01.919 --> 00:35:10.239 made me light but i still have my parts to play so this is what he says in these final verses 00:35:10.239 --> 00:35:18.480 be very careful everyone say very careful be very careful in other words this is going to take care 00:35:18.480 --> 00:35:28.240 intention and attention be careful how you live not as unwise but as wise in other words it requires 00:35:28.240 --> 00:35:36.559 intelligence this is not something that will just happen automatically we have to work at it so be very 00:35:36.559 --> 00:35:42.900 careful how you live not as unwise but as wise making the most of every opportunity because the days are 00:35:42.900 --> 00:35:52.680 evil therefore do not be foolish but understand what the lord's will is so when we come together on 00:35:52.680 --> 00:35:58.360 evenings like tonight what we're doing is we're trying to understand what god's will is for our lives 00:35:58.360 --> 00:36:05.539 and then work that through work at it so we are trying not to be foolish but to understand 00:36:05.539 --> 00:36:14.179 okay the next one case in point do not get drunk on wine don't look at the person next to you which leads 00:36:14.179 --> 00:36:26.360 to debauchery instead be filled with the spirit again a really practical example of lifestyle now 00:36:26.360 --> 00:36:33.019 there's an interesting tense that is used in both drunk and filled and that is the present passive 00:36:33.019 --> 00:36:40.679 imperative imperative drunk and filled both the present passive imperative so it literally means 00:36:40.679 --> 00:36:49.500 something which is continuous and ongoing so it's not saying don't get drunk a one-time thing and that was it 00:36:49.500 --> 00:36:59.340 but it's a don't be continually drunk don't be habitually drunk but be continually habitually 00:36:59.340 --> 00:37:13.700 presently presently filled do you know when i am feeling extra in need of a treat i will take my wife out to a fancy 00:37:13.700 --> 00:37:19.240 restaurant and show her a good time it's called nando's 00:37:19.240 --> 00:37:26.300 have you ever been to nando's if you've been to nando's you will know this is good for the grandkids 00:37:26.300 --> 00:37:32.260 you will know or maybe it's not good for the grandkids you will know that you can get a refillable 00:37:32.260 --> 00:37:42.780 glass of coca-cola seven up whatever it may be and all you have to do is you buy the glass once 00:37:42.780 --> 00:37:48.380 and then you just keep going back again and again whenever i'm there i just keep going back a drink 00:37:48.380 --> 00:37:54.720 to the point of wanting to be sick not because i want the drink because i want a good deal because it's 00:37:54.719 --> 00:38:03.480 it's a refillable now paul is saying being filled you're like the nando's glass your job is just to 00:38:03.480 --> 00:38:10.199 be filled and then refilled and then refilled and then refilled and then refilled so being filled with 00:38:10.199 --> 00:38:18.079 the spirit isn't some one-time special thing for special people being filled is for every single one 00:38:18.079 --> 00:38:27.739 of us and we are to be continually filled with the spirit it means that i am on a daily basis in my 00:38:27.739 --> 00:38:36.719 prayers saying jesus fill me with your holy spirit come holy spirit let me know your presence let me know 00:38:36.719 --> 00:38:43.559 your infilling i cannot do the christian life without you and that's just being smart that's being wise 00:38:43.559 --> 00:38:51.599 it means that i am intentionally taking care to live a life that's compatible because i am loved 00:38:51.599 --> 00:39:03.659 because my identity is as light therefore i want to live that out well and then i think this is the 00:39:03.659 --> 00:39:12.539 final bit of the passage yeah verse 20 and it's it's a shock in the tail because we weren't expecting this 00:39:12.539 --> 00:39:21.900 we started off with being children dearly loved makes sense that's a good start yeah and then we went to 00:39:21.900 --> 00:39:31.559 walking in the way of love and we talked about immorality the things that are unfitting improper 00:39:31.559 --> 00:39:39.079 that are just incompatible with the way of love and then we reinforced it that not only are we loved but 00:39:39.079 --> 00:39:47.500 we are light and then actually the shameful hidden or failing weak parts of us when we bring them before 00:39:47.500 --> 00:39:56.099 jesus he can actually illuminate people can be brought to jesus not despite our failings and our weakness but 00:39:56.099 --> 00:40:04.059 because of them because people see that it's it's jesus that is the one that is strong in my weakness 00:40:04.059 --> 00:40:11.920 he is made strong and so when people see um the failures and the weakness actually jesus can shine 00:40:11.920 --> 00:40:19.840 on that and illuminate through that and so we make every effort and then it ends with this 00:40:19.840 --> 00:40:27.820 suddenly he says speak to one another with psalms hymns and songs from the spirit sing and make music 00:40:27.820 --> 00:40:32.940 from your heart to the lord always giving thanks to god the father for everything in the name of our lord 00:40:32.940 --> 00:40:43.200 jesus christ so not only is paul quoting hymns in the earlier verse but he's saying this is how i want 00:40:43.200 --> 00:40:51.159 you to see this section out with worship so when we had worship at the beginning that wasn't just to warm 00:40:51.159 --> 00:40:57.659 us up paul is saying there's something intrinsic about worshiping together as the people of god 00:40:57.659 --> 00:41:04.440 literally singing to one another or speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs 00:41:04.440 --> 00:41:10.839 there's something about that that and fills us with the holy spirit so that we can live wise 00:41:10.839 --> 00:41:20.379 intentional lives that are appropriate for dearly loved children of god sometimes i find 00:41:20.380 --> 00:41:29.519 sometimes i find that people who are very cerebral and rational and like to think things through and be 00:41:29.519 --> 00:41:38.619 deep thinking sometimes i find that those kinds of people don't find worship as powerful and sometimes 00:41:38.619 --> 00:41:44.940 i find people that love worship that put the cd on in the car at every opportunity they're always 00:41:44.940 --> 00:41:53.440 singing the songs they are less inclined to be you know looking at bible studies and theology 00:41:53.440 --> 00:42:01.980 but what paul says is he says actually to be wise and to be intentional in our discipleship of jesus 00:42:01.980 --> 00:42:10.740 we should be constantly worshiping not just um when we're together but in our hearts singing songs 00:42:10.739 --> 00:42:18.279 from our hearts music make music from your heart to the lord always giving thanks to god the father for 00:42:18.279 --> 00:42:26.479 everything in the name of our lord jesus christ so there's a lot there's a lot in this passage but it's 00:42:26.479 --> 00:42:36.219 just again how do we sit walk stand we sit understanding that we are blessed in the heavenly realms with every 00:42:36.219 --> 00:42:44.799 single spiritual blessing in christ chosen predestined uh we have been brought forth you know he's divided the 00:42:44.799 --> 00:42:51.859 wall of host he's broken down the wall of hostility that divided us and as a result we walk what does it 00:42:51.859 --> 00:43:01.639 mean to walk it's holistic it means i walk always asking myself is this the way of love uh or is this an 00:43:01.639 --> 00:43:08.059 idolatrous way that disinherits me from god's kingdom right now and god's kingdom which is to come 00:43:08.059 --> 00:43:16.000 and then i'm thinking right how can i be wise there's empty words in the culture that says live like this 00:43:16.000 --> 00:43:23.739 this is the way to be successful and happy but that's foolishness and so i'm being wise i'm trying to 00:43:23.739 --> 00:43:30.519 understand what god's will is and i'm living a life of worship and thanksgiving so it's not 00:43:30.519 --> 00:43:37.840 worship or thinking studying intention it's the two of them together it's this holistic 00:43:37.840 --> 00:43:46.239 discipleship life so i hope that's given us a little bit to chew on let's look at our summary again 00:43:46.239 --> 00:43:53.619 we've got love we've got light and we've got live that breaks down what god has done for me he's loved me 00:43:53.619 --> 00:44:04.400 what god has made me he's made me light so what i do with it well i live i live a life that is 00:44:04.400 --> 00:44:12.480 compatible with my calling and with the fact that i'm loved by god and that looks like being careful 00:44:12.480 --> 00:44:19.619 being intentional not just thinking well i can just do whatever and god will work it out actually 00:44:19.619 --> 00:44:27.099 i'm going to take effort i'm going to be uh applying myself to this but i'm always doing it out of a 00:44:27.099 --> 00:44:33.039 place of this is the way of love i know that i'm loved i'm not striving i'm simply bringing myself 00:44:33.039 --> 00:44:40.319 into jesus's light and he's making me a light but there's a there's a cooperation that jesus does his 00:44:40.319 --> 00:44:48.179 bit and i do my bit look at these two questions what does it mean to speak to one another in psalms hymns 00:44:48.179 --> 00:44:54.319 and spiritual songs i mean what does that look like does it mean that you're walking along 00:44:54.319 --> 00:45:02.299 saying shine jesus shine uh how does that work and how can you cultivate a greater lifestyle of 00:45:02.299 --> 00:45:08.199 constant worship and thanksgiving okay full disclosure my hand is up i'm not one of these 00:45:08.199 --> 00:45:13.960 big worship guys i'd much rather be doing something or reading something or studying 00:45:13.960 --> 00:45:21.380 um my wife really is a worshiper she loves to worship and she she fills our house with spiritual 00:45:21.380 --> 00:45:27.320 songs all the time she's at her piano but for me this is more of a big deal so i have to think 00:45:27.320 --> 00:45:33.340 how can i live a life of constant thanksgiving and worship what does that look like for me 00:45:33.340 --> 00:45:41.460 who's a little bit more analytical i think one of the things about psalms you know even if we take the 00:45:41.460 --> 00:45:50.099 the psalms in scripture um they're so because they're poetry because they're songs they're lyrics 00:45:50.099 --> 00:45:54.980 they're easy to remember the lord is my shepherd i shall not want and one of the most powerful things 00:45:54.980 --> 00:46:01.559 that you can do when you're together in fellowship is actually to pray some of those things over one 00:46:01.559 --> 00:46:07.240 another uh to be able to pray psalms um and i think the same can be the same can be true of 00:46:07.239 --> 00:46:13.919 spiritual songs they help remind us of spiritual truths i think that the mindset thing is so 00:46:13.919 --> 00:46:20.259 important because for me when i look at this passage there's a combination of head and heart 00:46:20.259 --> 00:46:27.059 it's like in my heart i need to know that i'm loved and that this comes out of a place of i am deeply 00:46:27.059 --> 00:46:33.699 loved i'm dearly loved and i can't do anything more to earn god's love and no matter how bad i mess up 00:46:33.699 --> 00:46:42.679 i can't lose god's love so that gives me security so my motivation is that heart but at the same time 00:46:42.679 --> 00:46:50.699 i need my mind to be working that stuff out one of the reasons i really love ephesians is that 00:46:50.699 --> 00:46:57.579 it's actually one of the the passages in scripture that over the years i've looked to to um to commit 00:46:57.579 --> 00:47:01.079 to memory or to memorize at least parts of it i've never got the whole way through 00:47:01.079 --> 00:47:09.940 but to be able to have bits of ephesians that you can just fill your mind with um and i find that 00:47:09.940 --> 00:47:18.860 when i'm praying for people i'll i'll pray the words of scripture um so using scripture using worship 00:47:18.860 --> 00:47:25.279 to fill our minds other ways in which worship can be part of our everyday life i mean i i made fun of 00:47:25.280 --> 00:47:30.800 the people that listening to worship music in the cars but it's quite good uh i don't do it but um 00:47:30.800 --> 00:47:40.180 one of the things i do is i run and when i run i have my headphones in and i i ran out of all the 00:47:40.180 --> 00:47:46.140 music that i like and so i thought well i might as well try some worship because i've run out of all 00:47:46.140 --> 00:47:53.940 the good songs um and i found out that as i'm walking uh sorry i've given myself away as i'm trying to run 00:47:53.940 --> 00:48:02.000 very slowly through the streets of bristol and i've got worship in my ears it actually affects me 00:48:02.000 --> 00:48:07.099 it changes me it sets me up and every now and again i kind of get pumped and i'll start running 00:48:07.099 --> 00:48:14.039 um in fact i ran this morning i did a little run this morning before work and it was a gospel choir 00:48:14.039 --> 00:48:20.039 that started singing our god is a mighty god uh he reigns from heaven above and i started running 00:48:20.039 --> 00:48:27.800 faster and faster because it started to affect me and we need to make sure that we are living lives 00:48:27.800 --> 00:48:36.099 of worship and and thanking god it's so easy to come to god with a list of prayers and requests our 00:48:36.099 --> 00:48:42.960 shopping list of burdens and that's not a bad thing but actually having lives where we're thanking god 00:48:42.960 --> 00:48:49.880 um again i have this spiritual practice i i pray in my living room in the morning and i will go around 00:48:49.880 --> 00:48:55.860 and i'll say thank you god for this sofa you provided this sofa for me thank you god for that picture of 00:48:55.860 --> 00:49:01.460 our family when the girls were little thank you that you've you've given you know i just go around and 00:49:01.460 --> 00:49:07.199 thank you for that plant i'm sorry i've killed it but going around being thankful to god these are 00:49:07.199 --> 00:49:13.659 spiritual practices that can help us pray thank you so much for allowing me to to be here uh as i said 00:49:13.659 --> 00:49:20.359 before i brought a few of these things what i brought is i brought some postcards that have um details of 00:49:20.359 --> 00:49:26.439 the things that we offer so if you've got people who are in need of help whether that is just not 00:49:26.439 --> 00:49:32.159 really coping with married life or family life or young kids or whether there's additional needs or 00:49:32.159 --> 00:49:38.799 whether there's bereavement or just anything that we can help with as i alluded to we have a care 00:49:38.799 --> 00:49:45.059 line where you just ring the number and say look i'm having this issue with um whoever it may be 00:49:45.059 --> 00:49:51.460 but also if you want a little bit of a broader overview there's a book because family life matters 00:49:51.460 --> 00:49:57.679 at the back if you want to you can become one of the we have thousands and thousands of people 00:49:57.679 --> 00:50:04.839 across the uk that support us we do what we do because literally around about 15 000 people every 00:50:04.839 --> 00:50:10.480 month give a little amount and if you'd like to kind of explore that you'd be very very welcome just 00:50:10.480 --> 00:50:16.480 take one of these and you can do whatever it says but let's pray and commit these things to god now 00:50:16.480 --> 00:50:22.500 father god 00:50:22.500 --> 00:50:35.219 if we take nothing else from this evening i pray that we would just remember that we're dearly loved 00:50:35.219 --> 00:50:45.159 that you cherish us that we're your children and lord out of that place of love we want to live 00:50:45.159 --> 00:50:56.480 and walk the way of love father god you have made us light and rather than condemning us for those 00:50:56.480 --> 00:51:02.079 things which we keep in the dark you invite us just to live in the light and to become lights to be 00:51:02.079 --> 00:51:03.500 illuminated by you 00:51:03.500 --> 00:51:07.940 lord we want to live in the light 00:51:07.940 --> 00:51:15.500 and father as we have the challenge of day-to-day discipleship would you make us people that know 00:51:15.500 --> 00:51:22.059 what it is to speak to one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to have hearts that are full 00:51:22.059 --> 00:51:29.000 of thanksgiving and overflowing with gratitude that we make music from the heart to you that we would be 00:51:29.000 --> 00:51:34.920 worshipers of god and that our thinking would be wise that we would know what your will is 00:51:34.920 --> 00:51:40.420 and that we're the kind of people that can be lights in this world because you shine upon us 00:51:40.420 --> 00:51:46.639 lord help us i pray in the name of jesus and i pray for um the churches represented here 00:51:46.639 --> 00:51:51.740 i pray that this time of easter we may be easter people resurrection people 00:51:51.740 --> 00:52:00.260 who extend out the message of the good news that jesus christ has risen from the dead hallelujah 00:52:00.260 --> 00:52:04.780 that those that we love who don't know you might be able to see that light 00:52:04.780 --> 00:52:14.760 and find you as their father for themselves we pray this in the name of jesus amen amen thank you so much 00:52:14.760 --> 00:52:15.760 you 00:52:15.760 --> 00:52:17.760 you