Following a New Way: How can we learn to navigate the rough terrain of life? Not by following the ways of this world. Becoming a Christian puts you on a new path — the way of Jesus — where we learn to walk in the way of love, goodness, righteousness, truth, and wisdom. This is the way. Recorded on Jun 30, 2024, on Ephesians 5:1-20 by Pastor David Parks.
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Our series, Ephesians: The Gospel in Life, serves as an epilogue to Finding Life in Jesus’ Name from John’s gospel. The Apostle Paul’s letter to the Ephesians reveals much about how the life found by faith in Jesus actually works. This series will touch on themes of grace, identity, purpose, family, the church, spiritual warfare, and more. If you’re considering the life of Jesus or if you’re ready to follow him today, this series is for you.
Sermon Transcript
Today, and through the end of July, we’ll continue to work through Paul’s letter to the Ephesians in a sermon series called The Gospel in Life. And today, as we start Chapter 5, we’re going to consider how our identity in Christ — our union with Christ — impacts and transforms the direction of our lives. I don’t know about you, but I love to go backpacking. The first time I went backpacking, I was in high school, and our youth group went to Colorado for a 5-day, 4-night hike over a 12,000+ foot mountain pass. Now, backpacking is so much work. You carry everything you need for life on your back the whole time. If you forgot something, you just don’t have that thing. If it rains, you put on your rain gear and keep going. And there are certainly no showers, beds, or bathrooms on the trail. But as some of you might’ve guessed, I love that kind of challenge, and I love being out in the woods or the mountains. However, we didn’t know what we needed to bring or what to do, or how to get from where they dropped us off at the trailhead to the end of the trail (on the other side of the mountain). But everything was ok because we had a guide, and our guide knew where we needed to go and what we needed to do to make it across some very rough and potentially dangerous terrain. Our guide made sure we stayed on the right path. He showed us how to hike through the woods, above the tree line, and finally across the snow at the top of the pass. Well, in our passage for today, the Apostle Paul acts like a trail guide, helping us know how to navigate the rough terrain — how to walk through life. Every one of us will reach different points in our path where the trail seems to lead in different directions. How will we know which way to go? How can we make sure we’re on the right path? the path that leads to life/love/joy/peace? the path that honors God and is worthy of the calling we have received in Christ? If you have your Bible/app, please take it and open it to Eph 5:1. We’ll read through this text and unpack it as we go.
Ephesians 5:1–2 (NIV), “1 Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children 2 and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” Last week, we considered the call “to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.” That in Christ, we’re being transformed day by day into the likeness of Christ. Here, Paul uses the idea of walking as a metaphor for how we live our lives. Three times in this passage, he refers to how we might walk through life, the first of which is here in v. 2 (“…walk in the way of love”). He says, “Follow God’s example (lit. “be imitators of God”), therefore, as dearly loved children.” Have you ever seen a little kid imitating their parents? Not just in their appearance but in how they speak, dress, or act? This can be really cute or scary, depending on the example of the parents. But, Paul says, no matter what example our parents were for us (good or bad), “as dearly loved children,” of our Father in heaven, we’re to follow God’s example and imitate him. But please notice the order. Paul does not say to follow God’s example so that he might love us. He says because you are dearly loved children, because you’ve gone from death to life in Christ, because of your union with Christ, therefore, follow God’s example. Obedience to follow the way of Jesus is not the way of salvation. As we’ve seen, we’re saved by grace alone through faith alone. But obedience to follow the way of Jesus then is what the Christian life is all about. And the first thing about this new way of Jesus is that it’s the way of love. Why? Because of the gospel. Walk in the way of love, “just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” Christians are to be people of love because we know how much we have first been loved through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead to rescue and redeem us from the power of sin and death. Jesus is the way. He is our guide. So where he has gone, we must follow. But what does this way of love look like? It might mean we must give our lives to save others, as it did for Jesus on the cross. But what else might it mean?
Ephesians 5:3-4 (NIV), “3 But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people. 4 Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving.” If we are a people who are learning the way of Jesus, a way of love in light of the gospel, then first, there “must not be even a hint of sexual immorality.” The term translated as sexual immorality is porneia, which is where we get the word pornography today. In Paul’s day, this meant any sexual relationship outside a life-long covenant of marriage between one man and one woman. Basically, this means sleeping with anyone other than your spouse. This kind of thing, as common as it is and has always been in the world, should not be common among God’s holy people. It’s not that human sexuality is sinful or shameful, but that God has a very particular context for such a powerful thing according to his wisdom and how he created human beings to work. It’s a beautiful and helpful thing in the right context, but it is destructive and dehumanizing in the wrong context. So, we should be careful to honor God with our bodies and our faithfulness in marriage. Impurity is a more general term that implies anything that isn’t clean or holy. Perhaps Paul had the descriptions of v. 4 in mind. Obscenity, foolish talk, or coarse joking — all of these ways of speaking to others would be considered impure. Again, these things are common in the world, but they should not be common for followers of Jesus. Finally, he mentions greed. To always want more and more, to be driven by money or possessions, and to measure your worth as a person by your income or your savings, yet again, is the normal way of this world. The rich are important, while the poor are ignored/disposable. This is especially true in our materialistic/consumeristic culture. But this cannot be the way for followers of Jesus. All these practices should be totally out of place among us. There shouldn’t even be a hint of these things here. Instead, Paul says, we should be thankful, not entitled or selfish or worldly. We should be people who know we’ve received more from God in creation, more from Christ in salvation, and more from the Spirit in life than we could ever repay. We should be people who know how much we’ve been blessed, that God has lavished his grace on us, and as a result are thankful from the moment we wake up to the moment we lay our heads back down at night to sleep. Why? Because we are dearly loved children. That’s our identity; that’s who we are. And that changes everything.
Ephesians 5:5-7 (NIV), “5 For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person—such a person is an idolater—has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. 6 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God’s wrath comes on those who are disobedient. 7 Therefore do not be partners with them.” Again, Paul doesn’t argue that we must act a certain way — to follow God’s example — to earn our way into the kingdom of Christ and of God. By faith in Jesus, we are already dearly loved children of our Father in heaven. But if that is who we are, then we must act accordingly. An immoral, impure, or greedy person, such person is an idolater because they are serving money in the place of God, remains separated from God, dead in their transgressions and sins, and will have to give an account for their life on the day of judgment. That doesn’t mean there is no hope for them. All people, regardless of their past, are invited to trust in Christ for the forgiveness of their sins and a new relationship with God that will never end. Now, some people always want to cut out the bad news of the gospel to make it more appealing or less offensive, but this is not right. “Let no one deceive you with empty words…” Everyone needs a savior. Everyone needs Jesus. If we didn’t, he would never have had to come into this dark world. We would never have needed the cross. But we were dead. We were lost apart from the person and work of Jesus. And in him, we are being made new. So, let us learn joyful obedience to Jesus. But what does it mean not to be partners with them, with people who are not followers of Jesus? Some take this to mean Christians shouldn’t marry non-Christians or be business partners with non-Christians, but is that the kind of partnership Paul has in mind? Jesus was known as a friend of sinners. He was invited to dinner with tax collectors; he healed and taught and spent time with all kinds of people, some of whom with very questionable morals. So, Paul can’t mean that Christians can’t be friends with or minister to non-Christians. I believe Paul, as a scholar in the Hebrew Bible, is thinking more along the lines of Psalm 1, which says, “1 Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, 2 but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. 3 That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither— whatever they do prospers.” As dearly loved children of our heavenly Father, we must love people but not participate with them in their way of life that is opposed to the way of Jesus. Let’s move to the second section, which talks about how we walk through life with v. 8.
Ephesians 5:8-14 (NIV), “8 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light 9 (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) 10 and find out what pleases the Lord. 11 Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. 12 It is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. 13 But everything exposed by the light becomes visible—and everything that is illuminated becomes a light. 14 This is why it is said: “Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.” It’s harder to see the walking analogy here, but v. 8 says, “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light.” Paul mixes his metaphors here by introducing the theme of light and darkness, a theme which was common in John’s gospel. It’s interesting that he doesn’t say that you were once in the dark and now you are in the light, but that you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Again, this points to our identity — to who we are in Christ. So, we ought to live (walk) in a manner fitting to who we are as children of light. Paul says the fruit of the light (a third metaphor if you’re keeping track) consists of all goodness, righteousness, and truth. We are to have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness. In fact, Paul calls us to expose them, that is, the deeds of darkness. Last week, we saw that the desires of our hearts are unreliable and sometimes are downright harmful to ourselves or to others. Our desire to expose what is shameful or wrong is not to heap condemnation on people but to show them the path that leads to life. It is so often the case that when behavior that has been hidden in darkness comes out into the light, so much of the power of that behavior and the hold that it has over us starts to diminish. In using this analogy of light and darkness, I wonder if Paul was thinking about his conversion to Christianity. In Acts 26, Paul recounts the story of Jesus appearing to him on the road to Damascus, saying that Jesus told him, “I am sending you to them [Gentiles] 18 to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’” (Ac 26:17-18). The mission of God in the world is to bring the good news of Jesus to people who are walking in darkness. So that they might hear and believe and go from darkness to light. This is why, Paul says, it is said, “Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.” Many scholars believe Paul is quoting from an early Christian hymn based on several passages from Isaiah. But he includes this saying to point to the fact that this new path, this unique way of life, is open to all. Even enemies of Jesus, like the Apostle Paul was before he became a Christian, are welcome. But if we do this, if we live/walk as children of light and follow the path of goodness, righteousness, and truth, what will that look like?
Ephesians 5:15-20 (NIV), “15 Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, 16 making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. 17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. 18 Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit, 19 speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, 20 always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” This is God’s word. And this is the third section which talks about how we walk through life. Verse 15 says, “Be very careful, then, how you live [lit. walk!]—not as unwise but as wise,” The first section invited us to walk in the way of love and thanksgiving. The second section invited us to walk in the light of goodness, righteousness, and truth. Here, we’re called to walk in the way of wisdom, “making the most of every opportunity (lit. redeeming the time), because the days are evil.” Wisdom means knowing how to live out God’s word in any and every situation. Now, not one of us is as wise as we could be. But wisdom comes when, having filled our hearts and minds with the truth of God’s word through the power of the Holy Spirit, we reflect on our experiences and learn “what the Lord’s will is.” This can be complicated. What is God’s will for your work/money/marriage/kids/future? There are a lot of things to take into consideration. But this is why drunkenness isn’t helpful. It takes us out of reality. It numbs us to what we should be thinking about and to the influence of the Spirit and rarely leads to a life of love, joy, and peace. More often, it leads to debauchery. Proverbs 20:1 says, ”Wine is a mocker and beer a brawler; whoever is led astray by them is not wise.” Along with sexual immorality, impurity, and greed, drunkenness (or any practice or substance that numbs you to life) have been common temptations in this broken world. And it can be very understandable why someone would want to find some sort of escape in this life, but this is not the way. There’s a better way in Christ. “Instead,” we are to “be filled with the Spirit.” And what does that look like? It looks like “speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit.” It looks like singing and making “music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” It looks like a life of joyful worship, of music, of thanksgiving, and so much more. This is the life I want to live! This is the kind of life I want for my kids and my grandkids! Wouldn’t this be the absolute best thing for your friends or family members? All those years ago, when we set out on our backpacking trip, we need a guide to show us the way, to keep us safe, to help us fully enjoy the beauty and power of God’s creation, and to make sure we ended up at the right destination. Here, Paul is both reminding us of our identity in Christ and that the way that we walk through life must be based on his way. He is the way. He is our guide. But if we learn to follow him, if we as dearly loved children follow his way of love/thanksgiving/goodness/righteousness/truth, then we too will be safe, we’ll be able to fully enjoy the beauty and goodness of life, even in a broken world, and we too will end up at the right destination: in the kingdom where Jesus is King, no longer condemned and in darkness, but forgiven and freed and infinitely loved forever and ever. Amen. Let us pray.