The Letter to the Ephesians    Message Twenty Five

XI.  Prohibitions, Proving, and Praises    Ephesians 5:3-21

We learned from chapter five through God’s Word that we should –

  A.  Be Warned of the dangers before us.   (Prohibitions)                                                     The danger of –

    1.  Seeking the satisfaction of the flesh –

    2.  Seeking the attention of others-

    3.  Seeking to live as an unbeliever –

    4.  Seeking to be liked by those you are around each day –

We learned also that on the other hand, we are to  –

  B.  Be Wise   (Proving)   Ephesians 5:7-17   “…be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.”

When we are wise and understanding what the will of the Lord is, we will –

    1.  Be different –

    2.  Be devoted –

    3.  Be discerning –

    4.  Be diligent –

Do we understand what we are being told?  We are to make a difference in this world – be light in the darkness.  Help people to see that there is hope in this life and that Hope is in God through His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.  We are to illuminate the world through Him. To accomplish this, we must –

  C.  Be Submitted   (Praise)    Ephesians 5:18-21

    1.  Pursue after His will –

Ephesians 5:18  And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;

      a.  Reject the desires of the flesh –

      b.  Receive the blessings of being indwelt by the Holy Spirit and the fulness He gives.  “…but be filled with the Spirit.”

    2.  Praise Him for His presence –

Ephesians 5:18b-20  “…but be filled with the Spirit….”  Remember –

      a.  The benefits of being filled we have through Him –

        1).  Security

        2).  Liberty

        3).  Truth

        4).  Understanding

        5).  Conviction

        6).  Prayer

        7).  Direction

        8).  Boldness

        9).  Testimony 

        10).  Fellowship

Today we will learn from these benefits that –

      b.  The beauty of being filled –

        1).  Psalms   “… Speaking to yourselves in psalms – with music

        2).   Hymns –  Choir without musical accompaniment

        3).  Spiritual Songs –  Solos of praise and encouragement

        4).  Singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;

  – continuing the blessings of the messages in song and through the preaching into the days ahead which leads us to –

Pursue His will, Praise Him for His Presence, and –

   3.  Present ourselves to Him in service to one another –

Ephesians 5:21  Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.

2 Timothy 2:24-26  And the servant of the Lord (…in the fear of God…) must not strive; but be gentle unto all men,  (submitting yourselves one to another…) apt to teach, patient, In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.

Are we being a light to those with whom we come in contact? 

Does your life draw them along with you to walk in obedience and service to the Lord or –

Does your life give them the excuse they want to continue to fulfil the lust of the flesh?

Lets all be a help and a blessing to others, living for the Lord to His glory!  This leads us to learn more of the practical application of God’s Word –

XII.  Principles of humility.  Ephesians 5:22 – 6:9

And as we move with the words of the Lord through the Apostle Paul, we must remember the admonition given in Proverbs –

Proverbs 18:19  A brother offended is harder to be won than a strong city: and their contentions are like the bars of a castle.

The message is to be careful and not let divisions happen, and if they do, settle them quickly!  Relationships are destroyed because of pride and the refusal to submit to one another in love.

  A.  The Principles set forth for the family. Ephesians 5:22-6:4

    1.  Husbands and wives   Ephesians 5:22-33 

      a.  The Plan

        1).  The wife – Love through submission

Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body. Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing.

        2). The Husband – love through leadership

…even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word…

      b.  The Presentation

…That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.

      c.  The Pattern –

“…So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself. For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church: For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones. For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. “

We are being reminded again of the exhortation given in chapter four – unity!

“…This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.”

That which was not known before, but recently revealed to man by God.

“…Nevertheless…”

Returning to the subject at hand –

“…let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband.”

    2.  Husbands, wives, and children.  Ephesians  6:1-4

Ephesians 6:1-4  Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. Honour thy father and mother; (which is the first commandment with promise;) That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth. And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.

Obedience to parents results from parents bringing up the children as commanded “…in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.”

This obedience is not a natural occurrence!  

Obedience is learned and therefore, must be taught.  The important thing to always keep in mind – Who is doing the teaching?  The world or the Lord?

Turn your eyes upon Jesus
Look full in His wonderful face
And the things (the thing) of earth will grow strangely dim
In the light of His glory and grace

Will you turn your eyes to God this morning through His Son?

Be the person who God wants you to be!