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Summary

TITLE: HoG: Walking Under the Influence (Pt.2) – Eph. 5:15-24 AIM: Some of what it looks like to be under the influence of the Spirit. INTRO: “To God be the glory, great things He has done!” That is certainly an understatement! Among the many great things God has done is the giving of Himself to us, 1st by sending His Son, Jesus, God the Son, to take on our likeness, live a perfect/holy life as our representative, then take on our sin & die on the cross. “So loved He the world that He gave us His Son, who yielded His life an atonement for sin, & opened the life-gate that all may go in. O perfect redemption, the purchase of blood, to every believer the promise of God: the vilest offender who truly believes, that moment from Jesus a pardon receives.” Praise the Lord indeed! We also sang the beloved song, “Amazing Grace,” rehearsing the salvation of wretches like us, the guidance, teaching & protection of God thru “many dangers, toils & snares,” & hope for today & tomorrow, not only in this present age, but in the age to come – “The Lord has promised good to me, His word my hope secures; He will my shield & portion be, as long as life endures.” “Yes, when this flesh & heart shall fail, & mortal life shall cease, I shall possess w/in the veil, a life of joy & peace,” for 10’s of 1000 years &more. The primary way that God fulfills those words is by the giving of Himself in the person of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit regenerates & wakens faith in us. The Holy Spirit convicts & convinces us of our need of a Savior. The Holy Spirit indwells us to flow w/in & thru us as a river of life. The Holy Spirit guides us thru the Word He inspired – the Bible. The Holy Spirit fills us as we believe & yield to His control, which we must daily do. As we do so, under His influence we are enabled to carry out the work of God & send forth the Word of God. We are enabled to be the Church God has envisioned/raised up. Theme: HofG – understanding that we believers in Christ are members of God’s household & seeking to understand what it means to be members of the HofG. I suggested last week that members of God’s household walk/conduct their lives under the influence of the Holy Spirit, to which I would add today that the Holy Spirit’s influence shows in how we relate to God & each other. Let’s look again to Ephesians 5:15-21 & include the next few vss, to vs 24 [READ]. Last week we considered Paul’s exhortation to walk/conduct our lives as followers of Christ, 1) Carefully. “Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise, but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.” We’re to take care to continually put off the old, learn to think new, & put on the new – step by step, day by day. And, we’re to walk 2)Understandingly – w/understanding of the character of life, that the days are evil, & the will of the Lord – who/what God wants us to be in any given situation. And, we’re to live3) Overflowingly – filled to overflowing w/the Holy Spirit. We have the Holy Spirit w/in us if we are in Christ by faith, but we need to be continually filled w/the Spirit, that is, under His influence. David Gudzik pointed out that the word for “be filled” is a “passive imperative” verb, the passive meaning that the filling is not something we manufacture, but it is done to/for us. The imperative means that it is a command, not optional. God thru Paul commands us to be continually filled w/the Spirit, always seeking His control/influence, & always yielding to His control, direction, & power. If we are under the influence of the Holy Spirit, we will consistently put off the old, learn to think new, & put on the new life – Christ-likeness. And, if we are under His influence, certain things will naturally come forth from us, things which in themselves are not natural, things which are even counter-cultural, things which will have an impact on the Church & the world, pointing the lost to Christ. As said last week, God wants to use us in these evil days to encourage & exhort one another, help each other do what is right, what pleases God. Under the Holy Spirit’s influence we will I) Address one another in psalms & hymns & spiritual songs. I think this is certainly talking about worship to God in the midst of/along w/others, but I think it means more. I think it may also mean speaking the truth of Scripture & Christian teaching, often found in hymns of faith, easy to remember. Consider how this may happen. We recognize that the days are evil. Disease happens, people die all too soon, children rebel/stray, the world tries to force us into its mold, the economy is weak, so bros/sis in Christ, as well as those outside church struggle to make ends meet. We falter/fail, get discouraged, lose sight of God’s goodness, promises. We’re bewildered about some things, wondering what to do. So, we’re to address one another, reminding one another of the truths of Scripture, the promises of God, the teachings passed down thruout the history of the Church, etc. We might quote Psalm 23 to one who is facing death, needing hope – “Even tho I walk thru the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are w/me, Your rod & Your staff comfort me…surely goodness & mercy will follow me all the days of my life, & I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” Perhaps Psalm 27 to one facing some seeming insurmountable difficulty: “The Lord is my light & my salvation, whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life, of whom shall I be afraid? …I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living (while I still live)! Wait for the Lord; be strong, & let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!” Or maybe I John 1:9 to one who is struggling w/sin: “If we confess our sins, He is faithful & just to forgive us our sins & to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Or the truth expressed in Phil.1:6 (& the chorus): “He who began a good work in you will be faithful to complete it.” Or for someone who doesn’t know what to do, where to turn: “God will make a way where there seems to be no way…” Using Scripture & familiar words of songs, etc., we can encourage each other, or confront one another, advise or challenge each other. The point is that we are to speak into each other’s lives, being used of the Holy Spirit to minister truth, point each other to God, urging trust, obedience, hope, etc. Then too, under the Holy Spirit’s influence, we are to II) Sing & make melody to the Lord w/all our hearts… This is obviously an attitude & practice of worship. As mentioned last week, we should be God-focused, seeing Him everywhere & in everything, & we should acknowledge Him, worship Him. Christians should go about w/a song in their hearts, & w/all our hearts we should give God praise. The Holy Spirit will always lead us to worship/sing. And when we come together, we sing & worship together, & it should be loud, wholehearted, involved. I know some value music more than others & you may not know every song very well, but I don’t get not singing at all. Think about who you’re singing about/to. Think about the angels – do you think any of them are holding back around the throne of God? And, yes, we should think about others who are gathered w/us. If no one sings, is anyone encouraged to sing? If your heart is not into worship, are others stimulated to worship? Certainly if your heart is not in it you will not benefit. Think about what God has done for us in Christ. Think about His blessings in your life everyday - & sing! Worship is much more than singing, but singing is a big part of worship. We should also listen intently & pray w/earnest, not just listening to the pastor pray. We should be mindful of each other on one hand, & totally focused on God on the other. We each have the responsibility to encourage worship. Our worship not only honors God, but it helps others worship also. If we each have a song in our heart & we come together to sing/worship, don’t you think God delights in that? Also, under the influence of the Holy Spirit, we are to III) Give thanks always & for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ… “Give thanks w/a grateful heart, give thanks to the Holy One, give thanks because He’s given Jesus Christ His Son. Let the weak say, ‘I am strong,’ let the poor say, ‘I am rich’ because of what the Lord has done for us. Give thanks.” Again, as said last week, we can thank God always, because if we are in Christ we have a solid confidence of His presence & promises & a sure hope beyond these evil days. We can thank God for everything, because He’s at work in all things for His glory & our good. How can we fail if we’re w/Him & being led by His Spirit? Our lives should be filled w/thanksgiving to God. He has poured out His grace upon us & continues to daily. He is actively involved in our lives day by day. He is our provider, protector, shield, defender, help in time of trouble, our Savior & Lord, our Counselor & Friend. Thanksgiving should pour forth from us all the time, if we would but think about it. The Holy Spirit will influence us to give thanks always & for everything. That will seem strange to many, but it will also encourage bro/sis in Christ, as well as set a positive tone for our lives & honor God. A thankful heart is focused on God, trusts God, & points others to God. Finally, under the Holy Spirit’s influence we will be led to IV) Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. This is definitely counter-cultural. The Grk wd translated submit is “hypotasso,” meaning “arrange under, subordinate, subject one’s self, obey, submit to one’s control, yield to one’s admonition…” It’s a military term recognizing rank & placing one’s self under rank. In this statement, Paul is calling for us to recognize each other as more imp than ourselves, to put others 1st. How does that work in the church? It’s not about “my way or the highway.” It’s not about “me,” but my bro/sis in Christ. As we’ve discussed in SS (class on Biblical church membership), it’s not about personal preferences. Preferences are ok – we all have them, but your/my preferences don’t take priority over others. As said last week, if we’re under the influence of the Holy Spirit, then we’re led to be humble, consider others 1st, & to gladly place ourselves under whatever authority God has set up. It’s a life of yielding 1st to God & then to others, trusting God w/our lives. We’re to do this, Paul wrote, “out of reverence for Christ” – because He is my Savior/Lord, because I respect & love Him, because I trust Him & have given my life to Him, because He said so. Often the reason we have a hard time submitting to one another is because we are not submitted to Christ as Lord. We are selfish & self-focused & think we know what’s best. We’re to submit to one another, but also to the authority that God has placed over us. God has established lines of authority, which we are to recognize & to which we are to submit. God has established government authority & church authority & the authority of the home, which includes headship over the home & parental authority. We should take very seriously the authoritative structures put in place by God, not only because He says so, but for our own good. I think it was Adam who posted an illustration on FB of God’s line of authority for the home. It was depicted as a series of umbrellas over us. God Himself is the great umbrella of protection over us, then His word, the Bible. Then the husband is in authority over the wife & home, then the parents over the children. If it rains, get under an umbrella & you’ll stay dry. Step out from under & get soaked. Stay under God’s umbrella of protection, including parents & husband, & you’ll be protected by God’s design. Step out in disobedience/rebellion, & you leave yourself unprotected & in danger of spiritual attack. Paul gets very specific in the next section, 5:22-6:4, addressing the authority of the home. I believe he gave us this as very tangible examples of submission. I was going to launch into this section today, but obviously, our time is spent, so we’ll pick this up next week (sorry Pete). But we should remember that it’s a matter of God’s design & reverence for Him. Submission is really about trust in God to know what He’s doing. It’s about doing things His way, in spite of the world’s view of things. It’s about the influence of the Holy Spirit, our counselor & life-source. Under His influence we will live differently 7 & it will show in how we relate to God & to each other. We’re the Household of God!