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July 21, 2021 9:00 am
Jamie Greer if you want to survive spiritually. You got to live the gospel down deep into your heart so that every single part of you is been transformed by the gospel to the dating relationships. The way to handle anger that we bring the way to angle everything has been transformed by the gospel light there and religion. As always, I'm your host Molly benefits notice that our culture tends to portray Christianity as bland and boring like if you want an interesting life. The last place you probably get a look is the church with its stuffy liturgy, uncomfortable seats and long-winded sermons right but today Pastor Jenny reveals that the Christian life is far from boring.
In fact, it's an all out war with plenty of action to get involved in your setting through the book of Ephesians missed any of the previous messages in this series, you can listen again by visiting@jamiegreer.com here's Pastor Jenny with a message from Ephesians 5 that he called for Tuesday six 1944, 6:30 AM, about five little over 5000 ships carrying hundred and 75,000 Allied troops approached the southern beaches in France for the largest invasion in modern history. What we now refer to as the day some of the men who survived the invasion said that they remember the study stream of messages and agitations being broadcast over the ship intercoms in those final few minutes as that fleet of 5000 ships approached the French beaches fight to get troops ashore fight to save your ships and if you got any strength left fight to save yourselves. Another went. We shall die on the sands of France, but we will never turn back another one. This is it, pick it up, put it on. You got a one-way ticket and this is the end of the line to messages that the survivors most remember was the clear call that rang out on all of the ships at about 620 away all boats and our father which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.
Over 12,000 Americans died that morning in a span of about 15 minutes as the boats reached the shores be disembarking soldiers literally had to crawl over the bodies of other soldiers to be able to make it onto the beaches.
That is an image that I realize that is not pleasant. It is sobering makes you grateful, but I share it because the men that approached the beaches of Normandy that they had no delusions about what they were going into they did not think that they were going to the beach for a vacation. They understood exactly what they were walking into. They knew that there was a vicious enemy who wanted to destroy them, and they knew that many of them would die.
The book of Ephesians pulls back the curtain on the mysteries of life and shows you and I that we are in the midst of a battle that is no less stringent with an enemy that is no less fierce and quite honestly the tragedy is tragedy is that many of us have no idea where even a battle we approach life as if it were a vacation and not a war. We live like this.
If we run a playground, not a battleground but it's not it's not and you can wish all day long, but it was. I do sometimes I would lie for vacation.
I would like the rest of which was a playground, but that doesn't change the fact one bid that this is a battle unless you wake up to that back you are going to waste your life and even worse, you and those you love might be casualties.
How stupid to show up at Normandy on D-Day with a beach towel and a duct right but that's how many of us are showing up for a battle. No lesson this for those you are familiar with the book of Ephesians. You may be used to thinking of Ephesians 6 of the passage on spiritual warfare and it is but the FEMA battle pervades really all of Ephesians and I want to show you that today from Ephesians chapter 5. So you have a Bible, I would invite you take it out and opened it three Ephesians 5 really begin.
About halfway through the chapter where we left off last week. Ephesians 5. Today, this morning I'm going to show you why many many many.
Tragically, many people honestly don't make it. As Christians. Matthew seven Jesus speaking to a group of religious people any make a statement that you grew up in church you're familiar with the statement is abroad is the gates and easy is the way that leads to destruction. Many there are going that way but narrow is the gate and difficult is the way that leads to life there only a few fight broadest day easy is the way that leads to destruction narrow is the gate difficult is the path that leads to life and only a few find it truly sobering to me as we consider the fact that he gave that statement not to a mass audience of people.
That's represented all the Gentile nations, he gave that statement to a group of religious people.
Anything that even in religious circles. Broad and easy is the way that leads to destruction, and many there are.
Start down the path of bacon.on the path of destruction only if you actually enter into the path of life. Jesus told another parable rate basis of the same thing he told story about a sore who went out to sow some see them in the soil and he says of some seed fell on soil that that when he hit the soil. It is spring up quickly that spiritual fruit was an immediate response more sincerely wanted to follow God is about because the sun came out, it weathered out these plans that had sprung up so promisingly at the beginning and write about because they had no root, is that others were choked out by the cares of this world by the weeds of temptation, the weeds of materialism wanted to go deep enough to give them the ability to withstand the other weeds in the sun shining on them say the same thing.
They say that there are a lot of people who begin with God.
There are a lot of people who just don't make it.
Just don't make it because it never got the concept that I'm going to talk to you about this morning.
I hope to warn some of you today. I will do this, like you like to start out funny okay I can't. I'm hoping to warn some of you today in a roundabout way of actually hoping to comfort some of you because some of you have wondered why this Christian life is so hard for you. I'm not talking last few weeks on a Christian here couple months ago when August was to be easier than this. Cut out for this kind of life of me I look around the people at church and always walk around the Bibles of the sheep on the front minimal gleaming or tea with a smile and I just don't know me, I'm struggling it's difficult. I don't know I'm cut out what is wrong with me. Yes, something is wrong with you control all of us not the point. Something wrong with all this and that's why this is so unnatural for many of us are sure you got today and open a roundabout way can, ironically, comfort you, so you are not unknown why we should have for do not know where you're not weird.
This is something that all of us deal with the world we live in.
So you why that is right. Ephesians chapter 5 context.
Ephesians 5 is a limit is not a friendly one for growing spiritually, but several different metaphors working Ephesians 5 verse 8% the world is a dark place. Verse 14. The world is a great verse 16.
The age that we live in the days we live in our evil into that world.
Paul gives a number of commands that tell us to fight against the current struggle to do things that feel almost unnatural for us. The point is, if you coast you are going to if you coast are going to drown. Here's what I mean. Verse eight in the midst of a dark world.
He says walk as children of light and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord try to discern it home to the image you're trying to read in the dark read in the dark. You got the book right, of course your face as you make out the words are you going to concentrate on.
Sometimes we go to bed. My wife and I like to read after last letter from the bed and it really annoys my wife and I turned the bedside light on. You can't sleep so being a great husband that I am I went out and bought one of those little like cave headman plant would like the Lancet right here with his big black flashlight shot out and using that to read you got a focus right on where you will look at what you can't see anywhere else in the room except that light shot. What's really awesome is when she said something to me and I turned to look at a writer Facebook avoid you to focus your focus on what you're looking out because only what you're staring at intently. Are you going to be able to see that's the image that I get from this walk as children of light in the midst of darkness and try to discern trends from the other image I get here is your memory when I was in calculus class calculus class are you watching the teacher a series of steps you guys but if you remember this is your ring calculus number like you want to think of you does one sent to me if you get distracted by a bird out the window. You conduct that what just happened what you were squiggly lines and numbers and what's up focus intently on it because the natural current of your brain is not going calculus natural current. Your brain is more on land right if you want to be able to master these concepts focus intently. That's what he's saying here focus and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord because is not a natural occurrence. Verse 14. Therefore, it says away ghostly parental rise from the dead in Christ will shine on you. This is a great harvest to go for good sleep wheels would be like really in a responsible spiritual and just admit I don't know if you like this. Maybe you know I never feel like getting up I always like men five more minutes would change my life right now.
I never come closer to bursting into the gift of tongues than when I recall waking up that glorious blessed invention called the snooze button right and you're like me to go to the gym today snooze the day off work snooze bars me. I can always find someone else towards the minutes used this image of of of of it's difficult to wake the same like wake up. It's not easy because the world to sleep get up but is verse 15 look carefully or in Greek.
It's actually diligently strive on how you walk, not as unwise but as wise for 17 therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is verse six to go by there making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. In other words the tempo in the rhythms of this world are not in line with God's purposes. The world has different values and different priorities and the rhythms of your life are set by the world to completely waste your life. The point of all these all these different metaphors always of commands is one thing Christian life is struggle and if we are going to make it.
We have to declare absolute war on the gravitational pull of the world, a world which is sleeping world which is in the dark world that is in the grave member. Ephesians 24 if you were here several weeks ago we study chapter 2 Paul talk about the course of this world. That course is completely anti-God that course prioritizes the lust of the flesh which means it prioritizes the fulfilling of sexual desires above obey the will of God. You got to get this you gotta find it. You gotta make yourself happy. If it feels good is what you should probably be doing. It prioritizes lust of the flesh, it prioritizes the lust of the eyes, which is coveting what other people have wishing that you had their job or live in their house or drove those kind of cars. It prioritizes the acquisition of stop.
Thirdly, it prioritizes the pride of life, which is exalt himself above God being focused on yourself thinking that you were the point wanted to make your glory in your purpose is the point world that we live in the course of this world music of this world is that the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life, but not only got our own flesh is tuned to that music ball has taught us in Ephesians that are simple flesh gravitates toward the anti-God course of this world like a moth to a flame.
And if you don't realize that you are in deep trouble. That's the way your heart goes, we are like a car that is severely out of alignment that happened whenever a pothole from the parking lot. You'll see little cinderblock finger. The middle writer written next time you drive your car. You take your hands off the wheel and it does beers left as fast you get into a ditch, but had that happen. I just talk about my wife okay or me. Okay your car severely out of alignment.
So the moment you take your hands off of the wheel. It veers into lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes and the pride of life, and so working to make it to declare war, and that means if you're not writing actively losing John, knowing that the famous Puritan said this way we are either actively killing sin or it is killing us every .1 of two things is happening at every point you are either actively striving to grow in godliness or you are having the sinful tendencies of your heart and the world around you till you every point that is happening.
Going through this this week is made me realize how unaware most of us, including me, are you in this message, through look at how this past week how I have flirted with different sense.
How I flirted and entertain different desires and insiders. This internal monologue said he is not a bad body not actually going to do that to this you cannot cannot fantasize about this pride right here letting this coveting thing going there indulge a little bit in the lust of what that bad because is not really hurting anybody, not realizing that this is a war where at every point sand is killing me, and unless I am striving to grow in godliness and less am striving to roll the gospel.
It is killing me and overtaking me again.
The tragedy is most of us have no idea this is going to how we engage in warfare asked the question how do we engage in this type of warfare. I count at least six different commands in these verses that we read in a couple more worried after this of the chapter 56 different massive jump in. I would encourage you take it out of circulation. Your Bible, or write these down. Okay number one Paul says you want to look carefully on how you walk.
Look carefully at how you will.
That's verse 15 try to discern what God wants strive to understand his will will come naturally. When I first became a Christian I thought that escaping sin was more like a decision that you made one time for all time. I thought you know okay so you two choices here you can follow your sinful ways follow Jesus and as long as you choose not to follow the simple ways I might go to where they get drunk and plastered to my gotta go where they sleep with everybody else. Jesus got sought to put on Jesus T-shirt with Jesus bracelet with Jesus music right I'm going to Jesus mission trips under Jesus.that's what we do. So I got on Boldin and Jesus. Things like how to achieve things. I even did the ultimate Jesus, they would still be a missionary is like varsity Navy seal level for maps to be a missionary.
But I want to be a missionary in a Muslim country, and here's what I found. That same simple heart that had led me into since before I became a Christian, the same simple heart. I carried over with me on the mission field and suddenly walked on the mission field and make all the things disappear. I just found a Christian way to indulge all those lust of the flesh. I was still the same greedy, apathetic, proud, lazy, non-self-control person that I had been before I became a missionary. What he's saying is you got to drive the gospel deep into your life so that every different part of you. You see the lens of the gospel.
Every part of you, so that your relationships, your hopes, your dreams, your desires, your peers, your anxiety, all of its gospel has gone deep and change those parts of you. You have to strive to understand the will of the Lord is every situation. It's not here, not a parable told you to begin at Jesus years about Steve on the soil and how some of the stuff springs up quickly getting the Martyn Lloyd Jones had a great way of of of applying this. He said the only seeds that made it in Jesus parable were the seeds that went down deeper and were the roots of the world could touch them. Which means if you want to survive spiritually got to drive the gospel down deep into your heart so that every single part of you has been transformed by the gospel that your dating relationships so that what you are a good way to handle anger the way that you bring the way that you handle everything has been transformed by the gospel that is the only seeds that survive and that is an active pursuit. The other analogy I use here quite often when I'm talking about is actually thought you did too much within last night at the Saturday service immaculate.
They never heard before. Some assume depressing and encouraging for me to depressing means you guys don't remember like 85% of the stuff that I tell you that the burgeoning as I can keep using the same stories over and over again to John remember that I don't write the image and all things get the movie also back in the early 90s called the rock with Sean Connery and the most underrated actor of our generation Nicolas Cage okay and yes Indiana preacher dog with me okay so so there in this movie, the general gist of the movie is that you got on the bad guys want to destroy San Francisco. With these balls of green nuclear gas right in the presence of the green nuclear gas. Remember this, not even here in the present green nuclear gas feature face-off and the only hope that you have a surviving in the present green nuclear gas is to take a needle that's like that long and distinctly antidote in your heart and that's the only way to survive.
So the climax of the movie Nicolas Cage despite the bad guy takes we both green nuclear gas and shoves it in his mouth and puts them in the face in this ball green nuclear gas breaks open and he said I face-off in the Nicolas Cage always one of the smartest guys ever figures out I'm in the presence of the green nuclear gas. I'm going to have my face enough to return as a resource to run right in the green nuclear gas follows up you in the room and goes up to the hall returns runs the whole green nuclear gas turned down the hall and he goes into this room where there's no doors, no windows need to get out green nuclear gas so rich that his backpack he pulls out his meal. The unceasing legal holds out his chest for just a minute.
He hesitates and what you're like, don't do it is better to get eaten by the green nuclear gas, it would be to put that thing into your heart. The last thing I will agree nuclear gaskets are put in his heart shall standard in this line is pretty much the time as you like really totally slow that for me is 17 years old.
Get over it. Okay. I've always thought that was a really good image though of how we survived in a toxic world like the one we live in the only way is to get the gospel so deeply into your heart that every molecule of your bike response to the lens of the gospel. Every single relationship.
Every single emotion.
Every single temptation.
All of it has to be saturated in the gospel. Otherwise, it will.
The first thing he says about engaging in warfare is look carefully strive to understand how you walk, number two. Be intentional with your time, he says, be intentional with your time is for 16 make the most of bits we live in an evil age secret. I don't always feel like seeking God guy I met the kind of guy. This is what you gonna get in the morning like playing the harp singing Chris Tomlin tunes in my head think you may like to spend four hours of God. I get up and tell you when I get up. The first thing on my mind.
Our list of things I do when I get to the office and it's just about every morning I'm here in this little voice that you need a Thompson, God today got understand you gotta get the returns of those emails you got to lift the meeting that you gotta get to her so many things that you need to do you have time to do that this morning or you work out is if you get out of shape and unites us to be good so you want dies you better go ahead and work out not spent, God is more one is what you want the best thing you could do is you get another 30 minutes of sleep continue to be better for your church and your family. If your refresh announcement, got that extra 30 minutes sleep in my MONOLOGUE once on the home at night on my car, got them I got home, like all non-shot. Now I'm going to do any good, God sometimes while you watch TV exist remodel my mind is good for bed. This morning I got the morning and the same monologues going on and here's the bold thing. I don't intend if I don't set time if I don't make the use of the time the natural direction of my heart is not toward godliness. It is medium what he saying there make the best use of your time you choose to be intentional with starting rest of our marching orders on the program room sure to join us again okay Jenny, I might guess that Ephesians is one of your favorite books in the Bible on how frequently it comes up in your teaching. Tell us why are you so drawn to Ephesians to the bit differently than some of his other letters of Romans might be the most impressive of Paul's letters but Ephesians is eloquent.
The clear division of the letter into two halves, right in the chapter.
344 verse one starts a whole new section of each section is almost equal in length.
It shows you gives you a picture of the of the Christian life.
Chapters 1 through three or doctrine that your gospel identity.
Chapters 4 through six or practical is what difference it makes in what you do as a result of the war that very pattern alone. Molly makes this a great book to walk through. In a study so not just listening to the message, but actually pressing deeper into the person you want this Bible study resource created for you to take slowly.
Make sure the getting out of its verses promises about what you have read your copy right now. Today you can your copy today at this new Bible study it your way. When you donate to support this ministry level. $25 or more, eight 663-3520 or give any request to look online clear that I Molly benefits Thursday Senate life career career ministry