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July 1, 2021 8:00 am
Encouraging Word featuring a Bible-based freezing of Dr. Don Wilton today.
Part two of his message imitating God.
He has an open got together.
None were available. Connecting on our website right now as well better, but many are taking a look at the book Saturdays with Billy Dr. Don Wilton Road just a few weeks ago. It's online at tewonline.org are now friends I want to invite you to turn in your Bibles to Paul's letter to the Ephesians chapter 5. We already my remarkable exercise of incredible proportions at the moment Karen Paul's letter to the church… And are subject for these weeks is imitating God we going to be building up toward a climactic experience when we get to chapter 20 verse 22 of chapter 5 where I'm going to God willing be preaching a miniseries on marriage and the family and children and all things related to real family values to that's going to come up when we get to verse 22 and we will probably be there for 2030.
How many weeks the Lord allows us to be there when we get over into chapter 6 down to verse 10 we going to discover there that there is a climactic crescendo that God's word takes us to win full sales.
Finally, be strong in the Lord and it is at this juncture that the apostle Paul will begin to tell us how we can be better equipped to face the world that we live in by putting on the whole armor of God that might repeat this to you a couple of times over the next weeks because I think it's very important to understand that is why my dear friends, ladies and gentlemen this morning. It is very important that as Christian believers that we preach and teach systematically through the word of God. That's what we tried to do here Sunday mornings and Sunday nights is to present the depth and the extent the high of God's grace and the riches of his glory and what we intend to do is to try and dig into the word of God and ask ourselves what is it that God wants us to know and how is it that we ought to live in the world in which we find ourselves considering our own human condition and predicament imitating God. There is a sense in which what we discussed today is impossible because there is not one of us here today who is capable of imitating God. God is righteous and the is closely.
He is completely perfect and knowing ourselves we fall so far short of the glory of God that there is a real sense in which we might not even concern ourselves with these directors because we understand that we cannot match up to what God is teaching us, but tells us, very explicitly and in great detail that we ought to know the mind of Christ. Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, we ought to in thereby as believers to be more like the Lord Jesus Christ. We ought to strive to be like him, and yet the apostle Paul in verse one of chapter 5 gives us a two-point rationale. He gives us two reasons why we ought to imitate God number one because of who we are. We are children of God we are his dearly loved children and secondly because of the Lord Jesus Christ himself, who according to the word, gave himself up for us. Now let's read together. Ephesians chapter 5.
Be imitators of God, therefore his dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. 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, nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse and joking which are out of place, but around the Thanksgiving full of this you can be sure no immoral, impure or greedy person for such a man is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God's Roth comes upon those who are disobedient. Therefore, do not be partners within for you once in darkness, but now you are light in the Lord lived. Therefore, as children of the lack for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness and righteousness and truth and find out what pleases the Lord have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them for it is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret, but everything exposed by the light becomes visible, for it is the lack that makes everything visible. That is why it is said wake up, O sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you. Be very careful then how you live by the Lord varieties word upon our hearts this morning. When looking at a multitude of instruction here.
There are so many things that God's word tries to teach us and so many improbabilities and impossibilities, but it seems to me that somewhere in God's word. I have written repeatedly that with man things might be impossible but with God nothing is impossible, God in Ables us to be able to do what God wants us to do. God strengthens us when we find ourselves weak. God makes us capable when we are convinced how in the capable we all God proves us up when at times.
We also broken down we wonder whether or not we can never put our lives back together again and what Paul is saying here Paul is saying that if we want to live a life that is clean and meaningful and that is in line with the steps of the Lord Jesus Christ.
We need to do what God wants us to do. We need to speak in a manner that God wants us to speak.
We need to behave in a manner that is pleasing to the Lord Jesus Christ. So how can we imitate God number one. By living a life of love. We looked at that last week and pull divides us up into three equal portions. Here in verse one into how do we live a life of love number one by loving number two.
By giving number three. By sacrificing and the words that Paul has for us is if we are the children of God and give we all those who emulate and copy the Lord Jesus Christ, always loving all week giving always sacrificing all week emulating clopping all we imitating what God has saved before us.
Number two by avoiding immorality by avoiding immorality.
That's what Paul talks about in verse three he says if you gave imitate God. You need to avoid immorality, he says, but among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality or of any kind of impurity or greed. Because these are improper for God's holy people. And again, pull divides this immorality up into three components sexual immorality, impurity and greed all last and it seems to me beloved friends that what the apostle Paul is saying here the apostle Paul is saying that there is no room in the life of a believer to stand outside of the parameters that God has set before us, under any circumstances whatsoever, Paul is saying, my friends, you do not have an option just to walk out on your wife because you don't love her anymore.
I had one man say to me some months ago when he began to walk out on his wife.
He said to me, preacher.
I want you to know I just don't love her anymore, sir.
I want to say to you on the authority of God's word that, as a believer you do not have an option to just walk out on your wife or your family or vice versa. We do not have an option to play in towards the standards that the world has set before us. Some of you might say to me tonight will preacher you forgot you back in the first Baptist Church. I want to tell you friend. The thing that makes its most difficult for me to stand in one place behind this paper is the grace of God. The one thing that makes it most difficult for me to not get up here and be about the business of articulate. Snoring is the grace of God, the thing that makes it most likely for me to want to get up there and burst a blood vessel is the grace of God. Can you imagine a group of 54 men and women whose average age is 75 years of age going on classes and going into prisons and being up all hours of the natural diet walked in the world would make these people do that rather than just gallivanting over the country.
Having a good time for themselves. Christ of God. It's the grace of God I had one man walk up to me but I forget who it was. God did so many things for us. He walked up to me and he was a tall man, about 6 foot seven I felt like I was addressing his naval I wanted to stand up and give them a naval salute and not only was he tall but I tell you he was a powerful looking fellow, and I looked up at him like that and he looked at me. He said Rev. and in broken English. He said May 9 two I said hello Abdul he said he said 16 years ago in broken English.
He said I'm from Libya. He said I'm Muslim. 16 years ago I came to America to find the American dream. And he said I've never seen the American dream. He said because 16 years ago, the first day in America. I killed three people and he said I've been in prison for 16 years and I bought two life sentences and he said I don't understand all this, but I learned what you said about this Jesus and not take him in our trade to men. We had a young man, to any walked up to us in one of the prisons and he had a walker with him and he told me and it nearly broke our hearts.
16 years of age and he has a life sentence without option of parole and GP prayed to receive Jesus as his Lord and Savior and pull says listen if you want to imitate God. You must have nothing to do with immorality and the Bible says my friends that you are not as born-again believers we must flee away from these things. We must have nothing to do with them.
But if you've already filed. I've got good news for you grace of God please forgive the interruption will be back with the rest of today's message imitating God with Dr. Don Wilton just a moment, but we also remind you that many friends are getting connected keyboard to keyboard to sign up for the daily Encouraging Word email us a special devotion, Dr. Wilton. You can sign up on our website right now pops into your email box about 6 o'clock every morning. That's TE W online.org.
Just sign up for the daily Encouraging Word devotion from Dr. Don sign up today and you'll have it within 24 to 48 hours back.
Today's great teaching with Dr. Don Wilton but friend Don Manis around with God doesn't play games with God because God will not be more if you walked out on your wife if you walk down your husband.
If you have committed adultery or fornication.
If you are guilty as charged. I want you to know the Bible says that God's love and his grace is absolute, and he will forgive you. Based upon the repentance of his sin. He will take your sin and costly disease. As far as the east is from the west and remembered no more.
But don't mess around with God. Don't think that you can go out there and do it again and again and again in God's gonna sit there and smile at you. The problem in America.
My friends is that people say what God's grace is absolute. I'm going to rest my case on God's grace. People say will then I'm just going to go out and do a little sending, because God's gonna forgive me pull says, shall we continue in sin that grace may abound, God forbid you don't stretch God.
God is not a grandfather that you pull out of the closet on Sunday morning you done climbing to some blocks and lost God to forgive you whenever it's convenient. Not according to the God of the Scriptures, but God is a gracious and a loving God. He is long-suffering and rewarding incredible thing to know about his grace young people.
Ladies and gentlemen, I would say to you. Make sure that you put into your life. The parameters that are going to enable you to practice the imitation of God in your life.
We could parade in front of us today. The stories of broken lives [St. people who would get up and say please don't go to. It is possible to have a happy family. It is possible to have a happy marriage.
It is possible to have a wonderful, full and meaningful life according to God's standards. I'm so glad that you're here today. I'm so glad because Frank I'm convinced that there's someone here this morning you are sitting right on the brink of self-destruction you're playing with fire. And when you play with fire you going to get burned and you can go to all the counseling in the world and I believe in counseling, my friend, but we need to do a whole lot less of counseling and a whole lot more of listening to what God tells us you don't need to run to a counselor you later listen to God's word. This is what the Bible say how do we imitate God number one.
By living a life of love number two by avoiding immorality. Number three Bible regarding the tongue hope of guarding the time. Look at verse four. The Bible says nor should there be obscenity furnished focal course joking, which are out of place, but draw the Thanksgiving All again he breaks it into three components when he talks about the tongue. Number one he talks about obscenity number two. He talks about foolish talk number three. He talks about course joking.
What is that mean when he talks about obscenity. He's talking about focusing this he's talking about coziness there's no other apology for that he's talking about obscene thinking he's talking about. The focus of your mind when he moves on, and he begins to shift gears and he talks about foolish talk.
He's using the word their monologue New York, which means the words of a motor on the word foolish man is the same word for silliness means nonsensical chapter. It means idle talk, idle talk is the fountain located for all rumors.
Did you know that all churches are subject to rumors.
All institutions are subject to rumors I've heard some incredible rooms, even in this church.
You wouldn't believe that even if I told you about their but some people believe that the Bible says these things are foolish talk.
They are silliness, they are not imitations of the godliness of God's standards. They all without any form of spiritual substance. Be very careful what you do on the telephone.
Be very careful about how you talk to your neighbor.
Be very careful about the content of your conversation be very careful about the chapter that goes on behind the doors. The Bible tells us that the tongue is a weapon that can destroy and assassinate Justin one move it can burn down forests and folks there are people in this world who claim to love the Lord Jesus Christ who are giving themselves to a contradiction of the mimicking of the Lord Jesus Christ and pull hearsay is obscenity and foolish talk and then he goes on the course joking and what we like to think, is that that means it's kind of rough speech. He's not just talking about that the word in the Greek text careful course joking literally means someone who, like a chameleon is willing to change his or her sparks, in order to suit the occasion or the crowd.
They find themselves in. If you ever met someone it comes to church on Sunday morning when I get to the country club on Wednesday afternoon. The content of the conversation changes that have come to church on Sunday morning and saying, holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, and when they get on to the golf course of the tennis court or in the photo catching fish or climbing a mountain or sitting at home and the TV goes on.
The blimp all the sudden the content of their language change never met a man who sits next to his wife in church and is the epitome of sweetness. But as soon as he gets home in the den is not cooked right, the content of these conversation changes. That's what Paul talks about course joking, beloved frames. It literally means someone who is easily turned is easily turn from one group to another. It's almost as if that person is looking for a crowd by which to appropriate suitable language. What does Paul say he signed some pretty direct stuff you are visiting. He's saying imitate God be like God.
Now some of you sign like' I could just get on when I'm feeling so uncomfortable when you talk about this because my wife is already looked at me twice a little guilty folks. All of us stand guilty as charged. Bible says all of us have sinned and come short of the glory of God. The Bible says the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. That's why I'm so glad that you're here today and some of you saying to me, but foster I'm not imprisoned you. You just forgot you, you non-prison quieter anymore. You need to come back down to earth.
This is the first Baptist Church. We don't need to hear all of the stuff you know something beloved frames. You and I are is a much as much bondage as an inmate in a federal penitentiary when we living outside of Jesus Christ. You don't have to have literal trains on your hands. Sin has changed you sin has you bound. The Bible says that beware because the devil is as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. There's 1/4 understanding here about imitating God goals.
Is it we gained imitate God number one. We need to live a life of love. I hope your writing these down number two.
We need to avoid immorality. Number three. We need to God, number four.
We need to have a clear understanding of God's standards.
What does he tell us about Hispanics.
Look at verse 54 of this you can be sure now that's an emphatic statement. Someone said the M phosphorus is on the correct Salado.
The emphasis is put on the right syllable.
At this juncture. What Paul is saying here is listen folks, that's just cut all the junk.
Let's just peel back all the outer garments. Let's take the mosques from up on our faces.
Let's get down to the real thing. Let's get on the same level and what Paul is saying here in verse five he says, for this you can be absolutely certain.
And what can we be certain that no immoral or impure or greedy person for such a person is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God, not ironically writing to the church at Galatia. In chapter 5. Paul's letter to the church at Galatia. Chapter 5 will says listen. He says if any of you do these things you will not inherit the kingdom of God.
He talks about a needs letter to the church at Corinth.
He says if you are guilty as charged.
You will not inherit the kingdom of God. In verse 23 in verse 24 Galatians chapter 5 is the very heartbeat and the nucleus of the grace of God because the Bible says that we have been crucified with Christ.
I love that don't you is not incredible if we guided imitate God we but I have a clear understanding of God's standards. Beloved, look at me more and more in America today in more and more pulpits through more and more mouths of more and more preachers and more and more Christian people. There is a less and less willingness to understand the clarity of the standards that God sakes before we living in a day and age of compromise. You gotta compromise everything long as you can drink but just do it in moderation. You can smoke but just do it in moderation. You can be immoral as long as your wife doesn't find doctors good in moderation.
You can cost a little bit just a little bit, you know, just as long as you do it in moderation. Teenagers can go berserk as long as they do it in moderation. You can do this just in moderation. The Bible says Bible says you and I need to have a clear understanding of God's standards. Beloved, it's becoming less and less popular. I'm going to tell you something that the lines of being drawn in America today more and more God is calling upon God's people to stand up and make and take a stand for righteousness and for godliness number five you can imitate God by appreciating the trains that is taken place in your life by an appreciation of the training that is taken place in your life.
Look at verse eight. You were once darkness note there is no preposition there. This is a metaphorical expression. It is a direct application you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. What does that mean it means that Paul is saying here if you want to imitate God. You need to have an appreciation of the change that is taken place in your life you need to be a living example of the transformation of Christ wherever you listening whatever time, morning, evening, afternoon middle of the night. Perhaps God destroyed your heart to the teaching of Dr. Don Wilton from the pulpit.
Now he steps in the studio ask you this next question.
Are you ready to give your heart and life to the Lord Jesus Christ. Why don't you pray this prayer with me right now.
Dear God, I know that Iversen and I know that Jesus died for me on the cross today, I repent of my sent in by faith I receive you into my phone in Jesus name, my friend. I welcome you today into the family of God. This is exciting news. If you just given your life to Jesus. Welcome to the family got a welcome packet to rededicate your life free resources we want to put in your hands.
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