A Stirring Summons to Purity, Part 2

In the Christian life believe in behavior go hand-in-hand. Or at least that's how God designed but given our sinful nature convictions are often inconsistent with our conduct of the results are devastating today on Insight for living. Chuck Swindoll continues a message. He introduced yesterday in which he cites a stern warning that's recorded in Ephesians chapter 5.

Using very strong language. Paul instructed his friends to remain consistent with their belief and behavior no matter your age or marital status. These principles apply to us all. Chuck titled his message a stirring summons to purity. Paul's whole approach when he gets to the fourth chapter of Ephesians is to turn from the subject of belief. That's chapters 1 through 32 behavior chapters 4 to 6, and his favorite word for behavior is a four letter word wall walk walk in a manner worthy of your calling. He says it right out of the chute in verse one of chapter 4 verse 17 of chapter 4 don't walk any longer as the Gentiles goes back beyond the cross, he goes back to the days of the lost condition of his readers and he says you Gentiles walked in that manner, and then even spells out the reasons that did that and how it worked its way out, including verse 29 unwholesome words that are not to be a part of your vocabulary. I mentioned that specifically because today's thoughts in chapter 5 tying in to that one description in chapter 4 verse 29.

But the point here is the apostle is saying I want your behavior to be in league with your beliefs and now that we have established what is right to believe regarding salvation. Chapters 1, two and three.

Let me help you now know how to walk chapters for five and six wonderful letter that that's not enough to motivate you look at his opening line of chapter 5, verse one therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children mimic God. In fact, it's reasonable because were God's children. Like father like son like parents, like children are father is is God. He is our heavenly father.

So it stands to reason as beloved children.

We are to carry on our lives with the characteristics that are true of him. He's good to be good he's kind. Let's be kind, he's just let's be fair. He is holy. Let's be pure. He is full of grace. Let's demonstrate and live out grace.

He is righteous. Let's think clearly about that and demonstrate righteousness, and the list goes on and on. In fact, the apostle mentions one that you would expect.

He so loves this word and has written more on it than any of the other writers of the Scriptures walk in love. He's back to his word again on behavior walk walk in love, just as Christ loved you. Here is example is an earthly example comes from the father, with whom some would have difficulty identifying and he turns to the God man.

Jesus, who left heaven and took upon himself human flesh and lived on this earth a little over 33 years modeling the life of God and what characterized him to things. One, self-sacrifice, and second of fragrant life of fragrant aroma. Now why would anybody who names the name of Christ want to live a self-centered life and give off a foul stench rather than a fragrant aroma.

Why would anyone of faith, any follower of Jesus want to live inappropriately.

Well let me teach you a little theology, and then let's use this passage is to give you another answer to that question.

Why when you are lost. You lived under the domination of your old nature. Your carnal nature controlled you. Your heart was filthy. Your mind was dirty. Your tongue followed suit. It was obscene. Your eyes focus on that which was wrong rather than that which was right, you love to disobey and you had no power to change the above you came to the cross.

And, you realize, Christ died for me. He paid the penalty for my sin. A life that I deserve death that I really should own. He took for me and by believing in the Lord Jesus Christ.

I take his righteousness, which I haven't learned it's grace. Remember, and I have no access to his power, which I didn't have before.

The problem is. I also bring into the Christian life, this old nature. Unlike what Charles Wesley taught we have a nature that stays with us. We will see him until the day we die, hopefully not as often or as grossly but we will still fail becoming a Christian means that we have been forgiven, it doesn't mean we have been perfected, except in our position in our horizontal life.

We still have the old right if your arm is broken and someone who is with you in the emergency room tells you about Christ and you receive the Lord Jesus, you come to Christ when you bring your broken arm with you. You don't suddenly have an alarm at seal mean it's just doesn't work like that you bring that broken arm with you. You come all the way to the cross and beyond because you have an old nature that will never get any better. It never will be what it should be, until the Lord takes your home is like the old hymn, then we shall be what we should be then we shall be what we would be things that are not now, nor could be soon shall be our own.

Sounds like a tongue twister is a grand him, then we shall be where we should be then we shall be what we should be things that are not now, nor could be because of this old nature soon shall be our own, but were not there yet were not glorified. So one of the reasons that we behave wrongly as we have an old nature. However, we no longer live under its domination. It doesn't rule the cookie jar can be there in the aroma can be smelled from the cookies, but you really don't have anything to worry about as long as you rely on the power that is within you the Holy Spirit, who will never lead you into sin. So there is this constant seesaw. This constant yo-yo which one would you listen to which one will you rely on your rely on the flesh, you will yield your rely on the spirit you will walk in victory. A second reason that these things happen is because we have formed habits and we like to return to them for pleasure.

I realize that I'm talking to people who are not gutter drunks. I am not talking to people who are living debauched. God bless lives. I'm talking to people who are living next to the cookie jar and because they smell so good and because more people than ever in our generation are enjoying the cookies. It is our tendency to let down our resistance and to yield this passage says, don't go there now. The but that begins verse three is a is a very eloquent contrast, a particle if you will. It's contrasting what it's just been said, with what is now being introduced walk in love, just as Christ loved you and gave himself up as a sacrifice is a sweet smelling aroma.

But on the other hand, there is another lifestyle that is always going to be available and I I command you, I say to you don't even let a hit have it be in your life guard against this guard against the erosion, but immorality or any impurity or greed must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints and there must be no filthiness, silly talk or coarse suggesting which are not fitting but rather giving of thanks. Let's back off and briefly address these six particular subjects that are brought to our attention, immorality, impurity, greed, filthiness, silly talk coarse, suggesting fair enough. Let's take the first two together immorality, which is the word poor Anaya. Obviously we get pornographic from it. Pornography. It's a broad word may have in mind. Adultery may have in mind of fornication may have in mind the fantasies that are fed from the old nature that lead to such at least mentally. It would be broad enough to include that because the word impurity is added a cough RCI is this word and when I bring these words to your attention.

I might add that you might be surprised to know that not until Christ came on the scene did the secular world really see sexual immorality is wrong.

You know it. It was expected that men would have their mistresses and they did. No one told him it was wrong because it was not believed it was wrong. Certainly not in the first century era of the Greeks, the worship of certain items carried with the worship. The quote sacred priestesses who service the worshiper.

They were prostitutes who engaged in immoral acts with those who worship the God. Some of the gods were multi-breasted to emphasize fertility and the pleasure of illicit sex, they would not called it illicit it all it was interwoven in the society. Homosexuality was not that uncommon even among the emperors who had their boys perversion was a part of lifestyle in the first century, it was extreme it was uncontrolled.

It was expressed was, not simply degrading thoughts about a whole corrupt lifestyle was all part of the Roman world. Paul is writing to the people of Ephesus, some of whom lived in it before the cross so he is addressing the behavior of the Christian as being altogether different from the pagan lifestyle of their past so he can specific this kind of writing would have never been found among the intellectual secular writer of that day or any writer from the pagan world. This is unique truth, even the day in which it was written. When you mentioned greed in this context, verse three, I take it to mean more and more and more of the sensual, the never satisfied, self-centered, preoccupation with illicit sex which comes in any form.

Advertisements are our culture is turning in that direction more than ever. I was watching a Calvin Klein advertisement between a particular sports program that sent and I were looking at. And this particular advertiser was an helping us become aware of an aroma of a fragrance called obsession perfect and here is this very seductively dressed woman in this this man who I'm not sure head obsession on his mind. Certainly not the fragrance. When he is with this woman and the language of the advertisement. The allurement of the setting, the greasy, soft conditions, the music, all of it limited itself to the sensual mind and you could you could read you could uncompress them in the process of being exposed to the advertising of obsession. I was sitting in a restaurant several weeks ago and there was a little card on the table put there about that restaurant said let us help you have your affair next weekend and it described how the rooms are private and what the rooms provide and I'm unsure if you confronted anybody who was running that hotel restaurant, they would say all business has their business affairs ago on here all the time. That's what we but the innuendo is clearly moving toward the sensual and it feeds you with that and it makes you feel comfortable with Paul's concern that the erosion that happens in this kind of setting might lose its edge and you might be tempted to think the cookie and think little of it. After all different parties to the old English poet Alexander Pope put it so well. Vice is a monster of such frightful mean that to be hated needs, but to be seen, but seemed too often familiar with his face. We first endure and pity, that embrace when is the last time you blushed that a movie was the last time you turn the program off because that's just going too far. Now if that isn't enough, he goes a little further and talks about filthiness. It's translated filthiness here. The same word. Look at verse 12 is translated disgraceful see that in 512. It is disgraceful same Greek word look at Colossians 3 in verse eight. Third, use or translation of the same root term 38 put them all aside anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive speech from your mouth. There it is again abusive speech back to Ephesians 5 it's a reference to dirty talk.

That's the colloquialism for it today. Talking dirty. Not necessarily are not only profanity but the the innuendo of words that have that kind of meaning that move in that direction. The next term is called silly talk, look at that moral will we get the word moron from the first part of the word G is the word from log costs just a term or word or verbiage, moronic verbiage, silly talk interesting, colorful Greek word, it means pointless and unnecessary. Talk in this context, it would be unnecessary dirty comments shaded words is not referring to those who are intellectually deficient.

But those who are morally debauched silly talk obscenities silly talk coarse, jesting, look at that there must be no filthiness silly talker course jesting that word means turning something that is said or done. No matter how innocent into something suggestive, sensual or immoral. One example any late-night entertaining talkshow host, you got it. Most of the humor is below the waist humor.

Most of it revolves around that which is immoral, indecent, degrading, or just plain moronic. But you know the problem. It's hilarious. Okay, it's all right to chocolate that we won't judge you for that. I sometimes think why in the world and not laughing at it and why. Why do I tolerate that I have people write me and say you know your sense of humor you ever read Ephesians 5 and verse four and you need to know before you decide to write me about that. I live with the purest woman since the virgin Mary. I have a built in conscience that encased the spirit of God falls down on the job. She is there to help out and it's good.

Who knows where I'd be if it were for the great lady, but you know what. Having said that, in been vulnerable enough to admit that I do love a great sense of humor. This has nothing to do with a great sense of humor. This is all about coarse and vulgar stuff that I need to explain it any further. Do you know there is great humor. In fact, the Lord gave us laughter with the only animal only creature he made that has real guttural laughter based on intelligent information and we just had to laugh our hearts and it is 80s emotionally healthy.

It is even spiritually uplifting.

Listen to three versus Proverbs 1722, a joyful heart is good medicine. Proverbs 1513, a joyful heart makes a cheerful face.

But when the heart is said the spirit is broken.

Proverbs 1225 anxiety in a man's heart weighs it down, but a good word makes it glad I could be honest with you if I could change one thing about the Christian world today.

I would give it a better sense of humor we all take ourselves much too seriously. Some of you been hurt and abused and broken in your life and in the process. You have become humor less. It's not attractive. So this is not about a sense of humor. This is about taking that which could otherwise be just left alone in innocent and turn into something dirty.

Some people have the ability to do that, regardless of the subject that's the problem in all revolves around the subject of sex.

That's the context you notice the end of verse four and does it bring you? Do your mind. Why do see in the verse like this but rather giving of thanks was it wasn't mean when you read your Bible and you come to a section or a couple or three words that somehow flag: the words at flag date they send up a flag in my mind the flag were deleted thinking through, there must be no filthiness and silly talker course jesting, which are not fitting but rather giving of thanks.

Thanks for what what's it about. Listen to me, who created sex, our heavenly father who gave it to the first couple that he married and he told them right out right out of the chute. He said I want you to multiply and fill the earth and subdue it. I give you the pleasure, the joy of intimacy which can be enjoyed between the two of you and the implication is not with anybody else. So the giving of thanks is the giving of thanks to God for the gift of sex as he has put it together in its beauty and joy and innocence between a couple who was married I came across a wonderful book called the mystery of marriage by a Canadian named Mike Mason he wrote in the mid-1980s. This wonderful paragraph. Just listen concentrate with me think through it. What can equal the surprise of finding out that the one thing above all others, which mankind has been most enterprising and proficient in dragging through the dirt. Turns out, in fact, to be the most innocent thing in the world.

Is there any other activity at all, which an adult man and woman million Cajun together apart from worship that is actually more childlike, more clean and pure more natural and wholesome and unequivocally right than the act of making love for if worship is the deepest available form of communion with God, then surely sex is the deepest communion that is possible between married human beings and as such is something absolutely essential to our survival. Great writing. What a risky statement to put him in a book and we are so enamored with the dirtiness of sex. That is all we can do to bring ourselves to put it on the level of the same word is pure and fun and beautiful and right where midway through a message from Chuck Swindoll called stirring summons to purity. This study in Ephesians chapter 5 will continue on Monday's edition of Insight for living.

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