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February 1, 2022 3:00 am
All of us need to be careful about the choices we make is always a temptation to follow the wrong influences. That's why Ephesians 518 tells us we are to be filled with the spirit today on Truth for Life.
Alistair Begg explains exactly what that means, I came across an interesting quote by the fellow who was the founder of twitter. However, Williams because one of the things about social media in the last quarter-century or so has been with the expansiveness of it all kind of optimism that this is probably going to really fix a lot of things for us that the fight and we can all communicate like this we can all be in touch with one another, but this is Evan Williams close.
I thought once everybody could speak freely and exchange information and ideas. The world is automatically going to be a better place. I was wrong about that because what we know. We know that all of the benefits that are represented in this are counterbalanced by all of the other stuff which is dark and undermining and broken and hateful and evil is the only way that we will ever get to this is from our Bibles. And that's why when we've gone through Ephesians and we've had to wrestle with these statements by Paul. You were dad, you were sinful. You were accountable, and so on. It comes across with just resting chilling engagement doesn't support possible.
Hope this well, God speaks through the prophet Jeremiah and says the heart is deceitful above all things and through the prophet Ezekiel, and he says and I will give you a new heart, I will give you in your heart. You see, here's here's what's needed isn't a nitwit.
Here we are at the center of heart surgery in the entire United States. Tomorrow is every day there will be those who are the beneficiaries of the transforming power of heart surgery.
They will go in breathless and impoverished and in the goodness of God. They will come out breathing and enriched the not enough to give them a little cream enough to give them a little too need a new heart and that's what the Bible says so you see the bad news is more than impacted by the good news first, I need to recognize with a predicament as I live in an evil world fly because I myself am evil. Even my best is that Sumaya will possibility is there for me. I've tried this I tried that and I try to fix a number of things in my life, but are really taking one step forward and two steps back. Did you say that he will give you a new heart, you get a heart transplant gets that's the gospel is widen.
Nicodemus was stunned by it. When Jesus said to them, you know, I want to tell you Nicodemus.
Unless you are born again, you will never see her enter the kingdom of heaven the world as users from regeneration in order that you might be reborn. That's what it takes and only in the gospel is it provided so I paused on this purposefully. I reckon that someone will want to interact with it as you follow it up. But let's be very clear in light of this, the reason Jesus came wasn't to show us how to live income as an example. Jesus did not come and offer himself as your life coach.
Jesus came to bear our sin in his body on the cross in order that we then might die to sin in Christ and live unto righteousness. In other words, that in discovering that Jesus took the penalty that I deserve for the punishment which is mind to face and grants to me all the benefits of his perfect life and is sufficient atonement, then the word comes so be careful how you walk, don't waste your time. Use your time dumbly foolish.
Be wise and now, don't get drunk be filled with the spirit you see here is one of the classic illustrations of folly folly, drunkenness, and he highlights it. He pointed out to them. Now when you think about it is not. It's not a hard thing to understand the context of Ephesus was such that not only was it dominated the skyline dominated by the Temple of Artemis, the goddess of love, but it was also engaged with frequency and festivals are related to Bacchus who was the god of wine and saw the Ephesians were very familiar with these occasions when one of the expressions of what it meant to be engaged in this wonderful festival was to get completely blasted to be completely intoxicated and so the context of Ephesus would've been that many of these people before they had found a new life in Jesus where all part and parcel of that, there were the ones who are intoxicated, running through the fields in the vineyards and and just enjoying themselves immensely and yet falling over in a dead heat and so Paul is writing to people for whom this is not said of arm's-length theology.
Some of them that was probably a big part of their life in these three issues a warning to you know that was the old stuff you don't start that again and then for others, for whom that it never been a part of things, but who are now discovered that he had a freedom in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Some of them might then be tempted to take that freedom and to abuse it to the point where he actually fall foul of enjoying the things that God has provided for in other words, that some needed to hear the expectation of Paul, which he gives in first Corinthians 6 where he's talking about how all things are lawful, but not all things are beneficial and in light of that, he says, here's my general rule of thumb, I will not be mastered by anything other than my Lord and Master, Jesus Christ. So I'm not going to allow anything to take control over my life and one of the areas where there is a peculiar potential for doing so. Which is why Paul addresses it here is in the realm of alcohol we see what Paul is doing is this is not a he's not giving a sermon here on temperance, as it were. He's he's continuing his pattern dumbly foolish. Be wise, don't waste your time to good use your time.
Don't get drunk be filled with the spirit so his emphasis is actually on life in the spirit is is positive. The negative sets of the positive and what is going to show is that when life is lived in the spirit and makes an impact on what it means to be a husband and a wife in marriage.
It impacts the nature of home life in terms of parents and children if you just follow the text, it will have an implication on employers and employees, which is down there in the beginning of chapter 6 and it has an impact on how the church then lives in a world in which the evil one opposes it. So make sure that you have that clearly in your mind. He introduces the importance of life in the spirit. In this way because of comparison and contrast.
Remember those SEs at school where you cut or you turn the paper over and as it compare and contrast and I can still feel the chills in my back butter. Compare and contrast the leadership style of Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan and any you have to make two columns.
The compare, contrast: because if you start thinking you're on compare and you've moved already. The contrast it said is the Lamb I'm in, because the time is going in any way that's fine. I don't have to share all my fears publicly with everybody and I don't have to do any of them anymore. But, but I've thought about it now because the comparison is is fairly superficial and the contrast is radical. The comparison is straightforward. When you're drunk. Your under the influence of alcohol. When you're filled with the spirit, your under the influence of God spirit in that sense, it is comparable but really that's where the comparison stops because the contrast is far more significant because in drunkenness.
The issue is a loss of control, whereas in being filled with the spirit, the issue is being brought under control and living under the control of God spirit, not a word that is used here for drunkenness and it is drunkenness that he's addressing is a word that is also used two dictate what happened in this timeframe. In the in the curing of the skins of animals for the creation of product and they would often take the skin and they would soak it.
They would soak it in creams or in substances in order to be able to expand it in order to make it supple in order to make it pliable so that was so that were there, is that they plunged it in there and it was a Marist in there and it was soaked in their that's the word here not talking about somebody is having a glass of wine at their aunt Mary's graduation party or something. He said do not get so in this stuff if we want to put in common parlance, he would've said if you been around today and in with his street credit don't get sauced don't get sauced. That's what he said do not get sauced to be sauced and I looked it up is to experience an altered state of mind that occurs after drinking exorbitant amounts of alcohol is what he said right because remember, there is a wonderful balance in Scripture and is now the subject matter for today but there is a wonderful balance of Scripture, even in Proverbs itself, where it is clear that Weinstein is the steeple drink if you like that is described in the Bible, grain and wine and so on is the principal drain is regarded as being among some of God's good gifts is regarded as a natural part of food and drink. That's how it's addressed in Scripture. It is acknowledged to that it has the ability and measure to gladden the heart but it then it makes it perfectly clear that it does not provide what is often suggested, namely enjoyment and contentment and happiness. Paul recognizes that it has a medicinal value. Remember when he says that too many take a little wine for your stomach say I've heard some people believe that that was to be applied externally imposed on them or rub it on your tummy which is an interesting approach to biblical exegesis but never nevertheless the balance is there and in the same section of the opera firms you have the warning that accompanies it easy. Remember Screwtape letters, remember Screwtape letters on the devil says to his to his nephews for wormwood says what we want to try and do is get our enemies that is the followers of Jesus we are trying to do is get our enemies to take good things that God has given them at the wrong time with the wrong people in the wrong quantity and if we can do that and we really managed to make some significant headway. So, for example, a gift of food may become the occasion of gluttony. The gift of sex they become the occasional fornication the gift of wine they become the occasion of debauchery.
Don't be nave. The days are evil. This evening sank. Now listen to this in Proverbs.
Here's here's here's our Solomon and he sent his son to another, you should really listen to what your folks are telling and he says who has wall who has sorrow who has strife who is complaining who his wounds without cause, who has redness of eyes.
Those who tarry long over wine. Those who go to try mixed wine. Don't look at wine when it's read when it sparkles in the company goes down smoothly because in the end it bites like a serpent stings like an adder. Your eyes will see strange things in your heart. Utter perverse things, you will be like one who lies down in the midst of the sea, like one who lies on the top of a mast, they struck me. You will say, but I wasn't hurt.
They beat me, but I didn't feel it when shall I awake I must have another drink and what Paul is saying to the believers in Ephesus is look the culture in which you live is this kind of culture. Therefore, if you are going to shine as lights in a dark place.
If you're going to be shining examples, amidst a crooked and perverse generation, then don't do this, just don't do this because you see, alcohol is ultimately a depressant is offered on the on advertising to is as a stimulant that may free you up a little bit of the party you told your boss or whatever might be, but in the end, pharmacologically.
It is a depressant. It depresses the higher centers of the brain and that is why the cop says, can you walk is AI goods.
I can walk yeah yeah but you can walk straight.
Why can you walk straight because of what it is done to your brain is affected the realm of self-control of judgment of understanding of balance of speech and the power to discriminate in what I'm saying or in what I'm doing and says Paul. The reason it's so significant is because it leads to wantonness leads to excess or it leads to debauchery.
Again, you don't have to be a genius on this. Just read the newspaper face things. Listen to what the Bible has to say.
The Bible is here in order to God it is that the guiding is it to keep us to restrict us but this sure is where true joy is found where true happiness is fun where genuine singing is to be found. We come by tonight. I'll be in well how we deal with the whole singing aspect of one of the things about the bike.
The Bacchus festivals was all the singing, the people get intoxicated and then they say and as I told you before when you go on the rugby bus and it had a few beers after the rugby match the songs get Sophia. The more the beer takes hold. Why because it is depressed the sensibilities of the brain and the teacher who hasn't been doing any stands up and says boys. I think that's quite enough and a few answers will come from the back and there won't be anything that they're proud of either because of what happens. By contrast, the incidentally, the word here. Sophia for excess or for debauchery is also the word that is used as an adjective in the story of the prodigal son in Luke chapter 15 where it says that he wasted or squandered his substance with riotous living, riotous living, so he was completely overwhelmed by now.
In direct contrast to that the believer is to be filled with the spirit so that in heartland in mind will.
It is brought under the control and direction of God. Do not go out the door and say I do that the talk this morning was about how if you don't get drunk. You can go to heaven. The Bible is saying this to those who are in Christ you were once this way but you're not that way anymore. Therefore, live in the power of the Holy Spirit by the enabling of the grace of God.
Bring your mind, under the jurisdiction of its truth. Settle your heart in the fullness of his provision and bring your will underneath the authority of God's plan and purpose, and that dad allows the Christian to speak to a generation not in terms of dues and don'ts, but to be able to say I once was this way and I'm tempted still to be this way. But you know I have in Jesus, a wonderful Savior because some of you have a particular background in this and this is different coats for you is not not everybody who has wrestled with this has had a instantaneous transformation.
Some of my best friends in Scotland who wrestle with alcohol in their life's they would be going along steadily for a while and then ban that I wouldn't hear from them for a week or two weeks guy would go out for lunch, go to a business lunch you never come home. 10 days later he be found somewhere in the South of England. After lunch, you got on the train and Egon somewhere hidden away once and when he got off he didn't care. He was like a man trying to sleep on the top of a mast. Some of these things, although in Christ we are removed from the dominion of sin instantaneously once and for all. We are not removed from the presence of sin and we are not removed, either from the promptings and the urgings that wanted to get back to where we one swear and I incidentally love once is why we are supposed to exhort and care for one another and watch out for one will come back tomorrow that electoral listing to Alistair Begg with part two of the message title the spirit will conclude this message and are serious tomorrow on Truth for Life and just a minute Alister will be back to close with prayer.
But first I want to let you know after two years off the basics conference is back this year. Basics is a conference that encourages and equips pastors and those in church leadership. The theme this year is aptly titled back to basics.
The conference will be held at Parkside church May 2 through the fourth. Alister will be speaking along with guest Tony Marita and John Woodhouse online registration is now open basics conference.org. This conference fills up quickly. Registration closes March 1. So if you're interested in attending one urge you to register soon. Now you're probably familiar with the book Pilgrim's progress with one of the best selling books of all time will our book offer today is a children's version of this classic work. It's titled little pilgrims big journey. It's a colorful picture book that follows the same storyline is the original. However, as you might expect, the language is substantially abbreviated and simplified. So young children can easily follow along with this compelling story. As you read through the book, your kids will travel side-by-side with the main character Young Pilgrim name Christian as he embarks on a journey from the city of destruction to the celestial city along the way, your kids will learn important lessons to help keep them on the path that leads to salvation. This is a book you will definitely want to add to any child or grandchild's library. It's a hardcover book. It provides many nights of captivating bedtime reading and it comes bundled with a coloring book and stickers. There's even a map to chart the journey requester copy of little pilgrims big journey. When you donate to Truth for Life@truthforlife.org/donate. You can also request the book when you sign up to give a monthly donation by becoming a true partner as a true partner you can request our featured book selections each month. It's our way of showing appreciation for your ongoing support. You can also request little pilgrims big journey when you call us today at 888-588-7884.
Now, here is Alister close with prayer father, thank you that your word is sufficient for us in currencies that it discovers everything that shows us where what we really are without you. It tells us of the wonderful you've done in Jesus and speaks with such clarity to the challenges and privileges of living the Christian life.
And so we pray that you will so calm and invade our hearts and transform our minds and subjugate our will, that we might be on the receiving end of this expectation with great joy that when we come to saying that we might sing out of the fullness of your love for us in two is in Jesus going to say together and as individuals. Take my life and let it be consecrated, Lord, to the say my heart take my mind my will. We pray in Christ name on a bubble team if you wanted to fill your car with fuel gas station were to go to be filled with the spirit conduct tomorrow as we conclude our study book of Ephesians the Bible teaching of Alistair Begg is furnished by Truth for Life where the Learning is for Living