Transcript
Hello everyone. Thanks for joining with me on another Helping You Become podcast. I pray it's a blessing to you. Well, bless the Lord, oh my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name. Friends, thank you for your company today. I do appreciate you joining with me around God's word as we look further into this study of living an effective life.
This is part five, and our foundation scripture is found in Ephesians chapter 4 verse 1. As you turn over to Ephesians chapter 4, I'll just pause and pray for us.
Father, thank you for your goodness. Holy Spirit, thank you for leading us and guiding us into the truth of God's word today. And thank you, Jesus, for your sacrifice on the cross, so that we can be living above the evil that's in this world and living an effective life. More and more every day, a life that honours you, Lord, and a life that glorifies the Father. And we ask it in Jesus' name. Amen.
So, Ephesians chapter 4, verse 1, I, therefore the prisoner for the Lord, appeal to and beg you to walk and to lead a life worthy of the divine calling to which you have been called. There is a divine calling to which you and I have been called. And, and, with behaviour, that is a credit to the summons, to God's service.
Look carefully then how you walk In Ephesians 5, verse 15, 16 and 17, look carefully then how you walk, live purposefully and worthily and accurately, not as the unwise and witless, but as wise, sensible, intelligent people, making the very most of the time, buying up each opportunity. because the days are evil. Therefore, do not be vague and thoughtless and foolish, but understanding and firmly grasping what the will of the Lord is. Personally, friends, I would like to do that well.
Yes, and I suspect that you would as well. I would like to do that well. Live purposefully, worthily, and accurately. And as I've said before, the information here in the book of Ephesians is quite remarkable. However, in Acts chapter 19, we see that Paul in verse 1, Apollos went off to Corinth, and Paul went into the region of Ephesus and started to teach and preach there. And we see in verses 8 through to 10, he taught in the synagogue for a while for about three months, but then that didn't go well. And so he left the synagogue and went to the school of Tyrannus, and there he taught daily. He taught daily in the school of Tyrannus from approximately 10 a .m. to around 3 p .m. So approximately five hours a day and Acts 19 tells us he did that for two years or over two years actually.
So what did Paul teach the Ephesians face to face five hours a day for two plus years? And I think there's a lot of things in the book of Ephesians that Paul, and this is my belief, okay, but I believe that Paul taught them face to face a lot of the things that are not necessarily in the book of Ephesians, but that which we do find in other books. Yes?
And so, looking at living a purposeful, worthy and accurate life. How are we going to do that well? John chapter 15 verse 8, Jesus was talking to the disciples and he said, by this my father is glorified, that you bear much fruit. And in the process of bearing much fruit, you so prove to be my disciples yeah You prove that you're one of Jesus' disciples as you bear the fruit. And as we do all of that, then the Father is glorified.
John 8:29, He who sent me is with me, says Jesus. He has not left me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to him. Isn't that an amazing verse. I always do the things that are pleasing to him. Oh man, man. I also would like to do that well as well. Yes? Wouldn't it be great to always be doing things that the father was pleased with?
Ephesians tells us, Ephesians 4 in particular, It's a chapter about change. It's a chapter about behaviour modification to come in line with that divine calling to which we have been called. And it's really quite staggering. If you look in Ephesians 4, and I'll just turn over there myself, Ephesians chapter 4 and verse 2,
living as becomes you, with complete lowliness of mind, humility and meekness, unselfishness, gentleness, mildness, with patience, bearing with one another, and making allowances because you love one another, be eager and strive earnestly to guard and to keep the harmony and oneness of and produced by the spirit in the binding power of peace and wham, there you go, I just flick a switch and I just do that every day. Yeah, no.
Look, we all have to deal with the aspects of our life that still need to be,
you know, brought into line with behaviour that is a credit to the summons to God's service. How are we going with all of that? How effective are we? Do we stay in our lane? Staying inside our areas of expertise and areas of experience and sharpening and honing those areas...., all, the other things that the Gentiles are seeking after, will they will be added to you.
So as we focus on the kingdom of God, as we focus on kingdom principles and obeying those requirements of the gospel, we focus on that, we make that our priority, we make the main thing, the main thing, yes, the gospel of Jesus Christ is our main thing. And we maintain that in our own hearts and minds as the main thing, the more effective and purposeful our lives are in the things of God. The greater the impact is that we have for the gospel.
As we focus on the kingdom of God and His righteousness, seeking that first, all the other things get added to us. Yet so much of our time is focused on the other things. Yeah? On the other things. We're so full up with our first world problems and we're focused on the other things and not necessarily seeking first the kingdom of God and His righteousness.
So What does a life look like, a life that's being lived purposefully and is honouring to Jesus? Well, Ephesians 4 tells us a lot about what we have to do to achieve this.
And I just read verse 2 a second ago, living is becomes you with complete lowliness of mind, humility and meekness, unselfishness, gentleness, mildness with patience, bearing with one another, and making allowances because you love one another. Thank you, Paul, for the information and the direction.
But how do I actually do that? Do I just wake up one morning and suddenly I'm full up with complete lowliness of mind, humility and meekness? Unselfishness,
gentleness, mildness with patience is what I'm all about. Yeah, that didn't happen like that for me, that's for sure. So thank you, Paul, for the information, but how do I actually do that?
Verse 15 of Ephesians 4. Rather, let our lives lovingly express truth in all things,
Speaking truly? Dealing truly? Living truly? Uh, hang on. What is it? Does that mean no more little white lies? Yeah, maybe that does.
Okay. Maybe there's aspects of our lives here that we need to revisit. Are we speaking truly, dealing truly, living truly? Do we have hidden agendas? Do we have hidden motives? Are we manipulating situations and people to and for our advantage.
Let's read on, verse 15. Enfolded in love, let us grow up in every way. And in all things, into him, who is the head, even Christ, the anointed one? Let us grow up in every way. Oh dear me, thank you, Paul.
But how do I actually do that? How do I do that effectively every day. Not so it's something that I just, you know, try for and strive for or it's something that I believe, yes, I need to, you know, be loving and, you know, speak truth and, you know, all of that. No, no, no, no, no longer what I believe, but believe it's who I have become, yes?
So how do I actually do that? Verse 29 of Ephesians 4, let no foul or polluting language, nor evil word, nor unwholesome, or worthless talk ever come out of your mouth. But only such speech as is good and beneficial to the spiritual progress of others, as is fitting to the need and the occasion that it may be a blessing and give grace God's favour to those who hear it.
Yeah? How? You know, how's that going for you? How's it going for me? You know, are we good at that? Thank you, Paul, for the information, but I'm sorry. I, you know, I apologise. I just cannot throw a switch and instantly change like that. These things that are being laid out here, I've had to grow in these.
Thank you, Paul, for the information, but how do I do it? Verse 30 of Chapter 4. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God. Do not offend or vex or sad in him, by whom you were sealed, marked, branded as God's own, secured for the day of redemption or final deliverance through Christ from evil and the consequences of sin.
Oh, wow, how big a verse is that? Thank you, Paul. How do I do that? Not grieve the Holy Spirit of God who sealed me for the day of redemption. Oh, wow. And verse 31, Let all bitterness and indignation and wrath and passion, rage, bad temper and resentment, anger, animosity, quarrelling, brawling, clamour, contention, slander, evil-speaking, abusive or blasphemous language, be banished from you. With all malice, spite, ill will or baseness of any kind.
And yeah, I absolutely just threw a switch and that was perfect in my life too.
No. Yes. See, these things we've got to grow in this. Thank you, Paul, for the information, but how do I do it? How do I achieve that and it not take 25 years?
Verse 32. And become useful and helpful and kind one to another, tender -hearted, compassionate understanding, loving -hearted, forgiving one another freely and readily, as God in Christ forgave you.
And that's another thing that I've had to grow in across the years, yeah. All of this is powerful and so, so very important, but how do we actually do it? And to start us off on the correct pathway, heading in the right direction of just how to live an effective life, a purposeful life, a wise, sensible, productive, time-managed, godly, efficient life that does bear much fruit and pleases Jesus and brings glory to our Heavenly Father.
I think it's really, really helpful to take a step back and understand some other things first.
Remember Paul, he taught for five hours a day in the School of Tyrannus five hours a day for over two years to these people at Ephesus. So what did he teach them face to face that's not recorded in the book of Ephesians. And I think that's a really good question to ask, because contained within that, I believe, and as I've said, this is my opinion, but contained within that question, I think, are some of the answers to how I actually do.
How I put into practice and build into my own life, so it's no longer what I'm aspiring to, but it is who I have become. Yes, these things in Ephesians chapter four be useful and kind and help one another. Some people do that naturally.
That's just their disposition. But other people, they've got to grow in that. They've got to be tender -hearted, compassionate, understanding, loving -hearted, forgiving one another readily and freely.
Some people have got to grow in that, yes? So, what do we do? Okay, turn over please to Romans chapter 4. This is so good, Romans chapter four. If we're going to please the Lord and please the Father in this way, I believe that it's very helpful to understand five very important questions first. These help us to understand some key foundational things that not only wake us up to powerful biblical truths,
but also help propel us down the pathway of being effective ambassadors for Christ.
Now, I'm basing this part of our study in Romans 4, 5 and 6, and using the Amplified Bible. Remember, we're trying to get underneath and to pull back the layers on Ephesians 4 -1. We're trying to get underneath and pull back the layers on Ephesians chapter four verse one, I therefore the prisoner of the Lord appeal to and beg you to walk to lead a life worthy of the divine calling to which you have been called with behaviour that is a credit to the summons to God's service.
So, Romans chapter four, verses 20 to 25, talking about Abraham. Verse 20. No unbelief or distrust made him Abraham waver, doubtingly question concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong and was empowered by faith, and he gave praise and glory to God, fully satisfied and assured that God was able and mighty to keep his word and to do what he promised. That is why Abraham's faith was credited to him as righteousness, right standing with God. But the words it was credited to him as righteousness, those words it was credited to him, were not written for his sake alone, but they were written for our sakes too.
Righteousness, standing acceptable to God, will be granted and credited to us also who believe in, trust, and adhere to, and rely on God, who raised Jesus from the dead, who was betrayed and put to death because of our misdeeds, Jesus who was betrayed and put to death, because of our misdeeds, and was raised to secure our justification, our acquittal, making our account This, he's set aside, nailing it to the cross.
So one of the key foundational points, I believe that's very important to understand, sin creates debt and guilt before a Holy God. Sin will create debt and guilt before a holy God. Now, Romans 5, verse 6, while we were yet in weakness, powerless to help ourselves, at the fitting time Christ died for in behalf of the ungodly.
The second foundational point that's really important to understand is sin removes choice and sets our direction for us.
While we were yet in weakness, Christ died for us. We were powerless to help ourselves. Christ died for us, so sin removed our choice and set our direction for us. Romans 5 verse 8, but God shows and clearly proves his own love for us by the fact that while we were still sinners, Christ the Messiah, the anointed one, died for us.
Third key foundational point, there is no escaping. Someone at some time will pay a price for sin, and practicing sin will usher in a problem or a tragedy of some description. Yeah?
Romans 5:12, therefore a sin came into the world through one man and death as a result of sin, so death spread to all men, that being Adam, yes, no one being able to stop it or to escape its power because all men's sin. So the next foundational point that I think is very important to understand, sin is contagious and the result of sin is death. Remember what are we trying to do here? Work out how to become more effective and purposeful in our lives and in the things of God, and the greater we are at, and the more effective we are at doing that, the more impact we have for the gospel.
Please join with me again next week on this station and we'll continue this study of looking at living an effective life. God bless.
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