170115 Don’t Be Deceived

Ephesians 5:3-6 But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints. ⁴ Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving. ⁵ For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. ⁶ Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.

I have many memories of my growing up years. My parents, having lived through the Great Depression, placed great value in family rather than possessions. One of the standards we lived by was, “Other families may do that (fill in the blank) but that’s not the way we live”. There were some pretty clear moral and ethical guidelines our family lived by. In the same way the spiritual family that we have come to live in has some pretty clear moral and ethical standards. Let’s see how Paul developed that for the Ephesians.

When I covet something that does not belong to me I violate commandment 10. When I put some material possession ahead of God himself I violate commandment 1. When I carry out an action that harms another human being and damages his or her life I violate commandment 6. With a little reflection, we can see how almost any sin violates some of the principles embodied in each of the Ten Commandments. This is simply a reflection of the fact that God’s laws are a unified whole and reflect the moral purity and perfection of God himself.

We are commanded to be imitators of God as children are imitators of their earthly fathers. In so doing…

We must avoid sexual immorality. Let’s look at 1 Corinthians 6:18. Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body.

There is no doubt that the word translated “sexual immorality” in the original language means premarital sex. It is important to see that sex is not the easy process portrayed for us by our society. The person who engages in premarital sex sins against his or her own body.

If we’re going to be imitators of God we are going to carefully guard, from this day forward, the purity of our body. We need to follow the example of Joseph in Potiphar’s house (Genesis 39:11-12). You recall the story. Joseph had been sold by his brothers into slavery because they were jealous of him and they reported to their father that he had been killed. As time went by Joseph became the chief slave in the house of the head of the Egyptian military. The wife in the house tried to get Joseph to have sex with her. One day he found himself alone with her and she tried to pull him onto the couch with her. She was holding on to his coat and he just let her have the coat and ran out of the house. That act of purity ended up putting him in prison for attempted rape. After some years in that prison he was taken out, by God, and made the prime minister of Egypt. Please remember God does not forget his people. Joseph sets a good example for young people everywhere to follow. We must flee from sexual immorality. In fact…

We must avoid all impurity. Let’s look at Colossians 3:5-7. Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. ⁶ On account of these the wrath of God is coming. ⁷ In these you too once walked, when you were living in them.

The word translated “impurity” goes beyond the idea of sexual immorality to include all kinds of impurity of lust, an unclean lifestyle, or even (as Jesus taught in the Sermon on the Mount) impure motives. I don’t think you have to look very far to decide what this really means. Just turn on the TV to pretty much any modern situation comedy and you will quickly get the picture. Many, many situations are clearly not pure. When I look at a comedy on TV it usually is produced before 1960. I Love Lucy; the Red Skelton show; the Dick Van Dyke show are good examples.

These unclean things that we are asked to cut out of our lives are not just rules made up because God can make them…

There is a reason why. Let’s look at Exodus 20:17. “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor’s.”

When a person covets he or she violates the 10^th commandment. In fact, covetousness is idolatry. It is desiring what you do not have and making that desire more important than God’s plan for your life. A life that is pleasing to God is one that has moral purity not only in its actions but also in its mental desires. When Jesus was asked about the great commandment he said, “you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.” Mark 12:30. Our heart needs to be filled with an attitude of love for God. When we do not maintain that high moral standard we are letting passion, lust and evil desire, take the place of God in our life. Covetousness is idolatry. Not only are we to avoid sexual immorality and physical impurity…

We must avoid foolishness. Let’s look at Romans 1:28-31. And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. ²⁹ They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, ³⁰ slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, ³¹ foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless.

When filthiness, foolish talk or crude joking, becomes the standard of our conversation we are involved in “foolishness”. In the first chapter of Romans we are taught that people who choose not to acknowledge God are given over by God to a debased mind. The very standard they live by often becomes filthy and foolish. The reason God gives them up is to make them conscious of all of that they have lost.

In order to be proper imitators of God we must avoid sexual immorality in fact we must avoid all impurity because these attitudes of the heart and mind are covetousness. And covetousness is idolatry which leads to a foolish debased lifestyle.

Instead we are to be thankful. Let’s look at Colossians 3:17. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

How do we test our actions to determine whether they are immoral or spiritually foolish. We need to bring everything that we do, every word or action, to the foot of the cross and ask ourselves, “Is this pleasing to the Lord Jesus Christ who gave his life for me?” If you can’t thank God for your actions you are skating on thin ice so to speak. Everything we do should pass the Thanksgiving test. Can I come to God and honestly thank him for what I’m about to partake? If I cannot bring it before the Lord and know that he would be pleased with it I need to avoid it at all costs. Again we can look at the Sermon on the Mount and listen to the words of Jesus, “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” (Matthew 6:33). The “all these things” Jesus is talking about include all the things that we often covet. Nice clothes, fine food, material things that we do not have. Coveting these things keep us from being thankful to the living Lord!

The world we live in is filled with opportunities to covet. Everywhere we turn it seems something is being advertised that we really don’t need but somehow we begin to want. While we travel through this world…

We must avoid the con-men. (Or women) Let’s look at Colossians 2:8. See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ.

We are often warned in Scripture to avoid the false prophets. In his second letter of the apostle Peter pointed out the danger in 2 Peter 2:1-3. But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction. ² And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed. ³ And in their greed they will exploit you with false words.

In the same way that false prophets appeared throughout the history of Israel we need to remember that they are in our world today. Paul described in this way in 2 Corinthians 11:13-15: “false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. So it is no surprise if his servants, also, disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. There and will correspond to their deeds.”

Paul saw the Galatian church being pulled away from the true gospel. A different gospel were being proclaimed to them. And he said that if he or an angel from heaven should preach a twisted gospel he or the angel should be accursed (Galatians 1:6-8).

Our world is filled with false teachers. Please be careful when you watch someone on television or listen on the radio. Check them out! See if they are staying close to Scripture. See if they are putting heavy emphasis on themselves or on fundraising for some particular cause or another. Now I’m not saying that all fundraising is wrong I’m simply saying we need to be careful — very careful.

Today we have the Internet and all the possible dangers it can cause. Be very careful who you listen to, who you let into your home and into your mind. I listen to several different teachers or preachers but I’m sure they are sticking close to the word of God. Please be sure that whatever you listen to sticks close to the word. Also, be sure that their lifestyle reflects the love of Jesus. Almost always false teachers will live a fancy lifestyle. Expensive clothing, fancy homes, even a private airplane might be part of their lifestyle. If so, avoid them like the plague.

We will be protected from God’s wrath. Let’s look at 1 John 2:1-2. My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. ² He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.

When we avoid sexual immorality and impurity, when we remember that we are not to covet anything that belongs to another, when we avoid the foolishness of the world and apply ourselves to thankfulness we can avoid the con-men. All of these things, Paul tells us, brings the wrath of God down on the sons of disobedience. But John reminds us that Jesus came into the world to become our advocate. He is, right now, seated at the right hand of the Father in heaven. He advocates for us when we have repented of our sin and have put our faith in him.

That long word “propitiation” means, a sacrifice that bears the wrath of God against sin and turns God’s wrath into favor. I’m so grateful that he did that for us. We are reminded by the writer of Hebrews that is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. Jesus gave his life on the cross so we would not find ourselves in that terrible predicament at the end of our life.

We are often told, in the Bible, that we have come into the light away from the darkness of sin. We are to do everything within our power to avoid falling back into the thoughts and attitudes that dishonor the name of God in our life. Much of the fabric of our culture is grossly evil. No matter which way we turn we are confronted by darkness. Next week we will look at what it means to walk in the light.

God’s grace has given us salvation. We cannot earn it — we must receive it as a gift from God. When we do we can do the works that are pleasing to God. Have you been obedient to him? Is he your Lord? If not, today can be your day of salvation.

All scriptures quotes are from: The Holy Bible: English standard version. 2001. Wheaton: Standard Bible Society