Scripture Readings Ephesians 5:1-20 Follow God's Example, Therefore, As

March 3, 2013

Scripture Readings

Ephesians 5:1-20 1 Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children 2 and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. 3 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. 4 Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving. 5 For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person—such a person is an idolater—has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.[a] 6 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God’s wrath comes on those who are disobedient. 7 Therefore do not be partners with them. 8 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light 9 (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) 10 and find out what pleases the Lord. 11 Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. 12 It is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. 13 But everything exposed by the light becomes visible—and everything that is illuminated becomes a light. 14 This is why it is said: “Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.” 15 Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, 16 making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. 17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. 18 Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit, 19 speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, 20 always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

James 3:1-12

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1Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly. 2 We all stumble in many ways. Anyone who is never at fault in what they say is perfect, able to keep their whole body in check. 3 When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. 4 Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. 5 Likewise, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. 6 The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell. 7 All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and sea creatures are being tamed and have been tamed by mankind, 8 but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. 9 With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. 10 Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be. 11 Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? 12 My brothers and sisters, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water

Morning Message “House Cleaning: Time to Throw Out Some Junk” #2 - “Behaving Badly – Thoughts, Words, Deeds”

Last Sunday we began a new series of messages titled “House Cleaning”, and I encouraged you to join with me in identifying things in your life that keep you from experiencing the fullness to life offered to us by God thru Christ. Being the Lenten season of the church year I felt it to be an appropriate time for us to “give up” certain behaviors and attitudes that threaten the healthiness of our restored relationship with God and our relationships with one another. Last week I shared how one extra cookie a

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day (40 calories more than we need per day) can over time lead to weight gain that threatens health. So too, small daily behaviors and attitudes, over time, distance us from God and one another. So, if we want all that God offers us in Christ we need to identity, confess, and change those things that lead to unhealthiness; aware that in Christ those things are forgiven and through the Holy Spirit’s power we can be healed of those destructive behaviors & attitudes. In many ways it is easier to identify the obvious sins of our lives which too need to be confessed and repented of, but what about those subtle sins that many have come to dismiss as “common human nature”; what Craig Groeschel refers to as “toxins” in his book Soul Detox. We need to identify and deal with these subtle sins to experience all God offers to us.

If you grew up in the Church, or every received serious instruction in the Christian faith, you probably remember this definition of “sin”: “Sin is all in thought, word and deed that is contrary to the will of God.”

Since God is perfect so is his will. When we veer from God’s will, we sin. God’s will offer the world love, holiness, light and life. Our sin produces hatred, wickedness, darkness & death. But as we yield our lives to God’s plan of salvation and redemption; giving ourselves to God’s will we become agents of love, holiness, light and life.

For that to happen we must get rid of the thoughts, words and deeds that pollute our lives.

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1. Thoughts When we think about “thoughts”, remember

Philippians 4:8 8 …. whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

In writing these words, the Apostle Paul is encouraging what we might call “God-thought”; an orientation to thinking characterized by love, hope and faith. It is thinking founded in God’s sovereignty and promises. It is thought which stands in sharp contrast to the worldly thought characterized by fear and cynicism. I so appreciated Thoreau’s observation; in our Thought Before Worship:

Thought is the sculptor who can create the person you want to be. Henry David Thoreau

When our thoughts center on that which is of God, we become more godly, but when our thoughts center on that which is of the world we become more worldly. As we remembered last week, the Apostle Paul instructed Christians in Rome: Romans 12:2 2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

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If we want to stop sinning by knowing and live in God’s will, we have to first change our thoughts and thinking: Will we continue to let the world confuse our thinking or will we let the truth in God’s Word define our reality?

Let me push one example. How do you think about life and life’s difficulties? Do you view life as good, and wonder why God lets bad things happen? Or… Do you view life a precarious because of human sin, and thank God for blessings amid life’s difficulties? How we think about life in general will affect our relationship with God. (Is God the source of difficulty or blessing?)

If we look closer at specific thoughts; negative, untrue and impure thoughts, we discover their adverse effect on what God wants to do with our lives as well. - God’s Word declares His love for you, but you may think that no one can love you. - God’s Word tells us that Jesus freed us from sin, but you may think that you can never be free from some immoral or destructive behavior. - God’s Word tells us that God will provide for our needs, but we think we need to take care of ourselves so we grab whatever we can, whenever we have the chance. Such specific thoughts need to be uncovered and labeled “wrong”. We need to trust in God’s Words; and make God’s thoughts our thoughts. How would life be different for you if you thought: I am….. Page 5 of 11

.. God’s masterpiece…. created anew in Christ Jesus, (to) do the good things he planned … long ago. (Ephesians 2:10 NLT)

What thoughts keep you from embracing this truth? Can you name them and confess them this Lenten season, then allow God to forgive and heal you? How we think in general, and how we think specifically, will either draw us closer to God or slowly & methodically pull us away from God and all He offers us in Christ.

The same can be said about our 2. Words Words have tremendous power. So much so that King Solomon wrote: Proverbs 18:21a The tongue has the power of life and death…

It was by God’s Word that everything came into existence. And because God is good, holy and loving, everything His Word created was also good. And God invites us to bare His image in this world; which we can, if we obey his will whenever we open our mouths: Our words have the power to create and inspire:

Proverbs 16:24 Gracious words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.

But words also have the power to destroy and discourage. Page 6 of 11

Proverbs 15:4 The soothing tongue is a tree of life, but a perverse tongue crushes the spirit.

How often do your words create & inspire? How often do they destroy or discourage?

Last week, during our adult Sunday School class’ discussion about the power of word, I shared a couple stories. One story was about a teenage girl I worked with during my Adolescent Health Care/Nutritionist days. This 15-year-old’s life was paralyzed by anorexia; a reality to anyone who watched her take 45 minutes to eat her lunch.. an orange. This is not the life God intends for us. During our many lunchtime sessions together it became apparent to me just how words defined this “hell-on-earth” she was experiencing: - Initially the words of a father whom she adored, but who had no time for her. A year before he had called her 5-foot 7-inch, 135 pound body “chubby”. It was a lie, yet his was a powerful word that initiated her starvation diet. - A second word came from a young man upon whom she had a crush; another male who never gave her his time or attention. But one day, by chance, she ran into him at a mall, and he said “Looking good!” as they passed. At that point in her diet she was down to 98 pound, and though 37 pounds underweight, “98” became her unhealthy “ideal” body weight. Words have power, including the power to rob us of physical, social & spiritual health. In Soul Detox, Craig Groeschel summarizes well: Creative words create. Page 7 of 11

Destructive words destroy. Hurtful words crush. Helpful words build up. Toxic words poison. Soothing words heal. Faith-filled words bring life. Faithless words bring death.

The second story I shared was one told by Bill Hybels while preaching recently at Willow Creek Church in IL. Bill loves sailboat racing; the kind of big boat racing that requires a crew of seven working in perfect harmony. Bill does most of his racing on Lake Michigan, and one occasion he was able to convince a world-class racer to be a part of his crew, a legend in the sport. To make Bill’s long story short, this man who was nearly idolized by Bill and his crew, not only used his words to inspire the crew to the goal of winning their races, but when everything was done, this legendary racer spoke personally to each crew member; naming their specific actions that contributed to their win. And then, to each crew member he said: “I would be honored anytime to have you on my crew again.” That day, 6 men including Bill Hybels were forever changed by one man’s words.

God invites us to join Him in using life-giving words; words that instruct, correct, warn, build-up & encourage. Let Jesus’ example guide your use of words. As Mother Teresa said:

Words which do not give the light of Christ increase the darkness. Page 8 of 11

Do your words offer God’s light and love, or do your words increase the darkness of this world. - When was the last time to deliberately affirmed someone you’re your words? - When was the last time you deliberately hurt someone with your words? Can you confess your misuse of words to God this Lenten season and then allow Him to forgive and heal you, so that all your words can begin to build-up and encourage others?

Having confessed the sinfulness of our thoughts and words; and bcoming aware of how they rob us of God’s blessings, let’s consider our 3. Deeds In doing so let me initially remind you that sinful deeds are not only doing something God does not want us to do, but they are also failing to do what God wants us to do (James 4:17). In both cases we sin because we fail to do God’s will. New life in Christ is not soley defined by avoidance; it is a life filled with exciting opportunities to love others in Christ’s name.

In talking about deeds this morning, I want to highlight that the scriptures bears witness to the truth that our sinful actions; our deeds outside of God’s will, lessen our ability to experience God’s blessing. I was pleasantly surprise to read what Ben Franklin once noted: Sin is not hurtful because it is forbidden, but it is forbidden because it is hurtful. Benjamin Franklin

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It is God’s will for us not to sin because it is God’s will that we live and experience His blessings. God has communicated how we should live, and He has given us Jesus as an example how we are to live, and He has placed His Spirit in those who trust in His salvation to guide us & empower us to live a holy life. God is on our side! The problem is, the world is not on our side. As we talked about last week, the world is less and less orientated around “right & wrong”, “good & evil”. The world promotes “freedom”, but not the freedom we have in Christ to live for God, but a freedom that leads again into slavery to sin. So don’t wait for the world convict you of sin, because it won’t. Rather, let God’s Word and the Holy Spirit convict you of those deeds in your life right now that are robbing you of a closer relationship with God. Affirm what we read in Proverbs Proverbs 28:13 Whoever conceals their sins does not prosper, but the one who confesses and renounces them finds mercy

Recognize that through Christ we know that God stands ready to forgive whatever deeds stand between you and God. 1 John 1:8-9 8 If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

And then, after recognizing your sinful deeds, confessing those deeds, and receiving God forgiveness for your deeds, let the Holy Spirit take those deeds out of your life. The Bible instructs us how to go about this: Page 10 of 11

James 5:16 …confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed….

Today we see many people questioning the usefulness of the Church, but here we see how the trusting relationships that can be established through Church life are used by God to transform His children. Find someone in the Church who knows that they are as sinful as you. Find someone you trust to keep confidences; not someone who will use your life struggles to proclaim their own worth. Find someone you trust and confess your sins to them. Let them pray for you, and let them help you to stop those deeds which are displeasing to God, or to start those deeds that please God.

This week, would you examine your sinful thoughts, words and deeds, in the light of God word and His love for you? In the shadow of Jesus’ cross let us consider the changes we can make in our bad behaviors because Jesus made such salvation possible. Today we remember Jesus’ sacrifice for our salvation, as we once again gather around His table to celebrate our Holy Communion….

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