Cradled In God’s Will

Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. Honor your father and mother (which is the first commandment with a promise), so that it may be well with you, and that you may live long on the earth. Ephesians 6:1-3]

Intro: Paul is helping his readers figure out the will of God (5:17)

Paul provides them with a general idea of God’s will
– but leaves it to them to work out the specifics
– the place to begin living God’s will is also the most difficult: our home
• in the New Testament, “household” refers to more than the immediate family
◦ it could include a steward who managed household affairs and other servants
• Paul groups people and addresses them according to their position in the family
◦ nevertheless, it is possible to hear a personal tone in his instructions

It is important to note Paul’s underlying optimism
– this is how the ideal Christian household functions
• the strong protect and provide for the weak, the older care for the youngest, etc.
• real life is more complicated than the simple outline given here
◦ and the dynamic relations and interactions of many families are often twisted
– an obvious weakness of endorsing hierarchy (in home, church, etc.) is the potential for abuse
• inflexible authoritarian structures can be used to legitimize oppression or violence
• roughly 90% of the population in the Roman empire were subject to exploitation
– we need to keep in mind that Paul covers the rule and not the exception

Children, obey your parents

I wish it was this simple Continue reading →

The Family’s Unseen Depths

. . . and be subject to one another in the fear of Christ. Wives, be subject to your own husbands as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ is the head of the church, He Himself being the Savior of the body. But as the church is subject to Christ, so also the wives ought to be to their husbands in everything. Ephesians 5:21-24

Intro: This brief passage requires more background than we usually devote to a text

INTERPRETIVE BACKGROUND
God’s eternal word enters temporal human cultures (Isa. 40:8)
– not only do cultures come and go, but every culture changes over time
• messages specific to a culture or time can suffer a loss of meaning elsewhere
◦ I doubt anyone here has ever returned an enemy’s stray donkey
◦ but that doesn’t make Exodus 23:4 irrelevant; it makes it require special handling
• changing cultures require dynamic processes of interpretation
◦ we need God’s Spirit to enlighten us to fresh ways of seeing the ancient text
– a common sense way to finding relevant meaning in culturally conditioned texts:

1. When a commandment is specific to a time or situation, generalize it
   • look behind it – what is the guiding principle for this commandment?
   ◦ Paul does this in 1 Corinthians 9:9-10
   (he generalizes “do not muzzle the ox . . .” to humane care for servants)
   • then a specific application will appear for our situation
2. When a commandment is general, specify it
   • look within it – figure out its specific application to our current situation
   • “You shall not steal” is a general commandment
   ◦ we have to determine how it applies to modern notions of theft
   ◦ for example, laws regarding copyrights and intellectual property
   

• Paul wrote to Christian communities in the first century Mediterranean world
◦ his instructions to husbands and wives made perfect sense to his intended audience
◦ but we need to review our interpretation of our current situation in which

• women have the same education as men
• women enter the workplace and share careers with men
• a woman can not only survive but thrive without a husband

CONTEXTUAL BACKGROUND
Let’s pull out our map again to see how this passage fits into the rest of the letter
– Paul took the Ephesians on a sublime tour of Christian spirituality (Ep. 1:23)
• we find ourselves seated with Christ in heavenly places (Ep. 2:6)
• in chapter 4, Paul began addressing spiritual practice
◦ how we live in the world and heavenly places at the same time
◦ we begin by adopting a lifestyle consistent with our spiritual status (4:1)

Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on the earth. (Col. 3:1-2)

– more immediate context of the previous verses, Paul stressed knowing God’s will
• in verse 21, the transition is from speaking to submitting
◦ but the context is still practice and knowing God’s will
• mutual submission is a recognition of “spheres of influence”
◦ all the members have their calling and gifts
◦ we learn to defer to their areas of “expertise”

PAUL’S OBJECTIVE
What is Paul trying to accomplish in this section?
– a wide spread scholarly opinion is that he intended to produce a household code Continue reading →

God’s Will? It’s Quite Simple

Awake, sleeper,
And arise from the dead,
And Christ will shine on you.”
Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil. Ephesians 5:14-16

Intro: The Hebrew Scriptures contain a rich diversity of content and style

There are stories, commandments, poetry, riddles, parables and so on
– biblical scholars refer to a particular classification of style as wisdom literature
• in general, the purpose of the wisdom literature is:

To know wisdom and instruction,
To discern the sayings of understanding,
To receive instruction in wise behavior,
Righteousness, justice and equity;
To give prudence to the naive,
To the youth knowledge and discretion . . .
To understand a proverb and a figure,
The words of the wise and their riddles. (Pr. 1:2-6)

• the wisdom embodied in these writings is practical
◦ it demonstrates how people improve or ruin their lives by choices they make
– Proverbs chapter 9 is a parable involving two women, Prudence and Folly
• both call out from the heights of the city to anyone who will listen
◦ both invite the naive into their homes to feed on what’s been prepared for them
• but the consequences of entering one home are opposite those of the other
◦ in the home of Prudence is life and a continuous journey in understanding
◦ in the home of Folly is death and the path to Sheol (the grave)

Paul’s goal in this Ephesians’ passage is to guide his readers to path of wisdom

Vv. 14-16, We take a step back (v. 14) to mark the transition

To what and Whom do we awake?
– we awake to this present moment and we learn to do this by practice Continue reading →

Comparing Our “Before And Afters”

Therefore do not be partakers with them; for you were formerly darkness, but now you are Light in the Lord; walk as children of the Light Ephesians 5:7-8

Intro: Have you seen a before and after photo that raised your suspicion?

Photographers have begun to leak their secrets
– for example, a model’s posture, having a happier expression in the “after” photo, and lighting produce huge differences
• some admit taking before and after pictures on same day – even in the same shoot
◦ I know that our bedroom mirror favors me
◦ but the bathroom mirror, where the light is uncomfortably bright, is too honest
• today’s technology of creating fake photos has blurred the line between reality and imagination
– we can hardly flip through a magazine or visit as website without encountering before and after pictures
• why? What’s the purpose?
• they serve to answer the question, Does this really work?

The underlying theme of this passage is the believer’s “before and after”

V. 8, “Formerly,” which we noted in chapter 2, verses 2, 3, 11, and 13
– the tension running through chapter 4 was the conflict of the old and new “selves”
• Paul now explores this tension through another metaphor: darkness and light
– his goal is to help the Ephesians break free from worldly attachments
• v. 7, “partakers” means “to join-in with” — be a joiner in a culture of impurity
• worldly things are not as serious a problem as our attachment to them
◦ our unwillingness to let go, holds us back and stunts our growth

THE “BEFORE”
“You were darkness” – not “in,” but darkness itself Continue reading →

A Reliable Guide Through Complexities

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 and silly talk, or coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks. For this you know with certainty, that no immoral person or covetous man, who is an idolater, has an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Therefore do not be partakers with them . . . Ephesians 5:3-7

Intro: Thank you for your prayers while we were in Israel — we had an exceptional experience

Although it snowed in Jerusalem the week before we arrived, we had sunshine until the last day
– but that seemed appropriate, because the last site we visited was the Garden Tomb
– like so many places in Israel, it’s doubtful that we were at the exact spot where Jesus was buried and rose again
• so I reminded the group, that the precise location was irrelevant because, “He is not here, He is risen”
• then I apologized for bringing them all way to Israel just to learn we are as close to God here in South Orange County

I think “close to God” is what draws Christians to Israel — as it has through the centuries
– for that reason the “Holy Land” is peppered with monasteries and churches
• our souls tell us there’s a deeper human experience, a reality beyond the normal routine
◦ and we hope to find it by walking where Jesus walked or praying in sacred sites
– the letter to the Ephesians and not a tour of Israel, takes us on the journey to that richer experience
• this is the path of Christian spirituality

Ephesians begins with a breathtaking description of “life in Christ”
– it then moves to the practical side of Christian spirituality
• chapter 5 begins with a general “rule of thumb”: “walk in love, just as Christ also loved you”
• next comes more detailed instructions regarding what to avoid and what to adopt
(notice how the contrast is highlighted with “but rather” in verse 4, which is translated “but instead” in v. 11)
◦ avoid whatever is contrary to love and adopt whatever is consistent with love
◦ love that imitates God’s love is always the most reliable guide to to discerning his will
– Paul moves through specific instructions that include:
• a list of “do not’s”
• the play of opposites: light and darkness, wisdom and foolishness
• a list of “do’s”
• behavior that is consistent with a well-ordered Christian home

If we cannot find a structure to this section, we can at least see patterns

Paul uses multiples of three:
A. immorality, impurity and greed
B. filthiness, silly talk and coarse jesting
C. goodness, righteousness and truth (v. 9)
D. psalms, hymns and spiritual songs (v. 19)
• notice how the triads in line A correspond with the triads in line C and the same with lines B and D

We will look first at greed, even though it is the last item in the first triad
– we encountered this word in chapter 3 (v. 19) and defined it as “an insatiable desire for more”
• greed is more passion than action, but the behavior it inspires is all negative
◦ greed can infect every pleasure, possession, and aspiration
◦ it is the capstone of the Ten Commandments

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 belongs to your neighbor (Ex. 20:17)

• in verse 5, the same word for greed is translated “covetous man” and is equated with idolatry
◦ any “thing,” when it takes the place of God in our commitment and devotion becomes an idol Continue reading →

The Heart of Everything

Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you. Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma. Ephesians 4:32-5:2

Intro: A thought occurred to me a couple days ago

I haven’t worked through it yet, so I’m not certain it’s true
– however, it does have some biblical support

It has to do with authentic spiritual communities
– first, how they are formed (whether monasteries, home groups, churches, etc.)
• people who find themselves drawn to God are also drawn together
◦ like lines converging on a single point
• attempting to satisfy our thirst for God we meet others who share a common  devotion
– then, the community drawn to God becomes as crucial to our development as One who draws us
• a spiritual community provides us the first opportunities to live what we learn
◦ to practice it with real people

. . . for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen. And this commandment we have from Him, that the one who loves God should love his brother also. (1 Jn. 4:20-21)

• What I’ve learned on Wednesday and Thursday nights:
◦ that how God works with you is as helpful to me as how he works with me

I’ve taken a step backward

I wasn’t happy with how I finished last week
– the last verse in chapter 4 is too profound to treat lightly
• in fact, I doubt my ability to do it justice
• but at least we can benefit from simply spending more time with it
– these two verses may be a summation of the essence of this whole section
• like the way Jesus sums up all the law and prophets in two commandments (Mt. 22:34-40)

In verse 17, Paul began writing a negative checklist
– this could be characterized as the do’s and don’ts
• but notice he begins verse with “Be” – a shift in emphasis:
◦ from “what we do” to “who we are”
• the doing is automatic to a thing’s being
◦ e.g., an orange tree automatically grows leaves, blossoms and oranges
◦ Jesus said that a person is known by what he does (Mt. 7:16-20)
– “Be” is “become” or as A. T. Robertson has it, “keep on becoming”
• we cannot instantly change ourselves — for example, into “kind” people

John Chapman observed that the beginner is not “expected to show at all a high degree of perfection. God does not show the soul all its faults nor all it has eventually to give up. It gives up something, and in time He will ask more. Meanwhile, it has faults which are obvious enough to others, though probably not to itself.”

“Tender-hearted” is a move inward Continue reading →

The Gradual Death of the False Self

Therefore, laying aside falsehood, speak truth each one of you with his neighbor, for we are members of one another. Ephesians 4:25

Intro: Paul begins where he left off in the previous verse

He explained why our spiritual transformation is not instantaneous
– we are tugged at by the gravity of two potential selves
• the old self and the new self – or the false self and the true self
◦ the conflict is described well in Galatians

. . . walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please. (Gal. 5:16-17)

◦ essentially, the ethical challenge is to “put off the old self and put on the new”
• we learn today that we do this piece-by-piece
◦ similar to the way we “put on the whole armor of God” (ch. 6:11-17)
– “laying aside [or “putting off”] falsehood” is one of the pieces of the old self that we strip off

If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his [soul] will lose it, but whoever loses his [soul] for My sake, he is the one who will save it. (Lk. 9:23-24)

• Christian spirituality begins at the cross and is made possible by the cross
◦ the soul we lose at the cross is the false self and the soul we gain is the true self
◦ we lose the false self day-by-day (“take up his cross daily“)
• the new self does not develop automatically
◦ we have to learn how to walk and talk and listen and so on
◦ that’s what this whole section has been about, beginning in 4:1, Walk!

Later, Paul paints a picture of Jesus with his bride, bathing and beautifying her,

. . . that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless. (Ep. 5:27)

• we cannot perfect ourselves
◦ but we can break some bad habits, make some changes
◦ we can wash the window of our hearts and rinse our eyes (Mt. 5:8; 6:22-23)
– as we make our way through this passage, keep in mind: Paul was addressing Christians
• you may find yourself identifying with a behavior in the negative column
◦ remember that other believers do too
• this struggle is the spiritual journey and to stay in it is to take up our cross

V. 25, There’s a speech issue between the old self and the new self

“Falsehood”–pseudos–has been an underlying theme in this section
– awhile back,a  man represented himself to me as friend
• the way he showed interest in me was by asking a lot of personal questions
◦ for several years I assumed that we shared a genuine friendship
• after confiding in him all those years, the lesson I learned the hard way was that:

Curiosity is not necessarily an expression of love

Rowan Williams argued, “It is an unscrupulous rationalization of the lust for power which can be hidden in curiosity, the diabolical thirst to know without loving, to substitute knowing for loving.”

– for someone to know you without loving you is terrifying
• it is exactly the danger that is posed by identity theft Continue reading →

“Transformative Education”

But you did not learn Christ in this way, if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught in Him, just as truth is in Jesus, that in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit, and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new self, which in [lit. “according to”] God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth. Ephesians 4:20-24

Intro: There are several stories in the gospels in which Jesus made side-trips

Departing from his normal itinerary of towns, villages and hillsides,
– Jesus took off with disciples – usually for rest, but also for reflection
• one time, he led them to the northern most area of the Galilee, to Caesarea Philippi
• the beautiful and majestic setting was marked by a history of pagan gods that was centuries old
– there Jesus asked his disciples, “Who do people say that I am?”
• they, no doubt, would have heard the gossip — “a prophet,” “the return of Elijah,” etc.
◦ they knew people were merely guessing
• then looking directly at them, Jesus asked them, “What about you? Who do you say that I am?”

I doubt Jesus was overly concerned with how the crowds perceived him
– if anything, he worked at keeping his identity hidden
• but it was crucial to his mission that some knew who he was
• so he tested what disciples’ experience of him had taught them
– the truth that would save them would not be:
• Jesus the prophet, or teacher, or healer
• but Jesus “the Messiah, the Son of the living God”
– Paul grasped this truth as clearly as anyone
• his passion in life was to know Jesus in ever greater intimately (Php. 3:8-10)

In the 1980’s, a phrase was introduced to adult education: “transformative learning”
– we grew up in an educational system that was informative and “conformative”
• that is, we were taught that there was one right answer that everyone had to recite
– Paul’s big idea in these verses:
◦ transformation is exactly what knowing Jesus does (2 Cor. 3:18)

I find it intriguing that in this passage Paul inserts four odd (or at least unusual) terms

Vv. 20-21, The first odd term, “learn Christ”

“But you did not learn Christ in this way”
– “this way” refers to what we went over last week
• that as “Gentiles,” we lived in futility, closed off from God, and driven by insatiable neediness
• Paul contrasts this with our current life in God, which is a transformed life
◦ we’ve been changed from what we were then to who we are now
◦ this has resulted from our spiritual education — we have learned Christ
– Jesus is the curriculum of Christian spirituality

E. K. Simpson, “Usually we learn subjects, not persons” Continue reading →

“Just Walk Away”

So this I say, and affirm together with the Lord, that you walk no longer just as the Gentiles also walk, in the futility of their mind, being darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardness of their heart; and they, having become callous, have given themselves over to sensuality for the practice of every kind of impurity with greediness. Ephesians 4:17-19

Intro: In verse 1, Paul began to focus on the “Christian walk”

Walk is used metaphorically–i.e., how we make our way through life
– Paul’s concern is to emphasize and explore the fact that Christian spirituality requires a practice
• for example, many of us have adopted a practice of silent prayer
◦ we quiet our thoughts to become open and receptive to God for for ten minutes every day
• the purpose of practices like this is to sharpen and deepen our experience of God
◦ practice is one way to make spirituality “practical” — a reality rather than intention
– Paul’s first instruction regarding our walk is that it is to be consistent with our calling
• that would indicate having a practice that is defined by our spiritual identity and destiny

Although the same theme is carried forward here, we now see its negative image
– Paul tells us how not to walk (what he describes seems to be the progression of degradation)
• we can think of this as the “bad news” (we know that gospel means good news)
◦ this is a “walk” that is inconsistent with our spiritual identity and destiny
• in a way, this passage could be an answer to the question, “What’s wrong with our world?”
– it may be helpful if we do not think of Gentile as an ethnic label
• the religious mentality tends to divide humankind into two groups:
◦ good and bad, Jew and Gentile – or even Christian and pagan
◦ but according to Paul, Jews could also be “hardened” and “ignorant” (Ro. 10:2-3; 11:25)
• let’s think instead of Gentile as a spiritual state of being separate from God
◦ and Paul assumed that this letter was being sent to “former” Gentiles (Ep. 2:11)
(and we must remember we’re not entirely free of this ourselves)
◦ with that in mind, what can be said about how the Gentiles walk?

Theirs is a walk characterized by futility

Paul uses the phrase “I affirm” or (literally) “testify in the Lord” – to add force to his words
– looking for the primary source of Gentile condition, what Paul sees is the “futility of their mind”
• this word could be translated “emptiness” or “meaninglessness”
◦ for Paul, this explains what follows, namely, why they live as they do
• a whole course of lessons is devoted to this them in the Hebrew Scriptures–i.e., Ecclesiastes Continue reading →

A Visit to God’s Worksite

And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers . . . Ephesians 4:11

Intro: Let’s take a look at the roadmap to see where we are

Paul painted a wonderful picture of Christian spirituality in chapters 1-3
– then, in chapter 4, he says, in effect, “You must have a spiritual practice”
• this is sometimes referred to as “spiritual disciplines” or “spiritual exercises”
• it is behavior that promotes, reinforces, and externalizes our inner spiritual life
– this practice is surprisingly social (remember how Paul began with humility, gentleness, etc.)
• the one practice Paul has focused on is “being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace”
◦ the big challenge to unity is our differences — we are not all the same
• but as Paul sees it, the ways in which you differ from me is a gift (to all of us)

For who differentiates you from another? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it? (1 Cor. 4:7)
Now you are Christ’s body, ad individually members of it. (1 Cor. 12:27)

◦ we cannot brag of a greater status than others, because what we have is only what we’ve been given
◦ God’s Spirit passes out gifts to each person that are beneficial to everyone

It would helpful to study 1 Corinthians 12, where the body as a metaphor for spiritual community is more fully developed
– the point is the relationship of the parts to the whole
• your gifts makes you a gift to others
• you are a gift Jesus has given to the community
◦ and he’s given you “gifts”that make your participation valuable to others
◦ although everyone’s participation is unique, we function as one and move toward one goal

Now we are caught up to verse 11

Paul provides examples, choosing those that would be most familiar to his readers Continue reading →