Ephesians 5:17
How do we know the Lord’s will? How do we prepare ourselves to hear it? In the context of Ephesians, Pastor John Michaelson shares eight practical questions we can ask ourselves to hear God’s will and apply a biblical framework to decision making.
Ephesians 5:15-16
This message is a clear call to be thoughtful in the way we live in every area of our lives. That we would orient our lifestyles around the pursuit of God and the interests of God—“making the best use of the time” (Eph 5:15). Each of us are given opportunities and we choose what we do with them. We choose how we live. We choose what we prioritize. We choose whether or not we will give the Lord the best of what we have or the scraps. One of the great motivations to give our all is because “the days are evil” (Eph 5:16). We are in a spiritual war and Satan rages against us daily in an effort to lead us astray. In this generation, as the divine clock winds down, many Christians are falling away, as Jesus predicted. This message is a strong sober call to spiritual arms in light of the very real danger of being swept away by the subtle schemes of the forces of darkness.
Ephesians 5:11-14
Many Christians are asleep in the light. They take part in the “unfruitful works of darkness” but, because they are sleeping, are unaware or unconcerned. Because they live like the world they cannot expose the darkness of the world; darkness cannot illuminate darkness. They have no burning and shining light in them that draws people to God. This message is a wake-up call to the sleeper. It’s a call to arise and be the light of the world! We are called to be different from the world, to boldly expose the sins of our generation and to reflect Jesus Christ, so that those in darkness will be reconciled to God.
Ephesians 5:10
Since the beginning of the story of humans there has always been a concern to please or appease the Creator. You find it in virtually every culture in every generation. The ideas of what pleases God are profoundly diverse and conflicting. The God revealed in the Bible doesn’t want us to merely guess what pleases Him but wants us to be sure. The Scriptures reveal clearly what pleases God and what does not. This message not only reminds us that God has made it clear but also explores what kind of heart pleases the Lord.
Ephesians 5:5-9
From every direction, the world attempts to bring us into agreement with its way of viewing things. We are told that things the Bible defines as sin are not sin. What people of God have called sin for thousands of years is now denied or downplayed, and in some cases, celebrated. In these verses, God is urging us through the apostle to not be deceived by empty words. The Scriptures not only condemn much of what is considered normal and natural to practice in society—sex before marriage, homosexuality, bisexuality, lusting in the heart, filthy talk, and so on—but God says that “because of these things the wrath of God comes”. We live in a day when good is called evil and evil is called good. Few people seem to realize that there are consequences for sin beyond the grave. This message is essentially about the importance of seeing the seriousness and sinfulness of sin so we do not casually or ignorantly partner with it.
Ephesians 5:4
God is calling us to a different standard even in our casual conversations with one another. So much conversation in locker rooms, at lunch tables, in the break room at work, at social gatherings, and so on, is considered by God to be filthy, foolish or crude. Not only should we never initiate this kind of talk, we should not partner with it. This requires wisdom and will inevitably put a strain on relationships. In contrast to this unsavory language, the Christian should be filled with the new language of thankfulness. This teaching defines the sort of language we should avoid as followers of Jesus and how a new language of gratitude is formed.
Ephesians 5:3
We live in a generation with unprecedented sexual temptation. Inappropriate content is not only easy to find but it aggressively finds us. It comes at us from every direction. As a result, many of God’s people have fallen into deep dark struggles. Some carry a burden of bondage and guilt daily. The Christian sexual ethic stands in stark contrast to what is generally acceptable in society. The standard of purity that God intends for His people goes way beyond just outward abstinence. As new creatures in Christ a whole new way of thinking emerges. The mind is renewed and people we may be physically attracted to are no longer viewed lustfully as objects but, rather, with honor as people made in God’s image. Sex is good. It is designed by God to deepen intimacy between a man and woman in the covenant of marriage. It is holy and not to be trifled with or cheapened. This message is a clear call to sexual purity with practical instructions on how to live pure in a sex-crazed society.
This message is not so much of a sermon or teaching but is what I call a pastoral talk. There is a prophetic element to the talk, as well. In other words, there's a strong sense that this is a timely word from the Lord for the Church. The message was birthed out of an unshakable burden I've carried during this pandemic over countless believers who are drifting away from the Lord. The enemy of the Church (Satan) is taking advantage of the pandemic to push God's people into addictions, doubts, discouragement, fear and other snares. The message is intended to be call to the Church to stand firm. And also a call to pray for our dear brothers and sisters in Christ who are struggling.
Ephesians 4:32
Remembering our God’s great works of the past enables us to trust God for tomorrow so that we may be faithful to our Lord today. The Lord calls us to be faithful daily by forgiving others as we have been forgiven.
Ephesians 4:31
Since the first batch of humans were made, there have always been tensions between people. To be human is to experience being hurt, being slighted, being wronged by people. It’s also very natural as humans to respond to certain people with anger. It’s easy for us to become bitter and even malicious. The Christian faith, however, teaches us to do the opposite. The first part of this message shows what each of these words are: bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, slander and malice. Because the verse urges us to put all these away, the last part of the message talks about the importance of continual renewal of the heart and fresh infillings of God’s love.