Life on the edge

Peninsula Community Church

Ephesians – Be Strong, Get in The Game

May 3, 2015

Ephesians 6:10-12 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.

Tony Evans in his book, “Victory in Spiritual Battle” tells the story of a painting that hangs in the Louvre in Europe that is entitled “Checkmate.” If you looked at the painting, you would see two characters playing chess. On one side of the chessboard is one player who resembles the devil. He is seen sitting in confidence that he has won the game. On the other side of the board is a frightened, scared young man. Sweat covers his brow and on his cheek is one solitary tear. The game is obviously drawing to a close and the winner appears to have already been decided.

But one day, there was a chess champion who visited the art gallery. As he paused to look at the painting, he was captured by the two figures in the painting. He also began to study the game which was being played. The champion stood before the painting for some time before he asked the curator if he had a chess board. After the champion insisted on finding one, the curator finally emerged with one. The champion immediately began to duplicate the game on the board as it was in the painting. He then began to finish the game by making a move and then countering that move with the move the devil would have made in order to avoid checkmate. He then made another move and then another. Each move put the devil on the defensive. Eventually, the champion cried out with relief and joy… “I did it, I did it!” The champion in that moment turned to the painting and proclaimed, “Young man, your enemy miscalculated a very important move. I uncovered it, and as a result, you don’t have to lose! You win!”

Let me tell you something this morning, Paul has looked at the chess game called life. He has looked at all of the moves possible and he is proclaiming through the final words of Ephesians that we win and that we do not have to live a defeated life any more. There have been some calculated moves that have taken place to put the enemy on the defensive and to neutralize his power over us and with that we are victorious.

As we look at this Scripture, we must first understand that we have an enemy that is out to destroy us. He not only wishes to destroy us and but to also neutralize our effectiveness in the culture in which we live. The enemy will use our past experiences, the false teaching we have received, the personal wounds and hurts we have received to accomplish this. But, it does not have to be that way. The great news is that we have power over any and all of our enemies.

Paul understood this principle. It is for that reason Paul calls us to “be strong in the Lord and to be strong in the strength of his might.” The word used for strong is “endunamousthe” which means “to endue with power, to become able, or to have strength.” The literal interpretation of the passage is “Be empowered with God’s strength.” The root of endunamousthe is “dunamis,” from which we get the word dynamite. The idea presents by this word is that the power of the dynamite is inherent to the dynamite itself. This means the power is not revealed until the fuse is lit or it is exploded in some way. It has to be used for its power to be recognized.

By using this word, endunamousthe, Paul is saying that we have already been given an inherent power that resides in us and is ready to be used. That power must be exercised in order to be effective. We must use this power to overcome the darkness and the evil that is all around us. How is this possible? It goes back to the passages at the very beginning of the book of Ephesians where Paul details the benefits we have received as believers in Christ. He, Christ, has given us everything we need to overcome the obstacles of life and the forces exerted by the enemy against us. Through Christ we have been given spiritual blessings and have been equipped with spiritual weapons for battle. We have an enemy, but we also have great weapons in our arsenal to bring victory.

Secondly, we must understand this battle is a spiritual battle. This war is waged in the invisible, spiritual realm. Paul, for that reason, assures us that this battle is not against flesh and blood but against rulers, authorities, and cosmic powers in the heavens. While the battle is spiritual, the results of the battle are revealed in the physical realm. You cannot see the warfare, but you certainly experience it, physically, emotionally, spiritually, and mentally. Therefore, the battle you face is not against your neighbor, your spouse, coworker, child, or even the weakness of your flesh. The battle is against the spiritual forces that fight against us. Be assured of this, the enemy will use people, emotions, experiences, circumstances, and thoughts to pick a fight.

Thirdly, we must be aware of the schemes the enemy uses. The battles that go on inside of us are must often motivated by the schemes of the enemy who desires to destroy us or at least neutralize us. Someone has correctly said, “if you are having a spiritual battle, then you are in a good place. That means God wants to use you and that the enemy is attempting to thwart the work you have been called to.”

If you know anything about sports, especially football, you will know that coaches and players spend hours pouring over films of the teams that they are about to play. They want to know their opponent and they want to know the plays their opponent will use against them. Paul gives us the assurance that we can be prepared for the enemy’s schemes. But we must recognize them.

The first scheme used by our opponent is lies. Remember, there is no truth in the devil. He is the father of a lie and his greatest asset is the untruths and half truths we begin to own. He knows if we own it, we will accept it as truth. What are some of the lies presented? He uses one single failure in our life to make us believe that we are a total failure. He gets us to believe that God’s silence is a sign that God does not love us any more. The enemy will convince us that we have sinned the great sin and there is no hope for us. He gets us to believe that forgiveness is for the other person and not us. He convinces us that the negative experiences we have are normal and there is no hope for change.

A second scheme used by the enemy is accusation. Accusation is just another step in the scheme of lying. You know how this works. We feel we are not not good enough! We feel are not pretty enough! No one likes me! Everyone hates me! I can’t change! I can’t control my anger! You are a loser! You are a bad father or mother! You are not worthy of God’s blessings. The accusations go on and on and are the echoes of a thousand perceived failures but it does have to be that way.

A third scheme used by the enemy is false hope or as I like to call it a counterfeit vision of the future. The enemy uses this one in subtle ways but it is very powerful. He might communicate to you that its ok if you sin because no one will ever know. If you ever make a decision with this thought in mind then I can tell you that it is a wrong decision that will negatively effect your future. He will lie to you that one affair will not hurt you. He will lie and give you false hope that Christianity is a farce and that you are missing out on the fun in your life. He will say its ok to live however you want to during the week but act holy and righteous on Sunday.

Remember when Jesus was on the mountain top after He spent 40 days in the wilderness. Satan came to Him to offer him the world if he would bow to satan. Jesus was being tempted to accept a counterfeit vision of the future (Matthew 4). But there are a couple of problems here. One, Jesus already owned the whole world. He created it. So satan was offering something he could not give. Secondly, if Jesus had succumbed to this temptation, He would have lost much more than what He would have gained by rejecting satan’s offer. Know this! Whatever the enemy is offering, he will not be able to pay up. Whatever you may gain in following the vision the enemy gives you, in the long run you will lose much more than you gain.

Let me bring this closer to home. This week we have seen the unbelievable pictures and video coming out of Baltimore. The distorted vision of the future for some agitators and rioters was misdirected. Homes were destroyed. Businesses that were the life blood of the community were looted and burned. A senior center that had been needed in the community was burned to the ground. A CVS that originally did not want to be in the community, but agreed to come after the community worked with the corporation, has now been burned and destroyed with the potential of the corporation pulling the store out of the community for good. The very thing many were fighting for was destroyed in a matter of minutes. So how is that vision working out? But there was another vision we saw as well. On Tuesday morning after the bulk of the riots were over, we saw members of the community with brooms and garbage pails in hand cleaning the streets, removing debris, and starting to rebuild hope. There’s is a hope for the future. But that is how the enemy works in our hearts. We fight the wrong battles and invest in the wrong future vision.

As we have noted, the the problem of giving into the enemy’s schemes is that we give up what we already possess and we lose much more than we gain. But there is a battle plan. Over the next few weeks we will review the game tapes and see how we should be ready for battle. Are you ready? Let’s go! The game has already been won. All we have to do is dress up and get in the game. We can yell checkmate for he is a defeated foe. Amen! PTL!

For an audio of this message go to http://pccministry.org/media.php?pageID=14

Copyright © 2015 All Rights Reserved Robert W. Odom

Peninsula Community Church

The Risen Christ – His Peace, Power, and Purpose

April 5, 2015

John 20:19-23 On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.”

I am sure that most of you have know the Easter story but let me give you a bit of an overview. You will remember that just a week before the resurrection Jesus had entered the city of Jerusalem with people proclaiming His kingship (John 12:13). You will also remember that what .? ..had begun as a joyful, celebrated moment in time quickly turned to a riotous, chaotic and deadly event (John 19). From that triumphal entry on Sunday until Thursday of that week, Jesus met with his disciples and gave them final instructions. He encouraged them to not be troubled by what was about to happen. He wanted them to know that He would live again (John 13-17).

By Thursday of that week, the Jewish leaders had been able to trump up charges and were able to rouse the crowd to cry for Christ’s crucifixion. For the Jewish leaders, they were jealous of the notoriety that Jesus was receiving and they were afraid that He was going to unseat them from their positions of power. Their response was to trump up charges against Jesus and to excite the crowd to press the Roman officials to have Jesus arrested. It is interesting to note that the Roman officials had a better sense of what was going on than the religious leaders of the day. Pilate, the chief magistrate of Jerusalem for the Roman empire, had to confess that he found no fault in Jesus (John 19:11). And yet he succumbed to the pressure of the crowd to arrest Jesus and then have him ultimately crucified.

While the crowds turned against Christ, the disciples promised their loyalty and that they would be with Him until the end. The loudest of all was Peter who defiantly stated that there was no way that he would ever deny Christ (John 13:36-38) and yet within hours of that defiant statement he had denied Christ not once but three times (John 18). He had turned his back on Christ. After his death, Jesus was buried but the disciples were not found by Jesus’ side or at His tomb, they were found hiding behind locked doors. They were trying to put space between them and the people who had killed the one they loved and they had promised to follow.

In the story before us today, we see Jesus showing up where the disciples least expected it. He showed up right where they were. In this story, we find three things that Jesus did for this band of rejected and fearful followers. The risen Lord showed up to give them peace. He showed up to give them power. And He showed up to give them a purpose and a reason to live.

Lets look at the first of these. Jesus came to give them peace.  As noted before rather than being out front in support of Jesus, the disciples were behind a locked door because they were afraid. Fear for them was a very real emotion. As we know, fear can be expressed in many different ways. Fear grabs us and in so doing it strangles our hopes and dreams and it can rob us of peace.

What did they fear? For one they feared retaliation by the Jewish leaders which would result in their death. They were afraid that they would be identified as one of the followers of Jesus. Now before you judge the disciples too harshly remember that we can all fall into this trap. For us personally, we can be afraid that people will know us for who we are. We hide our true self from others and we hope no one finds out who we really are. For some of us, we live in turmoil because we are afraid that people will discover the real us because we know people will not like who we are. So we hide behind a wall and we put on masks to hide our real identity.

Secondly, they were afraid of what the future held for them. Without Jesus, could they continue in the quest they had been called to? Could they continue to hold onto the truth that He preached? How could they be effective in their mission at this point? Their leader was dead and so was their vision for the future. Before we judge the disciples too harshly, may I remind you that we too can be afraid of what the future holds. This is especially true when we believe our security has been snatched from us. Because of fear, we can make wrong choices about the future. Because of fear, we will either play it safe and lock ourselves away or we will take unwise risks that ultimately sidetrack us from accomplishing what we are suppose to do.

But notice what Jesus did. While they were sequestered behind locked doors, Jesus showed up and stood among them. He proclaimed these words not once but twice. “Peace be with you.” Think about this for a moment, Jesus was crucified, laid in a borrowed tomb, and then rose on the third day. Instead of going to the Jewish leaders or the Roman governors, he went to His disciples. Their spiritual and emotional health was more important to Him than His proving who He was in that moment. Jesus was not about exacting revenge or about proving a point, He was about extending love and grace and He was about giving life to those whose life had been sucked from them by the week’s events.

We should note that Jesus suddenly appeared. He just showed up. He suddenly showed up to make a difference in them. In that action, Jesus communicated so much, not in words as much as by His actions. He was coming to them at the point of their fear. He was communicating that I am not going to wait for you to get your act together. He was communicating that He was not going to wait for them to have enough faith to overcome their fear. He came to help them and to restore their faith and to assist them in overcoming their fear.

And here is the truth in this. The risen, living Jesus is still doing this, today. He comes when we cry out to him in our fear. He helps us. For me I have called to him a thousand of times: “Jesus please help me.” And he has come near with the promise: “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand” (Isaiah 41:10). He will do this for you too, if you receive him into your life for who He really is.

Secondly, Jesus came to give them power. In this passage, Jesus makes a profound statement. Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld. By way of receiving the Holy Spirit, we have the power to release others from the wrongs they have perpetrated against us. Here is what Jesus is communicating to us, if you have someone in your life that has wronged you and you continue to hold that over them, the effect on you will be one that is negative and it’s effects are strong.

You see, we are not responsible for how others respond to forgiveness but we must be in a place where we release others who have wronged us. I believe that in essence Jesus was calling on them to release those who had perpetrated the acts of the last few days. The disciples needed to do this for themselves. Forgiveness is the most powerful action that we can take. By not forgiving others, we become obsessed with revenge and getting even. It impairs our ability to look forward to what is ahead because we are locked into the past with all of its hurts and the pain that comes from other’s sin and actions against us. Jesus was saying the locked door of the room was nothing to be compared to the locked door of their heart. The key to unlock the door was forgiveness. This was the power that Jesus want them to have. It was the power of a freed heart that could honestly seek love and not anger.

Thirdly, Jesus came to give them purpose. Jesus’ word to them was that He was sending them out with a purpose. At this stage, the point is that He did not give them a specific plan or destination, but that would come later. Why was this important? Too often when people fail us or their actions are less than admirable we tend to write them off. Jesus did not do that. He came to them. He loved them in spite of their actions or their deeds. He let them know they were still valuable to Him and to the Kingdom of God. You see one of the lies that has been communicated to us way too often is that we have committed too great a sin. We have acted so badly that we will never be forgiven or that we can be used of God. Or, we may feel we have rejected Christ and turned our back on Him too often. Let me clear that up  for you. Are you ready? Listen to me. There is nothing that you can do that will turn Jesus off or cause Him to reject you. There is no sin too great that He cannot forgive. There is no act too great that He will not restore you. He has a plan for you. He has a purpose for you. Jeremiah said it best. For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope (Jeremiah 29:11).

So what does this mean to us this morning? It means that Jesus will come to us to set us free from our personal fears. Today, He is whispering those words if we will only listening. Today, He is holding out His hands to you as the crucified, risen Lord. Those hands want to hold you and let you know it will be ok. Secondly, He wants to empower you through the power of forgiveness that releases you from those that deserve our outrage and our revenges

For an audio of this message go to http://pccministry.org/media.php?pageID=14

Copyright © 2014 All Rights Reserved Robert W. Odom

Peninsula Community Church

Ephesians 5:22-24 – Honoring God in Our Relationships 

March 29, 2015

Ephesians 5:22-24 Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands.

I love the way Paul deals with things in the church. There are times where he illustrates a principle by using one idea to teach another and then there are times where he pulls no punches and he goes right to the heart and the core of a matter. In this passages before us today, the marital relationship is one of those subjects.

There is no doubt that this particular passage is one of the most controversial texts in the Bible. It is one of those passages that has been abused, misused, and taken out of context way too often. The problem is that this one passage has been used as an isolated scripture to define a set of theological boundaries that was never intended by God. In doing so the rest of the Bible and other pertinent passages that shed light on this subject are not considered in one’s analysis of this passage. And, the sad part is that it does not have to be this way. So today, we will look at what the passage says, why the passage says it, and what the passage does not say.

As with every passage in the Bible, we must understand a few things in order to grasp the purpose, the intent, and the meaning behind the passage. In this particular passage, we must understand the language Paul used, the culture into which he was speaking, and how we should interpret this passage into our modern culture. We must also be careful and not bend the text to the culture, but rather we are to bend the culture to the text.

So what does the Bible say here? To be honest, it is a straight forward text. It states that wives should submit to their husbands as if they are submitting to the Lord. There is no debate here and there no argument to be had. It is rather clear that God is saying that women should submit to their husbands but let us define the whole picture of how that relationship will look because submission is just one side of this marital relationship coin. To not consider the other side of the coin is to miss the totality of what God’s intent is here.

For many in our current culture, this seems like a strange command that wives should submit to their husbands. It is a strange idea to so many, especially in a day of radical feminism and the wussification of men in this culture. Not only is this a strange idea today, but it was a strange idea in Paul’s day, but for different reasons. In Paul’s day, women were considered a commodity. Prostitution was an acceptable trade and was very rampant in Paul’s day. Those who were enticed into such things were used, abused, and then cast to the street when their partner had no more use for them. Slavery was also very common in his day. While men would honor the command to be the husband of one wife, they would have many slaves and/or mistresses. And the fact is that too often men would treat their wives like slaves. To make matters worse, the husband could divorce their wive for any reason. She might burn the toast. Forget to iron his shirt. You name it. This was all that was needed for a divorce from the male perspective. The result was the wife had no home, no income, and no safety. She had no rights or social standing.

It was into this culture that Paul spoke these words. Because of the culture, and their experience, I am sure the women of Paul’s day grimaced at this command. How could they submit to those who abused them and thought of them as a commodity? It seemed to be an impossible task. But when we understand that there is blessing in following the path that God has laid out before us, we find that it is not impossible. The women of that day would submit but they were doing so with a slave mentality and not as a willing partner in the relationship. They did so because they were forced and not because they were honoring God. Paul was saying in essence this has to change.

To understand Paul’s command we must look at the fullness of the passage and understand that Paul was calling for change on both sides of the equation and not just the female’s side. He wanted passionate followers of Christ to live differently and act differently in the marriage relationship. He wanted them to live a life of respect and a life where love and respect were given. He wanted them to live a life where there was a mutual submission to one another as seen in Ephesians 5:21. God’s desire was that would submit not as a slave but as one who did so they would submit to Christ and in honor of Christ.

Paul’s desire through the leading of the Holy Spirit was to establish a life where women were valued, protected, and loved. It was God’s desire to establish a culture where the command of loving one another was fulfilled. God’s intent was not for man to master his wife but to love and respect her as a creation of God in the very image of God. Think about it. Why would a loving, caring, and godly woman not want to submit to a man who loved her, respected her, and provided for her emotional, physical, and yes her spiritual needs? Listen to Jesus’ own words A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.

The fact is this passage applies to the marital relationship as well as the other relationships in our life. When you combine Jesus’ words with Paul’s command to submit, what we have is the greatest act of love a wife could show her husband. She was not to strong arm her husband, or belittle her husband, or coerce her husband into doing anything that he did not believe in. She was not to usurp his leadership. She was to trust and respect him. In the DNA of a man there is built the need to feel respected and honored by those who love him, especially his wive. That is God’s plan here. The desire of God is that the wife would respect and love her husband.

While we understand what submission is, let’s take a moment to understand what submission is not. First, submission does not mean that women should be treated as a commodity to be traded but rather they are to be valued as a creation of God. Women are not a thing, they are prized possessions. I would submit to you that this is one of the greatest problems with pornography and the sexual exploitation of today is that it reduces a woman to a thing rather than  as a beautiful creation of God.

Second, while women have been created as a help mate to the man, submission does not mean that the female is subservient to the male as they have been created in the image of God. Do you know what that means? It means that we are equals in the sight of God. It for this reason that He chose a rib and a toe bone. He chose a rib and not a skull bone. It also means that sometimes our spouse will have a greater sense of finances and purchasing decisions than we do. It means that sometimes they will have insight into an issue that we do not have. True submission means that we honor and respect others. This means we honor and respect our wife’s ideas and opinions. I am indebted to my wife because she has insights into things that I do not have. If I had thwarted some of her opinions, I would have paid the price of wrong decisions.

This also means that she is not a door mat. Submission does not mean that the wife waits on the man hand and foot while he goes his merry way and never considers her needs or desires. The fact is we are to serve one another. One of the things that I have found is that when I seek to honor Michelle and meet her need, there is a reciprocal response from her. I bless her, she blesses me. Now let me hasten to say that a wife should not submit so husbands will love them but because are being obedient to God’s command and the respect the husband needs. Notice I said needs and not deserves. Submission is to be enacted regardless of the husband’s response.

Third, submission cannot be forced or coerced, it is be entered into willingly and lovingly. Forced submission was never God’s plan. That is bondage and slavery. The problem too often is that wives are forced to submit to a husband that has not learned to submit to God or others. Listen to the scriptures. Obey your leaders and submit to them (Hebrews 13:7). Submit yourselves to God (James 4:7). Submit yourselves to one another (Ephesians 5:21). The idea here is that too we want others to do what we ourselves are not willing or ready to do. It is also the refusal to force the spouse to do things they are uncomfortable with. For example, I have heard of men that felt their wife should have sex with them any time they wanted regardless of how the wife feels or her emotional state at the time. That is selfishness and barbaric rather than being loving and kind.

Fourth, submission does not mean that the wife sits idly by while her husband makes all of the decisions or not address issues in the home. A husband and wife must be a team that works together. That is why the man is called to leave his father and his mother and to cleave to his wife. They are to become one. It is into that relationship that we are called relationally.

As we close, let me say this about marriage and the covenant relationship. What if God designed marriage to make us holy more than to make us happy. If you want to be more like Jesus, there is no better mechanism than marriage. Being married forces us to face character issues we might never face, otherwise. Submission takes humility. It also takes a lot of prayer and relying on the Holy Spirit. As a wife, look to Jesus as an example, and reflect His love and self-sacrifice as you lovingly choose to submit to the husband God has placed in your life.

For an audio of this message go to http://pccministry.org/media.php?pageID=14

Copyright © 2014 All Rights Reserved Robert W. Odom

Peninsula Community Church

Ephesians – How’s Your Walk?

March 8, 2015

Ephesians 5:15-17 Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.

In the verse before us today, Paul continues to focus on the fact that, as believers, we are called to live differently. In this passage, Paul challenges us to be careful how we walk. As we have discussed before, our walk is inclusive of all we do and how we walk impacts every aspect of our life. Our walk whether good or bad, impacts our family, our community, our job, and yes, even our church.

The principle presented here is that we must take care that we are walking in wisdom and not foolishness. The word “carefully” or “circumspectly” means to walk by looking around and considering everything we do. Wisdom is best defined as the ability to rightly apply what one has learned through an instructional process and through one’s life experiences. The opposite of walking carefully is to walk and live foolishly. It is to make unwise decisions. It is a fool that would hear a truth, ignore it, and refuse to change their ways.

Specifically, Paul is referring to those things detailed in the previous passages. To continue to walk in sexual immorality, impurity, and covetousness is an unwise move on the part of the passionate follower of Christ. To be instructed in the danger of such actions and then to continue to pursue such lifestyles, leads one to destruction. These actions, unless corrected, will impact every aspect of one’s life: family, work, community, and church. This passage also generally refers to any other decision or action on our part that is unwise.

To truly understand wisdom we must begin with the fact that true wisdom begins with the fear of the Lord. This is a reverential and awe inspiring kind of fear and not one where we cower in terror away from God or one that is afraid of rejection or being wounded. David said it best, The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all those who practice it have a good understanding. (Psalms 111:10). A right understanding of God equals wisdom which equals a good understanding of life. We must understand that God is for us and not against us. That is wisdom.

The second principle of wisdom is that God desires to give us wisdom, if we ask. James stated that If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind? For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways (James 1:5-8). Think about this. We can ask for wisdom, but if we are going to continue to do our own thing and reject the principles of wisdom, then we will miss the purpose of asking God for wisdom, entirely. We will be unstable because we will hear God but we will not trust his guidance, forcing us to attempt to do our own thing. That is the essence of foolishness.

The third part of wisdom is that we must choose godly wisdom over foolishness. The idea of wisdom here is two-fold. It is a conditioned response related to our experiences and the teaching we have. It is also a decision that we make. We chose wisdom over foolishness. Once again we turn to the writer of Proverbs to understand this process. My son, if you receive my words and treasure up my commandments with you, making your ear attentive to wisdom and inclining your heart to understanding; yes, if you call out for insight and raise your voice for understanding, if you seek it like silver and search for it as for hidden treasures, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God (Proverbs 2:1-5). As you read this passage again look at the decisions that are made. Receive, treasure, make your ear,call our, raise your voice, seek it, search for it; and then you will understand it. 

Andy Stanley has stated that we must consider in light of our past experiences, our present circumstances, and our future dreams and hope; what is the wise thing to do? Many of the decisions we make cannot be made only in our understanding of what is right or wrong but what is the wise thing to do. This action helps us deal with the gray areas of life, as the black and white issues are more easily discerned. For example, in terms of our past experiences what happened the last time you went out with them? What happened the last time you drank too much? What happened the last time you watched that movie or read that book that negatively effected you? In the past, these things did not go so well, so it a wise thing to avoid the things that have brought us down in the past.

The second aspect of this passage is that we must make the best use of our time because the days are evil. Who knew that when Paul wrote these words, that we would be reviewing this text in a time where we see chaos in the world, political temper tantrums, and the appearance that sin is ruling the world. The fact is, we live in a culture that is not conducive to the kind of living being proposed by Paul. In fact, it is the opposite. If you move and flow with the culture, you will almost certainly end up in a place you do not want to be relationally, financially, with your kids, with your spouse, or with your employer. It is a fact that the culture desires to take us where we don’t want to go, therefore, we can’t go with the flow. That would be foolish.

Let me give you a couple of things that will help us in this regard. First, consider your relationship with Christ foremost in your life (1 Corinthians 1:4-9). Without that relationship we are destined for failure. Secondly, hide the word of God in your heart because it will be a gauge to reveal the inconsistencies and failures of the current culture (Psalms 119:11). Third, take every opportunity to be available to present Christ to those you encounter (Colossians 4:5-6).

Listen to Paul’s words in Colossians 4:5-6. Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person. In this passage, note a couple of key points about using our time wisely. Notice how they all relate to our speech. Our speech is to to be gracious. We are to be ministers of grace, but too often the world sees us as condemners and judges rather than seriously being interested in people’s lives. Secondly, our speech is to be seasoned with salt. This simply means that our speech must be measured just as we carefully measure the salt content of our food. Too often, we quote scripture as a conditioned response rather than as an attempt to honestly minister to others. Thirdly, pray for wisdom for God to direct your conversation with those you encounter, especially those who do not know Christ.

The third point here is that we are to discern the will of God so that we avoid foolishness. As we truly understand God’s will and purpose for our life, we will be less inclined to reject wisdom and discernment from God. As we walk in wisdom, it will be easier to ascertain God’s will, but if our decisions are foolish and based in emotion or feeling, we will miss God’s will for our life.

This passage in many ways is for those who are looking for a loop hole in keeping God’s commands. Paul states Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. The word “but” here is an important word. In the Greek language, there are two words used for “but.” It is noteworthy that the word used here is more powerful than the first. While we must avoid being foolish or careless, the idea Paul is communicating is that I want you to understand and face up to the truth. Paul is saying, “Look, you know what you ought to do.” He is saying, “You know this stuff.” He is saying, “Stop playing games.” Stop talking yourself into things you should not be doing and stop talking yourself out of the things that you should be doing. Face up to it and do what God wants you to do. You see the easiest person to deceive is ourselves and we do it all of the time, especially when it comes to the decisions we make. We can easily deceive ourselves into believing the decision we are making is a wise one.

Let us consider these statements in light of Andy Stanley’s words earlier. In light of our past experiences, our present circumstances, and our future dreams and hopes, we must consider what is the wise thing to do? Think about this. If you are trying to pay off your debt is it wise to spend money on big ticket items you really don’t need? If you are struggling with alcoholism, is it the wise thing to go to the bar with your friends? If you have a group of friends that tend to pull you down, is it wise to hang out with them? We must be careful how we walk and not trade the future for a current relationship or decision that might temporarily bring happiness but may not last. Don’t trade in something for the future for what you want now but may not be able to hold onto. You see we never plan on screwing up our life but we never plan not too either.

As we close, take a moment to consider if there are decisions you are making that are unwise. If so, how do you change these decisions from being unwise to wise? What changes do you need to make? Are there activities you need to avoid? Are there areas of deception in your heart? If you are not sure, will you pray and ask God to reveal your heart. It is your choice? As God reveals these things will you walk carefully, as a wise one or as one who is foolish? Will make the changes you need to make? Ask and you shall receive. Seek and you shall find. To God be the glory.

For an audio of this message go to http://pccministry.org/media.php?pageID=14

Copyright © 2014 All Rights Reserved Robert W. Odom

Peninsula Community Church

Ephesians – Looking for Love in All of the Wrong Places

Ephesians 5:4-6 

Ephesians 5:4-6 But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints. Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving. 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. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.

Before us today is one of the most pertinent scriptures of our day and of our times. In the last several decades, we have seen an explosion of immoral attitudes and mindsets that would cause past generations to blush with embarrassment. Today, we are dealing with open and perverse sexuality in our generation. We are seeing homosexuality and lesbianism being accepted as a normal way of life. To date, most states in America have accepted gay marriage as the new norm. We are now seeing a move toward the acceptance of transgender issues where we no longer have to accept the way we were created but we can choose our gender. And we can choose that gender on the basis of how we feel on any particular day. The list of sexual issues and sexual promiscuity goes on and on.

We may gasp at this, and rightfully so, but this phenomena is nothing new. The Roman Empire experienced similar shifts in morality and the cultural acceptance of perverted morals. Some studies have shown that one of the major causes for the fall of Rome, in the early 400’s, was the moral decay of the society. The actions of our current society also remind us of the days of Noah where everyone with the exception of Noah had been perverted by the acceptance of immoral lifestyles. As the Bible puts it, “all flesh had corrupted their way.”

As we look at this passage, we must do so in the context of Paul’s previous statements. In this text, Paul continues to show us what we need to to put off and what we need to put on as a passionate follower of Christ. In this particular passage, Paul delineates those things that are in opposition to the ways of God and those things that must not be allowed to permeate who we are. When we are obedient to these things with the right mindset and with the right heart, these actions do not steal our joy nor do they bind us but rather they give us life, peace, and contentment.

It is crucial in this passage that we do not just see what is prohibited but we need to see why these things are to prohibited. You see, if we don’t recognize the why, we will miss the power and relevance of the gospel. Without the gospel, these prohibitions become the letter of that kills instead of the Spirit that gives life (2 Corinthians 3:6). It simple becomes something we do rather than something we become.

So with that said lets look at this passage. Paul begins by making the proclamation that sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you. Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking. What Paul is saying is that as passionate followers of Christ we must live differently. We must act differently. We must be pure and holy in our lifestyles.

In the first part of the verse, Paul defines three actions that must be dealt with in the believer’s life. The first action is the avoidance of “sexual immorality.” This is a broad term for sexual sin and covers all sin and all sexual impurity. The King James Version uses the term “fornication” which primarily has been used for sex before marriage. However, the actually meaning of the term relates to more than sex before marriage and includes any sexual act that is opposed to God’s will and purpose. In the original Greek, the term included premarital sex, extramarital affairs, incest, and any act opposed to the worship of God. Too often we try to narrow the scope of the definition so that we do not accept our fault or sin in an issue.

The second action to be avoided is “all impurity.” By using the term all impurity, Paul, in essence, expands the idea of sexual immorality to include anything that is contrary to God’s intent for godly living. This impurity has a direct correlation to those things that exist when society replaces God with the creature and/or the creation. When society does this, man exchanges that which is natural for that which is unnatural and perverse. The idea presented by “all impurity” is that the whole personality has been infected by moral impurity. The heart is sick and needs to be redeemed.

The third action defined by Paul is “covetousness.” Covetousness is the unbalanced desire to get what one cannot have. It is a strong, inordinate craving. It is an inability to be content and satisfied with the necessities of life and ministry. It may be a inordinate drive for money and success, or it can be a craving for sex outside of the boundaries established by God. In terms of sexual greed, it refers to the desire for self-gratification at the expense of others. We satisfy our needs regardless of the desire or need of the other person. This action is not an example of love and concern for others, as it is opposed to God’s plan for our life. This is in opposition to Paul’s call to walk in love in verse one of Ephesians. To follow after these things is to look for love in all of the wrong places.

The first three terms in this passage deal with the actions of the passionate follower of Christ, the last three terms deal with the speech of the passionate follower of Christ. Paul uses a string of terms filthiness, foolish talk, and crude joking to define the kinds of things that the passionate follower of Christ must put off.

The term “filthiness” in the original Greek was a term used for “ugliness” and “deformity.” It is that kind of language that should not be used by believers. The term focuses on the crude and sinful behavior that attempts to legitimatize those sinful acts prohibited by God. We joke and make light of sin as we jest. The second term is the word “foolish talk.” The term refers to that kind of talk that detracts from the elements of faith and spiritual growth. Rather than edifying others and God, it is destructive and harmful to others. It tears down, instead of building up. The third term is “crude joking.” The term means sarcastic ridicule. It refers to joking that has gone too far. It is language that crosses the line and pushes the other person to embarrassment and thus diminishes the other person. It often begins as humor but there is a point that it crosses the line of acceptability and becomes unholy sarcasm.

So why does Paul deal with these things? He does so because he believes that in order to imitate God we must deal with these things in our lives. So how do we do this? What are the steps we can take to begin to change our hearts and our lives?

First, we must immerse ourselves in the word of God in order to understand what God values and what He establishes as the norm. Our reaction to these things is measured by God’s will and not by society’s norm. By immersing ourselves in God’s Word, we are not only instructed in how to live, but we are encouraged and motivated to do so.

Second, develop a grateful heart. Be content in what you have. Find ways to express thanksgiving to your spouse and others so that the enemy of our souls does not have the opportunity to plant opposing thoughts and ideas in our hearts. Gratitude has a way of expelling evil thoughts and mindsets. Gratitude has a way of healing the wandering eye that thinks that the grass is greener on the other side. Gratitude has a way of quieting the covetous heart.

Third, let your words means something. Remove empty thinking and empty talking from your life. The writer of Proverbs stated that even a fool who keeps silent is considered wise; when he closes his lips, he is deemed intelligent. Think before you speak. When you do speak, speak life. Speak truth. Communicate hope.

Fourth, remember that we must continually put on the new man, which means we constantly take off the old man. We must continually search our soul, mind, and heart to see how we line up with God’s will and His purpose. When we recognize an issue in our life, we must immediately deal with it and not allow time to pass before we must deal with the negative action in our life.

Fifth, we must rely on the Holy Spirit who empowers us to overcome these issues and to live out God’s will and purpose in our life. The Holy Spirit will lead us to truth. The Holy Spirit will purify our minds and hearts so that we are guided and directed by the Word of God and the ways of God.

Sixth, walk in repentance. Repentance is a change of the way we think. Change your thinking and your walk will be changed. What you meditate on you will become. Repentance opens the door to begin thinking rightly so that your thinking begins to change who you are.

One last thing that is not on a slide but it is just as critical. Don’t isolate yourself. Stay in fellowship with like minded believers.

For an audio of this message go to http://pccministry.org/media.php?pageID=14

Copyright © 2014 All Rights Reserved Robert W. Odom