Tag Archives: Honor

April 26, 2015 · 9:22 pm

Ephesians – Upside Down Authority Turned Right Side Up

Peninsula Community Church

Ephesians – Upside Down Authority Turned Right Side Up

April 26, 2015

Ephesians 6:1-9 Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. “Honor your father and mother” (this is the first commandment with a promise), “that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land.” Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. Bondservants, obey your earthly masters with fear and trembling, with a sincere heart, as you would Christ, not by the way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, rendering service with a good will as to the Lord and not to man, knowing that whatever good anyone does, this he will receive back from the Lord, whether he is a bondservant or is free. Masters, do the same to them, and stop your threatening, knowing that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and that there is no partiality with him.

As we look at this passage, we see that Paul echoes several truths. First, children are to obey and honor their parents. This is a direct reference to the fifth commandment in the Old Testament. In this command God instructed children to honor their parents. It is also noteworthy that obedience to this command brings with it a blessing. The reward of obedience is that it will go well with them and they will live long in the land. In other words, they will have a good life. Paul on the other hand commands fathers not to exasperate their children but to bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. In other words, parents are to disciple their children and not just punish them.

Paul also refers to the slave and master relationship. In our modern culture, this can easily be used of the employee and employer relationship. Paul begins this portion of scripture with a challenge that employees are to obey those over them with reverence for their position and with a sincere heart. These actions were to be carried out as if they were serving Christ directly and was motivated by the desire to please Christ. Just as the command for children to obey their parents came with a reward, so does serving those over you willfully and sincerely. What is the reward? They were to receive back from the Lord what they had given to others. In essence, they were to reap what they had sown. Paul then commands the masters, or in our case employers, to do the same to their employees. They were to stop using threats as a means to motivate those working for them because the reality is that they serve and must answer to the same God.

We see Paul’s heart here, but as we look over the landscape of our current culture, we find that the concept of respect and submission to authority has deteriorated, drastically. This is in part because we are living in an independent, self-focused society where everyone believes they have a right to lead and govern themselves. The result of such a lifestyle is that submission has been exchanged for selfishness, false pride, and arrogance. Submission to authority has been exchanged for personal autonomy which leads a person to believe they are morally independent and self-directing. The work ethic of our forefathers has been traded for entitlements and give always. The result is that people now feel they can do anything they want to, they do not have to answer to anyone including God, and they are entitled to what others have without working for it in the same way.

This is not a new issue as we find that the nation of Israel had also rejected the idea of respecting the authority that had been placed over them. In this case, it was God Himself. On two occasions we find the saddest of all commentaries in the Old Testament. Listen to these words. In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes, (Judges 17:6). This phrase is repeated at the end of the book as well. (Judges 21:25). Rather than submit to God, they chose to follow their own desires, plans, and opinions. Sadly, this same storyline could be written of this generation. Not only do we have a nation where disrespect and a rejection of authority is the norm, we have also rejected God.

To make matters worse, in the world of psychology, we have been taught that to discipline our children may result in wounding their fragile psyche and may do unrepairable damage to their little spirits. Dr. Spock who wrote the book “Common sense: Book of Baby and Child Care” changed the face of parenting forever. What he set in motion diminished the ability of modern parents to properly discipline their children. The following quote referenced Dr. Spock’s work. Parents began to feed self-indulgence instead of instilling self-control – homes were becoming child-centered. As parents elevated children’s “freedom of expression” and natural cravings, children became more outspoken, defiant and demanding of gratification. In fact, they came to view gratification as a right. Authority and respect in the home was diminished. For this reason, it is no longer culturally accepted to discipline or spank our children. How sad that is.

This environment of diminished respect and submission has been carried over into the workplace and for that matter into every part of life. Because self-gratification has become a right, those who have been brought up in this environment are now going to work and are struggling to hold down jobs because they have issues in taking orders and submitting to those leading them. Their feelings are hurt when they don’t get the promotion they want or they have to do things on the job they don’t like or enjoy. Their self-esteem is stunted when they are disciplined or required to work a certain number of days or keep certain hours in a day.

But God’s intent has been and still is vastly different from the world’s view on this matter. The passionate follower of Christ has been called to a higher walk. As I have noted before, I do not believe it is accidental that Paul began the discussion of submission in Ephesians 5:21 with the phrase that we should “submit to one another out of reverence to the Lord.” It is not a coincidence that Paul then moves to the husband and wife relationship which is followed by the relationship of children to parents and parents to children. And he closes with the idea of the employer/employee relationship. Though it is not expressly noted, the idea presented is that when parents are in right relationship to one another and to the Lord, they will more likely have children who are in right relationship with the parents and with God. A child who witnesses a stable environment of love, respect, and discipleship is more likely to be engaged on the job and will learn respect for those who they work for and work with. God’s ultimate desire is to see His followers respecting and honoring one another.

So what are the lessons we learn here? First, we learn that submission and giving honor is a choice. Paul says it is the right thing to do. In the story of Adam and Eve, we find they chose to reject the authority of God who created them. They chose instead to submit to the serpent’s authority which was based in false hope, lies, and a counterfeit vision of the future. Paul calls children to obey and to submit to their parents. Paul calls servants and employees to submit to their bosses. The fact is, we must choose to honor and to obey our parents. We must choose to submit to the leadership that is over us in Christ, because we are called to do so and there is a spiritual blessing and a reward in doing so.

As is the pattern of Paul, he gives us both sides of the equation so that a full understanding might come to the passionate follower of Christ. He addresses the antithesis or the flip side of the coin by noting that parents, namely the father, must not provoke their children to anger. Too often parents are more concerned about punishing the child rather than growing them in Christ. When the child is punished, too often it is because we are angry, perturbed, or our selfish expectations have not been met. Instead of correcting a problem, we are simply exasperating our children. We also exasperate our children by living a duplicitous life. As passionate followers of Christ, may we choose to submit and honor those with whom we are connected.

The second lesson is that as parents and leaders, we must understand that to get respect we must give respect and live in submission to others. In other words, we must model these principles. As moms and dads, do our children see us honoring our spouses? Do they see us honor our parents? Do we honor God in the way we live? Do we honor others or do we take them for granted. As employers, do we honor God with our business? Do we treat our employees with grace or are we demeaning and demanding on the job. As employees, do we take advantage of our bosses? Do we gossip behind their backs and belittle them? How we treat them is our choice. What we model though is what we will get in return.

The third lesson is that all of us submit to someone’s authority. Notice the words of Paul. The same God served by the employer is the same God who the employee serves. This brings me to the point that I made earlier. Too often, we want people to honor us and respect us when we ourselves are not respecting God’s word or submitting to God our Father. We want others to respect us and submit to our leadership but we ourselves are not willing to submit to others. We are all under someone’s authority whether we like it or not. The person you are called to submit to may be flawed but we are still called to submit and honor the position. The fact is, we are all flawed. We all make mistakes but that does not negate the call to respect and submit to those over us and to respect and honor those we work with. That is God’s calling to us.

As we close, is there an area of your life where you are struggling with submission and respect? Do you honor and submit to one another? Do you respect your spouse? What about your parents? What about your children? Do you respect your boss? Do you respect your employees? God’s will in all of this is that we would honor God by honoring others. So be it! To God be the glory!

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

Ephesians – Walk in the Light

Peninsula Community Church

Ephesians – Walk in the Light

Ephesians 5:7-14

Ephesians 5:7-14 Therefore do not become partners with them; for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. For it is shameful even to speak of the things that they do in secret. But when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible, for anything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says, “Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.

In this passage, Paul continues to describe the way we should imitate Christ and how we should walk in love. Last week, we looked at a number of prohibitions that serve to protect us and to give us a life filled with joy and continued peace. Today, Paul continues that discussion as he encourages us to be children who walk in the light. Notice that in this passage, Paul challenges us to accomplish five things.

First, he states that we must consider whether our relationships lead us to the light or into darkness. The point being made here is that we are to avoid partnerships with those who commit sins related to sexual immorality, impurity, and covetousness. Notice he speaks of a partnership because these partnerships are generally the people we spend the most time with. To partner with those who support such things will most often bring us down rather than build us up. Wrongly crafted partnerships impact us and determine who we will become. You see the question is not whether a relationship is right or wrong, but rather is it wise to continue that relationship especially if that relationship tends to cause us to do things we would not do without them. This does not mean that we don’t have friends or relationships that do these things, we just don’t let them control us or our decisions.

Secondly, Paul challenges us to walk as children of the light. Once again, we are reminded that the term walk represents the totality of all that we do, what we say, and how we live. The light here is represented by the light of the Gospel and the life that Christ lived. He is the light and we are the light of the world based on the fact that we have received Christ into our life.

The bottom line here is that because He is the light, there should be no part of our life that is not unaffected by the light of the gospel. You see, while we are the light, but it is possible to act in a way that begins to diminish the light in our life. I am not sure whether or not you have had this problem, but the headlights on my little car get from time to time coated with a film of dirt and oil from the highway. When this happens, the light being emitted is not as bright. To address the the issue, I must take the time to clean the lens so that the light is bright once again. But here is what I found, the light had not changed. The lens had been darkened by the grime but light underneath remained the same. We must choose to walk in the light and alleviate anything that would diminish the light’s effectiveness in our lives.

Another issue that comes to us is that too often we narrow things to the degree that we measure our actions by whether or not the action we partake in is right or wrong. The better question, however, is whether or not it is the wise thing to do. You see there may not be anything wrong with a specific single decision, but where will that one decision lead us. Bad moral decisions are usually preceded by a series of unwise decisions. Let me explain. If we are struggling in our relationship with our spouse, we might decide to have lunch with a coworker or friend. Is there anything wrong with having lunch with someone? No, not in its purest sense. But, then we begin to work late with that person or spend more time with them. Again, there is nothing wrong with this in itself, but then we move from lunch and working late to having dinner, and then moving toward listening compassionately to one another’s spousal problems. Then we decide to stop by their home because we know their spouse is away and they need counsel. This is followed by a hug and so on and so on. You see no one decision in itself is wrong but was it a wise decision. The problem is that a series of unwise decisions set us up for wrong moral decisions.

The problem that exists is that this potential allows the light of one’s testimony to be diminished, if not snuffed out. You see the problem with sexual sin is that once lines are crossed there are serious moral and personal consequences. This does not mean that one sin is worse than another, it means that the consequences of this sin are different. As passionate followers of Christ, we must avoid those things that cause the light of Christ to be diminished in us. Therefore, do not walk in the path of darkness but rather in the light. Choose the light.

Thirdly, Paul challenges us to try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. To please the Lord, we must honor the Lord in all we do. The question to be asked is do my actions or my decisions lead to honoring God. Once again, this is not always just about what is right or wrong but doing that which is wise and honoring to God. When we seek to please God rather than men, it will keep us safe. Men will lead us astray but God always directs our steps toward health and wholeness. Do we honor God in our actions is the question?

Fourthly, take no part in unfruitful works of darkness. Paul is aware that our decisions lead to action. His desire is for us to seek that which honors God and does not detract from God’s purpose for our life. Listen to this. God is calling us to a higher standard of living, not to steal our joy or to cause us to become arrogant and prideful, but we honor God most by living to a higher standard.

This means that we avoid living on the edge when it comes to morality. If we are talking calories push it to the edge. There is no major consequence other than a few pounds. We can quickly adjust that later. But when it comes to moral issues, the closer we come to the edge, the more likely we will be pushed over the edge. The enemy loves to take advantage of those well timed moments where he pushes us to the edge of morality and then tempts us to make unwise choices. Andy Stanley had this to say, “Culture baits us to go to the line and then chastises us when we step over the line.” For that reason, we must build margin into our life. Margin means that we establish boundaries to prevent us from being caught in a trap or walking so close that makes it easier to step over the line.

Fifth, Paul calls us to awake and arise. We are to take action. There is great power in doing this. If we rise from our sleep and do not just go through the motions, we will experience an amazing freedom and power in life. Too often, we live in a stupor. We have been captivated by immorality to the point where we have been mesmerized by it. Too often, we do not take spiritual things seriously. Too often, we go through the motions but do not have a clue about what we do or why we do it.

There is value in the light shining upon us. As the light shines, we will reflect Christ as the moon reflects the sun. The light also exposes darkness. Light is good for our growth. Light gives us direction. Anything exposed to the light becomes visible. Too often, we are afraid to allow the light shine because we afraid of what it will expose. What is exposed by the light? Well, for one hidden sin is revealed. Sometimes, we have a blind spot in us that we are not even aware of. As God’s light shines into our heart, suddenly, we begin to sense a dissatisfaction with a particular issue. That is the conviction of the Holy Spirit that is leading us to truth. Sometimes as the light of God is shining into our lives others begin to see the shortcomings in us. And often they see them better than we do because we are in essence blinded to them.

The light of Christ will also expose those things that we have suppressed to the degree that we do not remember them any more. While we have forgotten about them, they continue to effect us. It is like a computer virus. Most computer viruses are running behinds the scene. They could be collecting data about us or could be causing our computers to run slower than normal. When it comes to sin, the sin may remain in the background but is engaged when we meet certain people because we respond in ways that we do not understand. There are times, as well, where we are tempted by certain stimuli. We don’t understand it when this happens. It is often foreign to us.

The problem is that many times we don’t see these things in ourselves. We are blind to our own problems. That is why we need a Nathan in our lives. Remember the story of David and Nathan. David had sinned personally and openly before the kingdom. He lusted, committed adultery, he lied, and tried to hide his sin by having Bathsheba’s husband killed. David even did a great job of hiding the sin and filing it away from himself. The amazing thing to me is that David was so good at this that he was able to deceive himself into believing that he could live life as usual. But God knew what he had done. So one year after sinning, Nathan came along to shine the light of the gospel into David’s heart. Nathan famously stated “David, you are the man.” You have sinned. You are wrong. The light of Christ will do that for us, if we let it. It will speak life to us. At times, it will scream the words “you are the man.”

So what does this mean for us today? It means that we must take inventory of our lives. How are we doing? Are we walking in the light or are we walking in darkness? Do we have partnerships that we need to consider getting out of? Do these relationships encourage us toward the light or toward darkness? Do we seek to honor and please God or do we do our own thing? Are we willing to have the light of the Gospel shine into the depths of our soul or do we try hide a part of us so no one else knows who we truly are? May God help us to walk in the light!

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

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Ephesians – Upside Down Authority Turned Right Side Up

Ephesians – Walk in the Light

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