Why Do We Live Differently?

LOGO (Series Artwork) Good morning. My name is David Sorn, and I’m the Lead Pastor here at Renovation Church. Before we get into our message, I want to tell you about something exciting that we’re unveiling today. When I started this church 14 years ago, one of the many tasks I had to accomplish in the first few months was to create a logo for our church. I am not artistic, and we only had about 20 people in our church at the time, and so I just started reaching out to random people I knew and asked them to submit possible logos. But, we were a brand new church plant, so all we could offer was $150. I ended up getting this logo submission… (Show old Logo) …from a random guy I met at a pastor’s conference once…we paid him $150, and it has been our logo ever since. And we’ve appreciated it a lot. But times change, and art and design changes. What you wore in 2009 is not what you wear today. How you decorated your home 14 years ago is probably not the same as you do today. That doesn’t mean you’re a different person, and a different logo doesn’t mean we’re becoming a different church (we’re not) But we’ve been working the past year or so to update our logo for the times in which we now do ministry. And so without further adieu…here is our new logo! (Show New Logo) We like it because our old logo had a soft, rounded, playful look… but this has straight lines, and its strong look is a much better match with our building and current design style. It also keeps an R, and still has movement of arrows for Renovation and change. But this time pointing upward to God as the change is for Him. (Show New Logo examples) And here you can get a sense of what it will look like in different contexts. And all of these things will be rolling out over the next week or so. So, we’re grateful for the old, but excited for the new. INTRODUCTION (Series Slide) All right, as we get into today’s passage, we’re going to see, much like last week, the author of Ephesians, the Apostle Paul, is going to give a lot of instructions on what holy Christian living looks like. And much of how we’re instructed to live is countercultural to how those around us live. And to me, that raises an important question, and it’s the title of our message today: (Title Screen: Why do Christians live differently?) Which is: Why do Christians live differently? Why are our views on sex, money, and speech so different from everyone’s else’s? We’re not afraid to ask “WHY” here. So let’s do that. Go ahead and grab a Bible at your chair. Ephesians 5:1 20 Page 800 We want to ask tough questions of the Bible because if we don’t understand the WHY behind the instructions God gives us, it’s harder to live them out If you just told your kids, “Brush your teeth twice a day…no questions asked,” they’re probably less likely to do it over time… …compared to if you explained to them the benefits and the painful risks of not doing so. #1: BECAUSE WE’RE HIS DEARLY LOVED CHILDREN (Ephesians 5:1 2) – NIV Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children 2 and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. Why Do We Live Differently? #1: Because we’re God’s dearly loved children We live differently when it comes to sex, or money, or just interacting with other people… Not because we’re trying to earn God’s approval. And Not because “God said so, and we better do as He says!” We live differently because…we’re His kids. If a child loves and adores their earthly father, what will they do? They’ll imitate Him. There was a kid in my elementary school whose dad was a kind man, but also a really successful businessman. And about once a month, this 3rd grader in my class would show up to school in a suit…simply because He just wanted to be like his dad And he didn’t care that he looked different from everyone else. If children have a good father, they naturally want to imitate him And you have a Heavenly Father who has shown you wisdom, lived a perfect life, and poured his life out for you. And so as His dearly loved children, imitate Him. BECAUSE SIN IS IMPROPER FOR GOD’S HOLY PEOPLE But what does that look like? Paul starts to get into specifics now. Let’s keep reading. (Ephesians 5:3 7) – NIV 3 But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people. 4 Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving. 5 For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person—such a person is an idolater—has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. 6 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God’s wrath comes on those who are disobedient. 7 Therefore do not be partners with them. And so here Paul urges us as Christ followers to avoid a number of different sins (which we’ll get to in a moment)… But again, he gives us another reason why: Why Do We Live Differently? #1: Because we’re God’s dearly loved children #2: Because sin is improper for God’s holy people And as we always do, let’s look carefully at these words. He doesn’t say, “If you want to be one of God’s people (or if you want to be acceptable to God), you need to live this way.” No, the meaning of the text is, “Since you ALREADY ARE one of God’s holy people, it’s improper, it’s out of place (v. 4 says), for you to live in sin like that.” Believers, think about what God has given you through the death of Christ: Even though you rightfully deserved death and punishment, He died in your place. And then, through your faith, he washed away all of your sins, like they never happened. And THEN, he offered to come make his home with you and walk along side of you in love every day. And THEN, he said you could come live with Him, in heaven, for billions & trillions of years, for all of eternity, without pain or sorrow. I feel like that’s a lot 😊 And so the idea that we would accept that amazing gift, and then set it aside to go chase after temporary highs through sex and cash… …seems, as Paul says, improper, unfitting, out of place. It’s living in a way that doesn’t truly grasp what God has done! And those 6 things we’re told to avoid in verses 3 & 4 are really 3 categories: 3 Categories of Sin in Ephesians 5: Greed, Sinful Speech, and Sexual Immorality And greed is improper for us as Jesus followers because greed is an inordinate craving for money, or materials, or even status. It’s wanting to find life in the things of this world, when, like we said, you’ve already been given everything you’ll ever need in Christ. And so “Greed” is not fitting for Christians, it’s improper for God’s holy people. If we’re going to accurately reflect what we already have in Christ), we must live differently. And secondly, the speech (the language) that we use matters too…because our speech reflects our heart. Jesus says this: (Luke 6:45b) – NIV For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of. And so, if out of your mouth, comes swearing, and dirty language, and coarse joking…realize that’s coming from your heart. 3 Categories of Sin in Ephesians 5: Greed, Sinful Speech, and Sexual Immorality But we want Jesus to cleanse and change our hearts from the inside out. And we want to reflect Him to those around us. I think we’ve lost sight of this a bit in our day, but the New Testament is actually quite serious about language… because your words reflect that either: A) you’re just like everyone in this culture… …or B) that your heart has been changed by something, someone, more important. And then, thirdly, Paul says it’s improper for those who represent Jesus to engage in even a hint of “sexual immorality.” That phrase “sexual immorality” is the Greek word “Porneia,” which is the root meaning that our modern word pornography comes from. And whenever you see Porneia, or Sexual Immorality, in the Bible, it is referring to any form of sex outside of heterosexual marriage. And we’ll get into this a bit more next week when Ephesians talks about marriage, but Paul is saying this in part because earthly marriage is meant to reflect the marriage we have with Christ. One of unconditional love, a bond that cannot be broken. And sex is a beautiful gift within our earthly covenant of marriage. Sex is a symbol of opening yourself up to that other person, in vulnerability… and in trust, you’re giving yourself to the other person, saying: “I’m completely yours, and only yours” That’s the symbol of it. But when we have sex outside of the marriage covenant, again, it’s improper, because… …sex outside of marriage doesn’t reflect God’s never ending covenant (like it does in marriage) And let me give you 3 Quick Reasons Why We Should Trust Our Loving Father Over the Culture Regarding Sex: #1: Married people not only have more sex, but more fulfilling sex. You won’t hear this in the media or on social media, but pretty much every serious study out there says this. #2: The culture changes its mind on sex every 10 seconds Using the culture as a moral guide for sex could be the most disorienting life choice you can make. #3: The Bible’s view of your body is infinitely higher than the culture’s I heard Timothy Keller say once that people always dismiss Christianity by saying, “It’s so negative on sex. It has so many rules and regulations about it” But Keller said, “Let me ask you something: ‘If you were the owner of an art museum, and someone loaned you the Mona Lisa for 2 months, would you say: ‘Well, I don’t want to be all negative, and have all of these rules and regulations about it, so people can do whatever they want with the Mona Lisa while it’s here.’ No way! You’d have all sorts of rules and regulations about the Mona Lisa precisely because it’s so incredibly valuable. And see to me, this one of the more glaring failures of our modern, secular thought: Culture has devalued our bodies like they’re just a bag of bones needing to be satisfied. But God says, “No, you’re my prized work of art, and so I’ve set these regulations in place because… …I want you to be cherished and taken care of within a bond that will never break…precisely because you ARE so worthy” This is why looking into the deeper reasons for WHY we live the way we do as Christ followers really matters. #3: BECAUSE HE BROUGHT US FROM DARKNESS TO LIGHT All right, let’s look at a 3rd reason for why we live differently…verse 8 now. (Ephesians 5:8 14) – NIV 8 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light 9 (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) 10 and find out what pleases the Lord. 11 Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. 12 It is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. 13 But everything exposed by the light becomes visible—and everything that is illuminated becomes a light. 14 This is why it is said: “Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.” Here is the 3rd reason we’re given: Why Do We Live Differently? #1: Because we’re God’s dearly loved children #2: Because sin is improper for God’s holy people #3: Because God brought us from darkness to light When God rescued you from your sin, and delivered you from the walkway to hell, He brought you from darkness to His Kingdom of light. I think of Harriet Tubman whom I’ve always admired. Who rescued many out of slavery. When she brought these former slaves to the north and they crossed into the light of freedom, it would have been unthinkable for them to say, “And now, with my freedom, I’d like to go back into the darkness” And as Christians, we must live differently, no longer as slaves to sin, because we’ve been rescued from the darkness. Imagine that you’re in a completely dark and large room with 100 other people and a lot of objects… and people are walking around like people do in the dark. But let’s say, miraculously, you are the only person who can see just like the lights were fully on. Would you walk differently than everyone else? Absolutely! Would people think you are crazy. Absolutely! But see, we’re not in the darkness anymore We live as children of the light. So we’re going to walk differently. And consequently as Paul says in verse 11: we are to have NOTHING to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness. I remember reading about an English man named Frederick Charrington once who was an heir to a fortune …but his family business was brewing. But when he was 19, he became a passionate follow of Jesus, and one day he was passing by a pub at night, and he saw an impoverished woman with her children begging her husband to not only leave the bar, but give them money to buy food. The furious husband came out and knocked his wife to the ground Charrington went up to help, and he also got knocked down. And as he was getting back up, he saw his own family name on the sign above the pub. And at the moment, he said to himself, “This is the source of my family’s wealth, and it’s producing untold human misery right before my eyes.” And so he cut ties with the family business, walking out on what would have been, in today’s money, $150 million dollars. He knew, that as a follower of Christ, he can have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness as Paul writes in our passage. And so because we live differently, we must each ask: “Where is it that I’m associating myself with the darkness, and I have forgotten that I am a child of light” And if you’re stuck in some dark sin right now, I urge you to heed the Bible’s warning in verse 13: Everything exposed by the light becomes visible Jesus himself in Luke 8 says that everything we conceal will eventually be brought out in the open. Walk away from your sin now, before it gets worse, before it becomes public. Live in the light. It’s so much better. #4: BECAUSE TIME IS SHORT Let’s read the final 5 verses (Ephesians 5:15 20) – NIV 15 Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, 16 making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. 17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. 18 Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit, 19 speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, 20 always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Here’s the fourth reason we’re given to live differently: Why Do We Live Differently? #1: Because we’re His dearly loved children #2: Because sin is improper for God’s holy people #3: Because He brought us from darkness to light #4: Because time is short This is verse 16: We are to make the most of every opportunity because the days are evil. Sin is ever present and is deceiving the masses towards an eternity of suffering in hell. And if we just blend in with everyone else, how is anyone ever going to be saved? And so don’t (v. 18) waste your life getting drunk on wine every night after work…or beer…or mixed drinks or whatever is. God has such a better mission for you my friend. Instead be filled with the Spirit. Live for Christ. Live with an eternal purpose again. Live differently. My dear friend Charles Spurgeon once said it this way: “What are we sent into the world for? Is it not that we may keep men in mind of God, whom they are most anxious to forget? If we are imitators of God, as dear children, they will be compelled to recollect that there is a God, for they will see His character reflected in ours. I have heard of an atheist who said he could get over every (Christian) argument except the example of his Godly mother: he could never answer that.” – Charles Spurgeon Listen, you may feel like you’re living SO differently that you stick out like a sore thumb… …but see it’s the fact that you stick out that people will take notice of you in the first place. And that gives you an opportunity to then share the gospel with them. Which you must! If you just live differently (and never say anything!), you’ve actually made things worse! Because now they will think you are stuck up, or worse yet, that salvation is attained through being good. No, we can speak volumes with our different lives, but people must hear us say: “But we live this way, not so he’ll accept us because we’re good.” “No! See, we’re not actually that good (kind of messy), but He loves us anyway! And so now we live for Him”