Work and Family

15th Sermon in the Series: Who is the Church? A Study of Ephesians
Rev Leo Schuster 22 January 2012

Ephesians 6:1-9
1Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 2"Honor your father and mother"--which is the first commandment with a promise--3"that it may go well and with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth."

4Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.

5Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ. 6Obey them not only to win their favor when their eye is on you, but like slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart. 7Serve wholeheartendly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men, 8because you know that the Lord will reward everyone for whatever good he does, whether he is slave or free.

9And masters, treat your slaves in the same way. Do not threaten them, since you know that who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no favoritism with him.

WAS CHRISTIANITY THE GENESIS OF OVERTHROWING SLAVERY?
--should it have condemned it forcefully instead of being passive agressive?
--or was it conding slavery?
SLAVES ARE ADDRESSED AS EQUAL TO MASTERS
--potentially plants the seeds of equality
--is this enough?

DO I SENSE GOD'S PLEASURE IN MY WORK?

HONORING AND RESPECTING OTHERS ULTIMATELY HONORS GOD

Marriage in Christ

14th Sermon in the Series: Who is the Church? A Study of Ephesians
Dr. Timothy Keller 15 January 2012

Ephesians 5:21-33
21Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.

22Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord. 23For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. 24Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.

25Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her26 to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, 27and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.28 In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. 29After all, no one ever hated his own body, but he feeds and cares for it, just as Christ does the church--30for we are members of his body. 31"For this reason a man will leave his father and mother to be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh." 32This is a profound mystery--but I am talking about Christ and the church. 33However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.

MARRIAGE IS:
--a binding promise of future love.
--a creation of time and will.
--Early passion is about ego--because I feel good when someone likes me.

MARRIAGE DOES:
--help you become what God had originally intended, not what you are.
--Phillipins 1:3-6
--help you get there in fellowship with the spouse
--bridge the gap between genders
--Husbands don't use authority to please yourself, but must sacrifice it for the wife always.

MARRIAGE MEANS:
--a gospel based love philantropy
--recapitulating the gospels in your marriage.
--Loving God most will allow you to love your spouse well

MARRIAGE, LIKE EVERYTHING, points to our relationship with Jesus

Children of the Light

13th Sermon in the Series: Who is the Church? A Study of Ephesians
Dr. Timothy Keller - 08 January 2012

Ephesians 5:5-21
5For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person--such a man is an idolater--has any inheritance in the kingdom of Chirst and God. 6Let no one decieve you with empty words, for because of such things God's wrath comes on those who are disobedient. 7Therefore do not be partners with them.

8For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of the light9 (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth)10 and find out what pleases the Lord. 11Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. 12For it is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. 13But everything exposed by the light becomes visible, 14for it is light that makes everything visible. This is why it is said:

"Wake up, O sleeper,
rise from the dead
and Christ will shine on you."

15Be very careful, then, how you live--not as unwise but as wise, 16making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. 17Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is. 18Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead be filled with the Spirit. 19Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spirtual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, 20always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

21Submit to one another out of reverence to Christ.

WALKING IN OBEDIENCE
--We must know that sins are deeds of darkness that disobeys God's laws.
--Impure motives are sinful too.
--We are all capable of evil.
--Small Sins deserve damnations yet even Big Sins can be redeemed.

WISDOM
--Not just about moral rules
--Know the right way to live when moral rules don't apply.
--Why do we do what we do? For ourselves or for God
--Why do we strive to make money?

SPIRIT
--Joy is the heart of Christian life.
--The Spirit makes us more aware of our resources in Christ
--It's an internal music
--John Edwards love letter to Pierpont

The Fragrance of Jesus

12th Sermon in the Series: Who is the Church? A Study of Ephesians
Rev. John Lin - 01 January 2012

Ephesians 4:25-32; 5:1-7
25Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body. 26"In your anger do not sin": Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, 27and do not give the devil a foodhold. 28He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with his own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need.

29Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. 30And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. 32Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

1Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children 2and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

3But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual imorality, or any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God's holy people. 4Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving. 5For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person--such a man is an idolater--has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. 6Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God's wrath comes to those who are disobedient. 7Therefore do not be partners with them.

BASIS OF A TRANSFORMED LIFE - Rules of conduct
--"Therefore" means God acts, so we can respond
--God makes people new
--Real transformation within--not being more moral without
--Inward change leads to Outward change
--Power to live this way is being made "new" by Christ's sacrifice

COMMUNITY FOR A TRANSFORMED LIFE
--Speaking truthfully can help build community
--Words and speech create the reality
--Integrity between speech and practice---DO WHAT YOU SAY

POWER FOR A TRANSFORMED LIFE
--Verses 4:32 and 5:2
--4:32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.
--5:2 and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
--God brings structure to chaos

The New Self

11th Sermon in the Series: Who is the Church? A Study of Ephesians.
Rev. Leo Schuster - 11 December 2011

Ephesians 4: 17-24
17So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. 18They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God beacuse of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. 19Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, with a continual lust for more.

20You, however, did not come to know Christ that way. 21Surely you heard of him and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. 22You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; 23to be made new in the attitude of your minds; 24and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

FUTILITY of human desires is an empty endeavor
--harmful and rotten

THINK DIFFERENT - Align yourself with God
--Experiential knowledge of the grand person that is Jesus Christ.

TRUE LIGHT is coming to the world at Christmas
--Don't waste your desires on false objects
--Direct your energies towards Jesus.

Building Up the Body

10th Sermon in the Series: Who is the Church? A Study of Ephesians
Rev David Bisgrove - 4 December 2011

Ephesians 4:1-16
1As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. 2Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. 3Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit--just as you were called to one hope when you were called--- 5one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6one God and Father of all, who is over and through all and in all.

7But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it. 8This is why it says:
"When he ascended on high,
he led captives in his train
and gave gifts to men"

9(What does "he ascended" mean except that he also descended to the lower earthly regions? 10He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.) 11It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, 12to prepare God's people for works of every service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

14Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. 15Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will win in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. 16From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.

A CALL - live a worthy life of humility, gentleness, and dignity.
--the church is an attempt to match the unity that exists in Heaven

A RESOURCE - manifestation of the spirit of the Common Good from Jesus.
--we are an extension of Jesus' power.
--we, the consumer, should become ministers.
--who am I uniquely qualified to minister to?

A PURPOSE - time for us to grow up and do the job on our own.
--Don't be dictated by circumstances.
--Don't just rely on others in the Church.
--Bring God into our lives through the prayer of community.
--It's unloving to withold the truth