1. Expose secret sin to the Truth of Jesus Christ.
2. The Truth of Jesus Christ allows us to experience grace and live life as a child of God.
Key Themes:
o Don't participate in doing evil(7)
o Don't yoke yourself to people disobedient to God(7)
o You are called to be witness to those in the dark(8)
o Walking as a child of the light produces good fruit(8-9)
o Children of Light have lifestyles that bring pleasure to God(9-10)
o Children of God can discern what is pleasing to God and what is evil through the life of Jesus and the testimony of the Holy Spirit(10)
o Participating in sin and turning a blind eye to it produce guilt and shame(11-12)
o The Word of God helps God's Children know the Truth(13)
o Don't hide sin, expose it to the light(11-14)
o Wake up to the life God intends for you to live, life apart from God is death(14)
Reflective Discussion Questions:
1. Why and What does Paul instruct the Ephesians not to become partners with? (7-8)
o Paul instructs the Ephesians not to become partners with people that are disobedient and people that engage in sinful practices. Paul tells the Ephesians not to engage in sinful practices because of what he says earlier in chapters 2 and 4. Christ has died and has allowed us to put off our identity as enemies with God and become Children of God. Because of this we should no longer work as Children of the darkness and now as Children of the Light. This is what Paul explains in the following verse and expounds on the result or fruit of living out an identity of child of light.
a. What does Paul say will be the fruit of walking as a child of light?(9-10)
o Paul tells us that the fruit of walking as a child of light results in all goodness, righteousness, and truth. He goes on to say that it produces discernment about knowing howto do what pleases the Lord.
2. Why does Paul instruct the Ephesians not to participate in the fruitless works of darkness? (11)
o Paul tells the Ephesians not to participate in the the deeds of darkness because they are fruitless and produce things that only set us in opposition to God. It is also a reference to what he says earlier in vs 5 when he says that people that walk as children of darkness have no inheritance in the kingdom of God. The pursuit of sinful desires and practices only produce distance between God and the rest of the family of God and will result in fruitless/pointless suffering.
o Paul tells the Ephesians not to participate in the the deeds of darkness because they are fruitless and produce things that only set us in opposition to God. It is also a reference to what he says earlier in vs 5 when he says that people that walk as children of darkness have no inheritance in the kingdom of God. The pursuit of sinful desires and practices only produce distance between God and the rest of the family of God and will result in fruitless/pointless suffering.
a. What does Paul exhort the Ephesians to do instead of participating in the deeds of darkness?(11)
o Paul exhorts the Ephesians to expose the deeds of darkness rather than participate in them.
o Paul exhorts the Ephesians to expose the deeds of darkness rather than participate in them.
3. What does Paul mean when he says it is shameful to mention the sinful practices done in secret? (12)
o People that are wrapped up in sin don't want people to find out about their deepest darkest sins. They know what they are doing is wrong and would rather keep sinful behavior secret. If people were to find out about their vice they'd be put to shame and feel embarrassed.
o People that are wrapped up in sin don't want people to find out about their deepest darkest sins. They know what they are doing is wrong and would rather keep sinful behavior secret. If people were to find out about their vice they'd be put to shame and feel embarrassed.
a. How does Paul's command to expose the deeds of darkness relate to what Paul says in verse 12 and 13?
o Paul instructs the Ephesians to expose shameful sin to the light because as long as it remains a secret the sinner remains enslaved to sin and can't experience the freedom and joy found in Christ. We only experience God's grace when the truth of our depravity drives us to our knees and we recognize our need for Jesus. This command is something that needs be done regularly so that sin is never allowed a foothold in our life. When we allow sin to pervade our life we allow sin to rob us of joy found in the grace of God.
b. Is the command to expose the deeds of darkness something meant as a personal or communal imperative?
o The command to expose sin to the light is both a personal and communal imperative. This command follows on the heals of Paul's teachings of how individual followers of Christ are joined together and one body. If one part of the body is affected with sin then it affects the rest of the body. However the body doesn't cut out and discard the body part that is affected, it works together as a unit to fight off the infection so that the body can work together in harmony. So the command carries both individual and communal implications. The individual needs to seek reconciliation through the power Jesus Christ and the support and encouragement given through the body. The community needs to be ready to support and encourage individuals to seek repentance.
o Paul instructs the Ephesians to expose shameful sin to the light because as long as it remains a secret the sinner remains enslaved to sin and can't experience the freedom and joy found in Christ. We only experience God's grace when the truth of our depravity drives us to our knees and we recognize our need for Jesus. This command is something that needs be done regularly so that sin is never allowed a foothold in our life. When we allow sin to pervade our life we allow sin to rob us of joy found in the grace of God.
b. Is the command to expose the deeds of darkness something meant as a personal or communal imperative?
o The command to expose sin to the light is both a personal and communal imperative. This command follows on the heals of Paul's teachings of how individual followers of Christ are joined together and one body. If one part of the body is affected with sin then it affects the rest of the body. However the body doesn't cut out and discard the body part that is affected, it works together as a unit to fight off the infection so that the body can work together in harmony. So the command carries both individual and communal implications. The individual needs to seek reconciliation through the power Jesus Christ and the support and encouragement given through the body. The community needs to be ready to support and encourage individuals to seek repentance.
c. If this command is carried out in community what instructions has Paul given to govern how sin is exposed?(4:25-32, 5:1-2)
o Paul begins the chapter by instructing the Ephesians to imitate God and to walk in love as Jesus did. He qualifies the way Jesus walked in love by citing his unselfish sacrifice. This should clue us in on how the community is to expose sin. The Church must remember that all Christians are part of the same body so restoration and reconciliation is something we should always seek. When we begin thinking about how we can leverage the exposure of someone's sin to our benefit this becomes sinful and no longer helps build the body. Moreover, the instructions Paul gives in chapter 4 apply to how we expose sin. He clearly says that we are to stop lying and to speak the truth. This relates to the shameful sin we keep from each other that also separates and divides the fellowship of believers. The speech we use when exposing sin isn't malicious but good for building up others in need. We are to be kind and compassionate when someone's sin becomes exposed to the light because we are aware of the sin that is in our lives and that Christ forgave us for. If we are the grieved party then we should also forgive and be reconciled because Christ forgave us, but also because there should be no division in the body.
4. How does exposing sin to the light make things clear?
o Exposing sin to the light helps us face the reality of our depravity. When a person is in the throes of sin shame drives us to denial and justification. We begin to lie to ourselves about the reality of our situation and become more and more entangled by our sin. Once we start down this road it becomes more and more difficult for a person to break free of the lies he tells himself. Jesus tells us that if His Word remains in us then we will know the Truth and the Truth will set us free(Jn 8:31-32) This applies in the how we interpret Ephesians. Like a surgeon doing exploratory surgery the true roots of our ailment and issues are only seen when we expose ourselves to the sword of the Spirit and allow the light of Christ to free us from sin.
o Paul begins the chapter by instructing the Ephesians to imitate God and to walk in love as Jesus did. He qualifies the way Jesus walked in love by citing his unselfish sacrifice. This should clue us in on how the community is to expose sin. The Church must remember that all Christians are part of the same body so restoration and reconciliation is something we should always seek. When we begin thinking about how we can leverage the exposure of someone's sin to our benefit this becomes sinful and no longer helps build the body. Moreover, the instructions Paul gives in chapter 4 apply to how we expose sin. He clearly says that we are to stop lying and to speak the truth. This relates to the shameful sin we keep from each other that also separates and divides the fellowship of believers. The speech we use when exposing sin isn't malicious but good for building up others in need. We are to be kind and compassionate when someone's sin becomes exposed to the light because we are aware of the sin that is in our lives and that Christ forgave us for. If we are the grieved party then we should also forgive and be reconciled because Christ forgave us, but also because there should be no division in the body.
4. How does exposing sin to the light make things clear?
o Exposing sin to the light helps us face the reality of our depravity. When a person is in the throes of sin shame drives us to denial and justification. We begin to lie to ourselves about the reality of our situation and become more and more entangled by our sin. Once we start down this road it becomes more and more difficult for a person to break free of the lies he tells himself. Jesus tells us that if His Word remains in us then we will know the Truth and the Truth will set us free(Jn 8:31-32) This applies in the how we interpret Ephesians. Like a surgeon doing exploratory surgery the true roots of our ailment and issues are only seen when we expose ourselves to the sword of the Spirit and allow the light of Christ to free us from sin.
5. What does verse 14 mean?
a. How does the Messiah shine on you?
b. How does the Messiah bring someone dead to life? Or wake someone that is asleep?
o The Messiah helps us recognize that apart from Him we are dead in our trespasses but that through Jesus Christ we can awaken from the darkness and begin living true and fruitful life in the Spirit.
Individual Challenge:
How would your life change if you were willing to expose the deepest darkest sins of your life to the Truth and find help to overcome it? Would you pray and ask God to give you the courage to seek help and to confess your shameful sin to a trusted and mature follower of Christ this week? How would letting the cat out of the bag free you from the burden of guilt and free you to begin walking in grace?
Community Challenge:
How would our community change if we were a people that could be trusted with the deepest darkest sins of others because we were up front and honest about ours? How would letting go of the facade that things are all good affect the relationships in our church? How do you think this openness allow the church to be more effective in doing ministry? How would this affect the world's view of Christians being hypocrites?
a. How does the Messiah shine on you?
b. How does the Messiah bring someone dead to life? Or wake someone that is asleep?
o The Messiah helps us recognize that apart from Him we are dead in our trespasses but that through Jesus Christ we can awaken from the darkness and begin living true and fruitful life in the Spirit.
Individual Challenge:
How would your life change if you were willing to expose the deepest darkest sins of your life to the Truth and find help to overcome it? Would you pray and ask God to give you the courage to seek help and to confess your shameful sin to a trusted and mature follower of Christ this week? How would letting the cat out of the bag free you from the burden of guilt and free you to begin walking in grace?
Community Challenge:
How would our community change if we were a people that could be trusted with the deepest darkest sins of others because we were up front and honest about ours? How would letting go of the facade that things are all good affect the relationships in our church? How do you think this openness allow the church to be more effective in doing ministry? How would this affect the world's view of Christians being hypocrites?
No comments:
Post a Comment