INTERNET BIBLE STUDIES Ephesians Lesson 5
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Ephesians Chapter 5

Memory verses for this week: 2 Pet 3:17  Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness. 2 Pet 3:18  But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.

 

Introduction:     Chapter 4, we discussed how we should have the same mind when it comes to the fundamentals of the faith.  We also covered about the spiritual gifts that God gives each believer, and how we should use those for the glory of the Lord.  This week we get into chapter 5 of Ephesians which primarily deals with the conduct of the believer.   We should walk circumspectly before the world and the church that we might be a positive influence to see others come to know Christ. 

I.  The Walk of the Believer as God’s Dear Child 

Ephesians 5:1 Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; 2 And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour.

God is our leader, and we should follow Him.   The biggest battle we have at times is the fact that we don’t want Jesus in the pilot seat, we want to fly the plane.  But we’ll be much more successful if we let Jesus be the pilot in the front seat, and we take a position of co-pilot in the back seat.   Satan doesn’t want the child of God to let the Holy Spirit direct our life.  But it is the best and only way to have the most fulfilling life possible.

Psalm 23:1   The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.

John 10:14  I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.

In verse 2 we are commanded to walk in love.   When we talk of love, there is no greater love than the love God showed to us when He sent His son, Jesus Christ to die for us.  And he loved us when we were truly unlovable, in our lost condition. 

Romans 5: But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

John 15:13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

There is no greater love than to lay down your life for your friend.  That makes Christ’s sacrifice even that much greater, since we were God’s enemies at that time. 

Rom 5:10  For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.

Rom 5:11  And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement. 

3 But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints; 4 Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks. 5 For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.  

God wants our lives to be pure and without sin as much as is humanly possible.  We see there are four classes of people who have no inheritance.

 

1.  Whoremongers

2.  Unclean persons

3.  Covetous men

4.  Idolaters 

We know that only Christ can cleanse us from these sins and make us acceptable to God.  In our recent study of Corinthians, Paul spoke of how many would not inherit the kingdom of God, and how that many in the church had been like those. 

1 Cor 6:9  Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,

1 Cor 6:10  Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.

1 Cor 6:11  And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God. 

6 Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience.  7 Be not ye therefore partakers with them.

 God’s people should always be on the alert.    People can be deceived when they let down their guard.  This also happens when we don’t study our bibles and grow in wisdom and grace that we can truly know the truth.  We can really be deceived when we don’t take God at His Word, and I’ll add when we don’t let God’s Word be the final authority on right and wrong.   So many want to decide what is right and wrong themselves.  God sets the rules, and when we want to know if something is right or wrong, we need to simply look to scripture for clarification. 

We are warned to not be partakers with the children of disobedience. 

1 Timothy 5:22  Lay hands suddenly on no man, neither be partaker of other men’s sins: keep thyself pure.  

8 For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light: 9 (For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;) 10 Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord. 11 And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them. 12 For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret. 13 But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light: for whatsoever doth make manifest is light.   

We are called children of light, and we should let the light show in our lives to honor the Father.  If no one can see any difference in us, there will be no attraction to the lost sinner.  But when Christ’s love radiates from us, we truly are magnetic and others have a desire to be near us and like us. 

Matthew 5:16  Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

God’s desire is for us to walk in light, and to turn from sin and the darkness of this old evil world.   We are commanded to have no fellowship with those who live in sin because their deeds are displeasing in God’s sight.    God is angry with the wicked every day the bible says, and we should love what God loves (goodness and righteousness) and hate what He hates.  (Sin and evil) 

In the King James Version Commentary,  the author comments on verse 11 & 12.

 

Have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness. The Greek present imperative means stop having joint-participation with the barren works of darkness. These works yield no profit and no reward. They do produce bitterness, pain, and disgrace. Darkness suggests action and habits characteristic to a life of sin. But rather reprove them. Not just abstain, but expose them by a consistent life. We are to express our disapproval by word and action, by the light of right living and loving example, thus attracting them from the destruction of darkness to the light of salvation in Christ (Jn 3:19–20). [i] 

John 3:19-21  And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.  21 But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.  

14 Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.  15 See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, 16 Redeeming the time, because the days are evil. 17 Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is. 18 And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;  

Christ is light and He will give us light if we will but arise and walk in the leadings of the Holy Spirit.   We are to walk circumspectly in this life, meaning to be cautious and watchful.   We have more at stake than what many understand. 

1 Peter 5:8  Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:

We need to use our time wisely, knowing that we have only ‘today’ in which to serve God and accomplish His Will in our lives.   Many people want to either live in the future (which never gets here), or dwell in the past where we can never return.  Today is the day of the Lord, and we should rejoice in it, and redeem the time.  I heard a young lady singing a song on the radio yesterday, and she said that we need to realize the choices we make to do good or evil affect not only ourselves, but all generations that follow after us.   Sounds a bit intimidating, but consider that each person makes up the world.  So if we live Godly, we affect those around us in a positive manner.  Likewise if we do evil.  As that little saying goes, we will either be remembered for the problems we helped to solve or the problems we created.  If I know my heart, I want to be part of the cure, not the problem.   And to be effective, we have to understand the will of the Lord and be led by the Holy Spirit. 

II.  The Inner Life of the Spirit-Filled Believer 

19 Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; 20 Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;

God wants us to speak to ourselves in psalms and hymns and Spiritual songs.   Some religious groups use this verse to prove that instrumental music should not be used in our services.  But that is not in harmony with all the rest of scripture. 

Psalm 150:1 Praise ye the LORD. Praise God in his sanctuary: praise him in the firmament of his power.  2 Praise him for his mighty acts: praise him according to his excellent greatness. 3 Praise him with the sound of the trumpet: praise him with the psaltery and harp.  4 Praise him with the timbrel and dance: praise him with stringed instruments and organs.  5 Praise him upon the loud cymbals: praise him upon the high sounding cymbals. 6 Let every thing that hath breath praise the LORD. Praise ye the LORD.

Here in Psalms we are clearly taught to praise God in His sanctuary with stringed instruments such as the psaltery and the harp.  Since this is the Word of God and given by inspiration of the Holy Spirit, we can certainly accept it with confidence and know it is profitable for our instruction.  Verse 20 says we should give thanks for all things in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.

 

III.  Analogy of Husband and Wife with Christ and the Church 

21 Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God. 22 Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. 23 For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body. 24 Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing.  

We are to submit ourselves one to another in the fear of the Lord.  A wives first duty is to her husband.  He is to be the head of the wife and home.  Popular teachings and psychologists of today want to restructure the family unit, but there has never been a better plan than God’s for how a family should be structured.   He relates the home being patterned after the church.  As the man looks to Christ who is the head of the church, the woman is to look to the man to guide the family.  Many men do not want the responsibility and try to push this off on their wives, but God is not pleased when we do not follow His plan.  Christ is the savior of the body verse 23 says, and the wife is to subject to the husband in all things.    

25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;  

Christ loves His church. 

Acts 20:28  Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.

The church was no after thought with the Lord, and the family was ordained of God even before there was a record of man worshipping the Lord.   If God so loved the church, and ordained the family even before it, how much should we honor the Lord by following His plans for how it should be designed and operated.   Men are commanded to love their wives.   While women are to be subject to their husbands, it is interesting that they were not directly commanded to love their husbands.   But a true marriage is based upon mutual love between husband and wife.   

Col 3:18  Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as it is fit in the Lord.

Col 3:19  Husbands, love your wives, and be not bitter against them. 

26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, 27 That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. 28 So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself.  

Christ sanctified the church by paying the penalty for sin.  The church will one day be the bride of Christ, and it will be presented unto Himself as a glorious church not having spot nor winkle  Verse 28 speaks of how husbands should love his wife as his own body.   We know that when a man takes a wife, the two of them become ‘one flesh’ in the eyes of the Lord. 

Gen 2:22  And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man.

Gen 2:23  And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.

Gen 2:24  Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.

Gen 2:25  And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.

 

Mark 10:6  But from the beginning of the creation God made them male and female.

Mark 10:7  For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and cleave to his wife;

Mark 10:8  And they twain shall be one flesh: so then they are no more twain, but one flesh.

Mark 10:9  What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.

 

We see parallel teaching as we see how Christ was willing to leave His father to come and pay the price for His church.  A man should be willing to leave his father and mother for his wife. 

29 For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church: 30 For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones. 31 For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. 32 This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church. 33 Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband.

[ii] 

The lesson on the husband and wife is a lesson on not only how we should live, but how the church will one day be the bride of Christ.  God expects us to be faithful to our church like we are to our wife.  You come home to be with your wife at the close of a day.  Do you come to the services when your church meets.   We recently signed up for digital service on our cable service for the television, and while we don’t subscribe to movie channels, we now have like over 200 channels of every thing you could imagine.  One of the new channels is called the game show channel which replays old game shows of the sixties and seventies.   We were watching an old re-run of Family Feud where people have to match the answers of the audience.   One of the questions during the show was “How many times do you go to church each year?”   The first lady guessed 52.   If my memory is accurate, 3 people out of 100 agreed.  Her husband guessed 12, and 13 people agreed with that answer.   What was the number one answer to how many times do you go to church in a year.  The number one answer was 2.   We’ve fell far short of what God’s desires are for his people when we show up at Easter and Christmas.   God help us to be faithful to God’s church in this upcoming year. 

Heb 10:24  And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works:

Heb 10:25  Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.

 

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Prov 4:18  But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day.

 

e-mail at:   davidparham@internetbible..net

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Practice Random Acts of Kindness.  Each act spreads, and many will be blessed.

 


[i]Jerry Falwell, executive editor; Edward E. Hinson and Michael Kroll Woodrow, general editors, KJV Bible commentary [computer file], electronic ed., Logos Library System, (Nashville: Thomas Nelson) 1997, c1994.

[ii]The King James Version, (Cambridge: Cambridge) 1769.