‘Walk in Love’ (Ephesians 5:1-21)

 

The week before last, I read a brilliant book on the Rise and Fall of Christianity in Ireland.  The concluding chapter detailed the sexual scandals that ruined the credibility of the Catholic church. 

The author began with Father Michael Cleary, a celebrity priest who had two number one albums, and who sang for the crowds in Galway during the visit of Pope John Paul II in 1979.  Michael Cleary’s secret didn’t emerge until after his death in 1993.  He had been sleeping with his house-keeper and had a son with her.

Then there was Eamon Casey, the former bishop of Galway.  He had a son with an American woman, Annie Murphy, and he had treated her with appalling arrogance.  He tried to get Annie Murphy to put up the child for adoption, in order to hide the scandal.  He fraudulently used diocesan funds to pay for the upkeep of his son.    

But these scandals were nothing compared to what would come.  There was Father Brendan Smyth, who was a serial abuser.  The news about him actually brought down the government of Albert Reynolds, when it was shown that they had delayed an extradition warrant to bring Smyth from the North to the Republic.

All these scandals led to the Ferns (2005), Ryan (2009) and Murphy (2009).  How could the Catholic church say anything about the same-sex marriage referendum on 2015 when it had lost all its moral credibility? 

The church had sought to protect their witness by silencing victims, but when the darkness was exposed it was very dark.

In order to walk as light in this evil world we need to shine.  But how do we shine?

We shine as we remember that we are loved (1-2)

Last week, Edwin spoke to us about talking off and putting on.  We are to talk off our old self, with its corrupting desires, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God.  We are to be imitators of God as beloved children (1).

Are you reminding yourself each day about how much God loves you?

Remember Jesus’ story of the prodigal son.  The younger son came to his senses and set out for home.  He found out that living for yourself alone always leads to a pigsty.  He rehearsed his speech.  ‘Father, I have sinned and against heaven and before, I am no longer worthy to be called your son.  Treat me as one of your hired servants.’  But then, when he saw the father run to meet him, and experienced the father’s embrace and kisses, he said, ‘father, I have sinned against heaven and against you, I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’  There was no mention of being a hired servant.  He released that the father wanted a son, not a hired man.

If you are finding it hard to be motivated for shining then remember how much you are loved.  The best place to look is to the cross.  Walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God (2).  The cross shows us how much God loves us.  The cross sets the example of how we are to love each other.

We shine as we live in purity (3-7)

Ephesus was a very sexualised society.  The worship of that city centred on the temple of Diana, who was a multi-breasted goddess.

What is the relationship between walking in love and striving for purity?  Well lust objectifies people.  It uses people.  It treats them as an object.  It is not compatible with love for people.

Neither is lust compatible with love for God.  Lust wants what does not belong to us.  It wants someone else’s wife.  It covets someone else’s husband.  Such coveting is idolatry because it places our hopes on dreams on something other than what God permits.  It says, ‘if I had him or her then I would be finally happy.’  No, you would not!  The way to counter such covetous lust is through thanksgiving.  Remember all the good gifts that God has given us!

The word translated ‘sexual impurity’ has content.  It is not some vague idea that we can define as we like.  It referred to all sexual activity outside of the marriage of a man and a woman.

In our day people want to redefine what sexual immorality means.  They might say that sex is good between any adults who love and are committed to each other.  But such a cavalier attitude towards what the Bible teaches about sex is very dangerous.  It is messing with people’s eternal destiny.  For everyone who is sexually immoral or impure has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God (5).  Don’t be deceived by those who call themselves progressive for it is because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience (6).  Do not be partners with them (7).  This is not saying that you should not have non-believing friends, but let no one influence you towards sexual impurity, including with their humour.

But what about our own sexual impurity?  This is not a reference to those who have a past or who struggle with lust.  We need to remember too that none of us is yet perfected and that we deceive ourselves if we say we are without sin.  The man who may be struggling with porn or who finds it so hard not to look at women lustfully needs to find people in the church who are gracious and supportive.  The woman who thinks that life would be easier if she was married to another man, needs to be encouraged not to covet.  But if we think that what we do with our bodies does not matter to God, or that you can make up your own rules for sexual practice, then it probably means that you have not been born again.

We shine as speak in grace and truth (8-14)

I was in the gym a couple of years ago and some older men were talking dirty.  I kind of wanted to warn them that their words were storing up wrath for themselves on the day of God’s judgement (Romans 2:5).

Part of walking in the light involves exposing the darkness (11).  Of course, if our lives don’t point to purity, then how can we point to the light.  I had a man once tell me that his girlfriend needed to become a Christian, but how can she know what a life of repentance looks like while he was sleeping with her?

We cry out to a sexually sinful world: ‘Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you’ (14).  What a wonderful promise that that God transforms children of the darkness into children of light.  It is important to point out that God forgives sexual sin.  We must forgive those with public sexual histories, and no longer remind them of what they did.  There can be no place for gossip concerning people’s past.

As children of the light we want to model purity and grace.  Our witness isn’t helped by covering over our failings.  We point to a saviour whose blood goes on cleansing us from all sin (1 John 1:7).  But we also speak of a God who has a better way than the way of using people and being used by people.

We shine as we go on being filled with the Spirit (15-21)

We are literally told to go on being filled with the Spirit (17).  Being filled with the Spirit is contrasted with being drunk on wine.  When someone is drunk, it is the alcohol that is affecting their whole being.  In the same way we are to let God’s Holy Spirit control us.

Look at what happens when we are filled with the Holy Spirit.  We address one another in psalms, hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord in our hearts (19).  Singing is a way of reminding ourselves of all that God has done for us.  It gives us an opportunity to thank and praise him for his grace.  But it is not just about us and God.  Singing is one of the many ‘one another’ commands of the New Testament.  It is one of the ways that we encourage each other and build each other up.  Being filled with the Holy Spirit leads to thanksgiving (20), and causes us to submit to one another out of reverence for Christ (21). 

Being filled with the Holy Spirit causes us to enjoy the Cross-Centred Life.  We sing about what Jesus has done of the cross.  We thank God for what Jesus has done for us on the cross.  And we follow the example of Christ on the cross, as he laid down his life for those he loves.

Conclusion—glow!

I mentioned at the start of this sermon the book about the rise and fall of Christianity in Ireland.  The writer felt that the churches, both Catholic and Protestant had not served Ireland well.  This was because the churches often sought political influence and failed to show that we belong to a kingdom not of this world.  How will we show this world a better way if that world can not see that we are light?

There was a man who bought his wife a matchbox that glowed in the dark.  However, when they got into bed at night it made no light.  It didn’t glow.  Then the wife noticed that there was an instruction in French on the box.  She got a friend to translate it for her.  It read, ‘if you want this box to glow in the dark then you need to keep it in the light.’

How do we allow the light of Christ cause us to shine?  We shine as we remember that we are loved.  We shine as we strive to live in purity.  We shine as we speak of truth and grace.  We shine as we keep on being filled by the Holy Spirit.