UNITY IN THE COMMUNITY: PART 2

Sermon Notes, September 2, 2018

Rev. Garry McGlinchy

            Pastor Garry continued his sermon series on Ephesians.  The first three chapters of Ephesians are about Unity with Christ.  The last three chapters are about unity with others.  This week’s sermon was titled “Unity: In the Community, part 2,” and was based on Ephesians 5:1-20.

            He talked about children.  Toddlers, sticky toddlers, that learn by imitating.  As they get older, more people influence them—not just their parents, but teachers, and others who are important to them.  Think about the people who influenced you as you grew up. By the same token, new Christians learn how to be Christ-followers by imitating others—in fact Paul urges them to imitate him as he follows Jesus.  As our faith grows, as we mature, we get better and better at doing what Jesus would do. He obeyed God.  He prayed. He attended religious services. He forgave.  He encouraged others.  He befriended sinners.

            We may go through a period where we say it’s the world that leads us.  We give the Lord Sundays, but the rest of the time we want to do what we want to do.   Paul is highlighting the fact that if you are God’s child, heir with Jesus himself, there are certain things you should be doing, and not just on Sunday.  If we are Jesus-followers, we should follow him every day.

According to Paul, we need to be aware of our surroundings.  The influence of the devil is strong, but we need to have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness.  We are children of light.   Everything done in darkness is exposed in the light.

Some people would have us build a wall around the church, keeping ourselves away from the influence of the devil.  But then how would we fulfill Jesus’ Great Commission, to make disciples of the nations?  We need to “put our dukes up,” to be ready to defend our faith. 

We should live like Christ.  He made friends with sinners.  We live IN the world, but we are not to be OF the world.  Take a stand: don’t just go with the flow. Swim upstream.

React to others with love.

Live in the Spirit.

Make the most of every opportunity.

When we talk with others, we need to remember we were like them.  We should speak and act in love.  And we should give thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.