Not Drunk but Filled, Eph 5:18

Can you even understand the level to which the apostle is calling Christians when this word is set against the lifestyle of the Ephesians? He is not dumbing-down to their age, not simply giving a modified standard of right and wrong. In the same verse, without a break, he puts a prohibition and a command. Why? Because there is a comparison and a contrast.

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Comparison
They drink, but we are filled to find exhilaration.

They drink, but we are filled to find strength and inner courage.
Not with religious fanaticism but with the spirit of truth. The Holy Ghost is the creator of heroes.
The Holy Spirit brings us strength to work and strength to suffer; strength to receive and strength to dish out; strength to hope in hopelessness and to love when hated; strength to conquer temptation and to perform ministry.

They drink, but we are filled to eliminate pain.
It can drown our misery and support us in agony.
Have you never been through so bad a trial before? Then seek more of the Spirit of God than you have had before. (I just gave you the answer.) His consolation will balance your tribulation, and will bring you to the place that you glory in your infirmities and afflictions for Christ's sake. God uses them to make more room for his Spirit to dwell in you.

They drink, but we are filled to get aroused.
You can always find a reason to do what the flesh wants, but you need to be filled with the Spirit to do what God wills.

They drink, but we are filled to find fellowship.
I often feel the reverse of happy, but I don't want others to be affected. So I go to Him. He is the resurrection and the life. When I look long enough and far enough in his word for quickening, it comes.

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Contrast
Drunk—thirsty.
Filled—satisfied.

Drunk—excess and riot.
Filled—peace, self-possessed, at rest, free from anger, anxiety and emotion.

Drunk—contention.
Filled—submission.

Drunk—foolish.
Filled—walking as wise.

Drunk—waste time.
Filled—redeem the time.

Drunk—forgotten relationships.
Filled—fulfilling the responsibilities of our roles.

Drunk—weak and vulnerable.
Filled—strong in the Lord and the power of his might.

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Do you want to know how to be filled? You are asking good questions.
1. Reverently regard him. Worship him. It is a special sin to disrespect him. Honor him by adoring him, and look to him for help. If you want his power you have to acknowledge his presence.
2. Do not grieve him. Let sin grieve you enough to stay away from it. Put away any idea he does not agree with, and agree with him.
3. Open your heart to his influence. Watch for his movements. Pray for him to speak. Ask to be enlightened. Then during the day, mourn if you do not feel him moving.
4. Be fit for him to fill.

Return, O holy Dove! return,
Sweet messenger of rest!
I hate the sins that made thee mourn,
And drove thee from my breast.

5. If you want him to fill you then obey him. Do not trifle with your conscience.
6. If you want to retain his filling, talk about him. He is not a deaf or dumb spirit.

Get on fire, so you can set our church aflame!

Desperate Households

Here is the skeleton outline. To get the complete context and impact you'll have to check out the audio link to the left.

Thesis: In spite of all the change and turmoil that families go through, if Bible principles govern your roles and responsibilities then a dynamic household can be built out of desperate hours.

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TODAY’S MAJOR POINTS
Point 1. God cares about every Christian perfecting his or her family in the faith.
Point 2. Perfection is possible for imperfect people because our perfect God has given us a perfect word that can be taken by the Holy Spirit and used to radically transform us into a perfect image—Christ.
Point 3. A dynamic family has to be a fortress and not a façade, because God wants us to build families that can withstand the attacks of the enemy.
Point 4. Since they are consecrated to God, that seals their commitment to one another.
Point 5. You didn’t come to your parents; you came through your parents.
Point 6. Do your children know that they have unconditional affection even though you cannot give them unconditional approval?
Point 7. Nothing will alienate a child or a spouse more than making them work for something that ought to be free.
Point 8. If you want a better child, be a better parent.
Point 9. You need to receive your child (or your spouse) even when you are displeased with your child, because that is what consecration looks like.
Point 10. You learn to cope by developing contentment.
Point 11. Perfecting parents learn how to attack the problem without attacking each other.
Point 12. There is no greater gift you can give to your children than to let them see by your actions that you know God, and by your reactions that you obey God.

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CLUES TO SUCCESSFUL PARENTING
1. A strong sense of consecration

A. Tell them that we will value each other and stay together for a lifetime
B. Remind them frequently that they are a blessing and not a burden
C. Assure them they are loved unconditionally

2. A strong sense of communion

FIVE MAGICAL MOMENTS PRODUCING COMMUNION
A. Part on a positive note
B. Reconnect at the end of the day
C. Go to bed with a good attitude
D. Show appreciation by giving compliments
E. Set aside “date time”

3. A strong set of communication skills

A. By being a good listener

FIVE MUSTS OF INTENTIONAL LISTENING
1. I must listen with a purpose
2. I must practice listening for understanding, rather than criticism
3. I must be aware of words and behaviors that make me defensive; and exercise emotional control even though I disagree
4. I must concentrate on what they are saying
5. I must recognize that listening may be the key to my success

B. By cutting off the “Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse”

1. Criticism
2. Contempt
3. Defensiveness
4. Stonewalling

4. A strong set of coping skills
5. They share a growing sense of Christlikeness

PASSAGES REFERENCED
Prov 24:3 Through wisdom is an house builded; and by understanding it is established:
Psa 37:4-5 Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.
Prov 20:3 It is an honour for a man to cease from strife: but every fool will be meddling.
Eph 4:32 And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.
Prov 29:11 A fool uttereth all his mind: but a wise man keepeth it in till afterwards.
Prov 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.
Prov 18:6 A fool’s lips enter into contention, and his mouth calleth for strokes.
Prov 29:20 Seest thou a man that is hasty in his words? there is more hope of a fool than of him.
Prov 18:13 He that answereth a matter before he heareth it, it is folly and shame unto him.
Prov 15:28 The heart of the righteous studieth to answer: but the mouth of the wicked poureth out evil things.
Prov 18:7 A fool’s mouth is his destruction, and his lips are the snare of his soul.
Matt 6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

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Recommended Resources
Shepherding a Child’s Heart, by Tedd Tripp, Shepherd Press, 1998.
Hints on Child Training, by H. Clay Trumbull. Great Expectations Book Co.: 1993.
Family Shock: Keeping Families Strong in the Midst of Earthshaking Change, by Gary R. Collins. Tyndale House: 1995.
“The Five Musts of Intentional Listening,” by Jan Pedersen. http://www.selfgrowth.com/articles/Pedersen2.html

* Note: recommending a resource does not constitute Alan’s endorsement of everything in the book. Read with discretion, and balance any author’s advice against what you are learning in the Bible through the Career Class or our parenting groups.

Maranatha

At the end of his first letter to the Corinthians Paul takes the stylus from the hand of his stenographer and starts writing himself. What does he say?

1 Cor 16:22 If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be Anathema Maranatha.

Paul combines in one sentence the conviction of his heart about the people who reject his Jesus Christ. If anyone love not the Lord. That is the word for simple human affection. If any man or woman does not emotionally extend themselves to Jesus Christ, then there is nothing for that person in eternity, and their lack of love for the Lord proves their lostness.

Anathema is a Greek word that the James gang left untranslated. It was notorious. Infamous, even by 1611. It came to convey a special English meaning.

Appearing six times in your New Testament, it means to be set aside to God. Not consecrated to ministry because of his mercy, but offered in worship as an object of wrath. Like an animal brought to the temple, devoted to destruction.

If any man or woman in this city does not love Jesus Christ, there is no hope for them. His coming simply curses them. That man or woman will perish because they are devoted to destruction as a result of their decision about Jesus.

With the word Maranatha, Paul broke off into Aramaic. Aramaic was the language of Jesus and his homeboys. Aramaic was the childhood language of Paul studying under that great rebbe, rav Gamaliel in Jerusalem. When Paul wants to convey something intimate he slips into Aramaic. So what is Paul saying to end it all?

They will be accursed Maranatha. That brings us to this intimate Aramaic expression, "the Lord cometh." He has come; he is coming, and this man or woman will be accursed, devoted to destruction at his return coming. Anathema Maranatha. A word for the Jew and a word for the Gentile to remind us of what happens at his coming.

That's what we’ve forgotten in our community. That's why the churches aren't having the impact they could. We forget the negative consequences of Christ's coming. People walk by, and we forget they are devoted to destruction if they are lost.

This is what Paul underlines as the last-said and most-important idea for the church in the urban center. The secret of a successful Christian life is a passionate devotion to the Lord. If you do not have that passionate devotion to Christ, then you have nothing and will be reduced to nothing, because you stand Anathema Maranatha—condemned at his coming. We can’t do anything else for you. After all, he came. He died. Hell is no more than you deserve when this love is no less than God gave.

In the early days of the church, when the Roman Empire was hell-bent on stamping it out, Christians had a watchword. Whenever they met—in the catacombs, in secret meetings, in underground Bible studies, in prisons—they said it: maranatha. He is coming.

Those little groups of Christians, harried and harassed and chased like fugitives, were scattered by persecution. When a Roman Legionnaire caught up with them—when Imperial storm troopers finally found the rebel band and caught them—they encouraged each other with, Maranatha. “Hold on, bro’. Be brave, because the Lord is coming for us! Keep the faith, dog. Be bold, Maranatha man. We can't carry on without him, but we can't give in with him. Maranatha!”

The early churches triumphed in spreading the gospel across North Africa, wiping the Mediterranean basin, and throughout the emerging European world. Why can't we do it in Kansas City? It's only limited by what we can't do in your life. Ask God to light the flame in your heart. Give him your life and he’ll take care of the passion. Submit to God's word. Seek Christ's character. Surrender to the lover of your soul.

It is no fiction Jesus has come. It is no fable that he returns. Any day, any hour, Jesus may return. When he does he will heal every wound and dry every tear. But remember, he also wipes away every rebellion. He quarantines sin for eternity. He “cleans house,” and sanitizes it with fire. That is why rejection now results in condemnation then. Don't put off the lover of your soul.

Maranatha (but remember, anathema).

Sunday Synopsis: Perfecting Parenting

I can't get everything in on Sundays, so we are going to use this for overflow. Last week started our new series on biblical principles of parenting, so let me set it off with a synopsis of Sunday's teaching. Our first topic for teaching is "A Biblical Philosophy of Parenting."

The homiletical idea here is that no one is naturally pre-wired to be a biblical parent, but fortunately parenting is a skill you can perfect. So parenting is like any other aspect of life: you need to know how God’s handbook on humanity says to run it. The first point that lays the foundation for biblical childrearing is

Prov 29:18 Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.

Since you missed what that verse is saying, let me be kind and rewind. Happiness is defined in Prov 29:18 as setting a goal to see Bible principles applied in your life. The idea of vision means having a very concrete picture of what a good parent is, no matter how you were raised as a child. This is necessary since children do not go where you say, because they cannot cognitively process things that way; children go where you show, because their little life is based on imitation.

We teach a philosophy of discipleship encompassed in four biblical goals. Likewise, there are at least four good goals to biblical parenting.

Goal 1. Establish them in a safe and secure environment.

Each goal has a task tied to it that makes it practical and accountable.

Task 1. The way you establish children in a secure environment is through constant, consistent and courageous communication about life-issues from a biblical frame of reference.

This is necessary because the thing that most often causes rebellion in children is hypocrisy in the parents. Hello somebody!

Goal 2. Establish them in good citizenship. Good citizenship means
· They have a good attitude toward law enforcement
· They participate with you, through this church, in being productive in the community
· They contribute to the well-being of others at school and the edification of others at church

—because good citizenship is tied to acting like God in the community.

Task 2. You get to this goal by teaching them to submit to authority.

Most parents stop with goal #1. Some go as far as level 2. A complete biblical philosophy of parenting has two civil goals (one internal to the house: security, and one external to society: good citizen). But then it goes even further to two spiritual goals (one internal, dealing with attitude, and one external encompassing action). First, the aspect of internal attitude.

Goal 3. Establish them in biblical understanding.
· Knowledge is the facts of a situation
· Wisdom is knowing how to take the facts and act in that situation
· Understanding is how God figures into the situation

So there is a task tied to the accomplishment of this goal as well.

Task 3. Educate them in what it takes to be pleasing to God by first making right decisions, and then secondly developing the discipline to get it done.

This is illustrated through the book of Proverbs. That gets us to level-four parenting.

Goal 4: Establish them in godliness.

Because the only way our city will get better is for parents to be godly so their children can be good. And the fourth goal, even though it is the highest level, is the foundation of the other three.

Task 4: The Process of Biblical Parenting

A. Start with the heart, Luke 6:45; Prov 4:23
· As you deal with the heart start with three ideas: conviction, grace, and free choice

B. Stick to the scriptures, Heb 4:12; Deut 6:5-7; 2 Tim 3:15

· Remember that while you are teaching your child and training them in the word, it is also cutting you!

C. Seek the Spirit to help you live what you lip, Psa 127:4

· The target you are pointed at is the one that your children will hit!

D. Strive for biblical success, Josh 1:8; 24:15

Next Sunday we will be teaching from the topic of how to parent the prodigal.

Sin by Surprise

1 John 2:15 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

Do you really love God? Use this text as the test. All of us sometimes fall into sin by surprise, but if we consistently deliberately go to it—if we go into it without hating it—how does the love of God dwell in us?

Some people never purify themselves even though they do not defile themselves. They never take sides with Christ unless others are on his side. They do not take sides with the Devil, but they try to stay neutral. They don't join in the ridicule, but they never stand up for Christ. That's "dead fish" Christianity.

The dead fish floats downstream. It still floats, but it is dead. If you give-up to the current you are in, it proves you are spiritually dead. Previous generations of Christians had to fight to win the crown. Do you expect to get it while lying in bed? Do you really believe there are crowns in heaven for those who do not fight against their sins? Do you think there are rewards for those who never endured hardness for Christ's sake?

If you want to get to heaven, it is already paid by grace through the blood of Jesus Christ. It is all by simple faith and trusting in the cross to save you. There is heaven for all who believe, but there is no crown except for warriors. You missed that, so read back over it. There are no rewards except for those who contend for the mastery against the flesh, against Satan, against sin, and over the world.

There is a lot you will never attain except with God at your back, pushing. But if you have the hope of Christ's coming , if it is a hope IN HIM, you can win the day. You will be purifying yourself, just like he is pure. And when he shall appear, you will be like him. Let's make that the goal next year.