EPHESIANS 5:1-72006 Teaching by Jerry B Simmons

Teaching Transcript: Ephesians 5:1-7

You are listening to FerventWord, an online Bible study ministry with teachings and tools to help you grow deeper in your relationship with God. The following message was taught by Jerry Simmons in 2006. For those who have been studying through Ephesians with us, you're familiar with what I'm about to share, but it's important for us to remember these things as we study through Ephesians.

Chapters 1 through 3 of the book of Ephesians, Paul goes in great length to great detail to share with us

What God has done for us, who he is and the wonderful, magnificent work he has done on our behalf in predestining us and choosing us and seating us in the heavenly places and raising us, resurrecting us spiritually from the dead and making us alive in Christ and giving us a new life in Christ.

But then in chapters 4 through 6 of Ephesians, Paul changes direction, changes his focus, and begins to share with us the appropriate response that we are to have to God because of what we have learned in chapters 1 through 3. The doctrine and the wonderful things that he taught us about God then demonstrates or is demonstrated by our lives as Paul shares with us in chapters 4 through 6.

So he shared with us how wonderful God is. And then in chapter 4 verse 1, he tells us to walk worthy of the calling with which we were called. The calling to be a child of God. The calling to partake and be a participant of eternity with God in heaven. And he says that we are to walk worthy of this calling because God has given us everything that we need to do so. And that's what he spent chapters 1 through 3 sharing with us.

As he has shared with us how we are to walk worthy of the calling, he started out by telling us the first thing we need to do to walk worthy is to walk in unity, being one body, the body of Christ, and doing our part, our share within the body, as well as serving within the body where he has called us to serve and to be a part.

He also shared with us at the end of chapter 4 that we are not to walk as the rest of the Gentiles. If we are to walk worthy of the calling, then it will not be walking like the rest of unbelievers in the futility of their mind, being governed by the course of this world. He told us two weeks ago as we studied this portion that we are to put off

the former conduct, our old nature, the sinful lifestyle that we once had. And he listed things as lying, uncontrolled anger, stealing, corrupt communication, grieving the spirit, bitterness, wrath, clamor, evil speaking, and malice. He says, put off those things. Christ has set you free from those things and put on the new man, the new life that you have in Christ, the new creature that he's made you to be.

the new nature that he's given to you, that you might walk in truth and self-control, laboring not just to provide for yourself but to give unto others with edifying communication and being obedient to the Spirit with kindness, tenderheartedness, and forgiveness.

Paul shared with us our old conduct, our old behavior, the former way that we used to live, where to put those things off and to put on the new man in Christ Jesus. And he shared with us those old things, that old conduct, that sinful lifestyle is not what we have learned in Christ. He has not told us that it's okay to continue on in that lifestyle and to continue on in that former conduct. But what we learn in Christ is

is to put on the new life, to walk with him in holiness and those things that he shared with us. Now as we enter into chapter 5 verse 1, Paul is continuing that same line of thought because he uses the word therefore. He says, therefore, be imitators of God as dear children.

Because he used the word therefore, we know that he's looking back at chapter 4, what we studied, the new life that we're to put on. And he says, since you have a new nature in Christ, and since you're not to walk as the rest of the Gentiles, here's what you should do. Be an imitator of God. This word imitator, we get the word mimic in the English language from this word in the Greek.

Mimic, to imitate or to mimic, to act just like him is what Paul is telling us. We're to act just like God.

Now, the word Christian that we often use in describing ourselves really means just that. It means literally Christ-like, that we are like Christ. If you say, I am a Christian, or if I say, I am a Christian, what I am saying in reality is that I am an imitator of Christ, that I mimic his actions, his words, and his thoughts. I am just like him.

Kind of heavy to think about, and we realize that we fall short of that. Yet that is how we are to walk, as imitators of Christ, imitators of God, walking the way that he would if he was in our shoes. There was that saying, the WWJD, that was so popular for a while. What would Jesus do? And it was everywhere, on bracelets and cars and bumper stickers and everything.

We need to have that definitely be a part of our lives and our decision making. What would Jesus do? Because we're to be imitators of him, acting like he does, having the same thoughts that he has, using the words that he uses. We're to be like God, mimicking him in our life.

Now he tells us to be imitators of God as dear children. And that's an interesting perspective to think about. Because you think of a little child who imitates their parents.

You've seen the commercials probably where there's the dad shaving there in the mirror and the son wanting to do so also or mowing the lawn and there's the boy, you know, with this toy lawnmower holding on to the lawnmower with his father. I remember being a young boy that my dad would be washing his car and I had, you know, one of those little cars that you pedal around. I didn't have the motorized one like the kids have today, but this one that you'd pedal around and so he'd be washing and when he put down the hose, I'd take it and I'd wash my car with him and

just wanting to imitate or be like my father. And so it's a great picture for us that as children of God, we're to imitate him, to desire to be like him, to copy him and mimic him in all that he does. Or another aspect of being dear children of God is, I'm sure that you said this at one time or another, when I grow up, I'm not going to be like my mom or my dad. I'm not going to

say those things that they said or do those things that they did. And yet, 20 years later, what do you find yourself doing? Looking in the mirror and saying, Oh my goodness, I'm so much like my father. I'm so much like my mother. I can't believe I said those things or did those things because I swore that I would never do them. That's how we are to be. We're to grow up and become more and more like God. To be an imitator.

To mimic what he does. Instead of walking like the rest of the Gentiles, Paul is telling us, we are to act like God does. Now how do we do that? Well, he goes on now in verse 2, and he tells us that the way we learn to imitate God or act like God is to walk in love. Verse 2 tells us,

And walk in love as Christ also has loved us and given himself for us. An offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling aroma. In order for us to walk worthy of the calling with which we were called. In order for us to be worthy to be called a child of God.

We're to imitate God, to walk like him, and that is to walk in love. Of course, this word love is the word agape, which you are probably familiar with. It describes perfect, unconditional love.

Now, it's wonderful news that this is the type of love that God has towards us. He loves us unconditionally. It doesn't matter what our background is like or how we live or the things that we do. He loves us. No matter what, we can't run far enough away from Him. There's nothing that can separate us from this love. He loves us unconditionally.

The thing that Paul is sharing with us, though, is that we are to walk in this same type of love. It's good to know that this is the love that God has for us. More difficult to take that same love and apply it to those around us. To have that same type of unconditional love towards those who are in our lives and those that are close to us. Now,

Just in case we try to pretend that we don't know how to walk in love, he gives us the pattern here in verse 2. He tells us to walk in love, but he gives us the pattern as he says, as Christ also has loved us and given himself for us. We are to walk in love in the same way, here's the pattern, as Christ loved us and gave himself for us. How do we walk in love? What does it mean to walk in love?

It means to walk like Christ did in giving ourselves for others. To walk in love means to offer yourself as a sacrifice to God for others. It means that we die to ourselves and that we live for others, putting others first in our lives. 1 John 3, verse 16 tells us, By this we know love, because he laid down his life for us.

And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. John tells us there in 1 John 3, 16, here's how we know what love is. Without this, we wouldn't know what love is. But there's been this demonstration, this pattern for us. Here's how we know what love is. He laid down his life for us.

And so now that we know what love is, John tells us, so we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. We know what love is because of the example that was given to us by Jesus Christ. Not only did he lay down his life in the sense that he died for us on the cross, but he laid down his life in that he said he did not come to be served, but to serve.

He didn't just lay down his life by dying for us, but he laid down his life by living for us. By setting aside his own desires, his own will, and living to serve and to bless and to minister to others. He came to live his life for others, and we are commanded by Jesus to do the same.

In John chapter 15, he's sharing with his disciples. Are you a disciple of Christ, a follower of him? Here's his command to you. John chapter 15, verse 12. Jesus says, this is my commandment. Here it is. This is his command. What is it? That you love one another as I have loved you. Here's my command to you guys. You want to follow me? Okay. Love one another. Love the people around you.

Love those that you run into. Love your family. Love your friends. Love the body of Christ. Love one another in the same way, just as I have loved you. And he goes on in verse 13 to say, and greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends.

And so Jesus, of course, demonstrating that greater love and laying down his life for us, calls us and commands us to do the same, to live our lives for others, to lay down our own lives, to minister, to serve others. He demonstrated this greatest love by dying on the cross for us. And now he commands us to demonstrate that same type of love towards others. Now, this portion of scripture says,

is not an easy passage to swallow. As we look at this, we realize and understand this command to walk in love, easy to say, very difficult to perform. Yet at the same time, it is the command that we are to receive and obey. Paul is really challenging us here.

To walk in love. To wake up and to pay attention and to live our life as a follower of Christ, dying to ourselves and living for others.

If we truly are followers of Christ, Paul says, we will walk in love. We will die to ourselves and we will live for others. And when we do this, we will be living our lives as a sacrifice, as an offering to God. That's what he says there in verse 2. He says, walk in love as Christ also loved us and has given himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling aroma.

We're to live our lives for others as an offering to God, a sweet-smelling aroma, a sacrifice to God in response to what He has done for us. Now, it's the same thing that Paul begs us to do in Romans 12, verse 1, where he says, I beseech you, therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.

I beseech you, I beg you, give your life to God. Live for God as an offering. Take your body, your breath, your energy, your talents, your abilities, and give yourself completely, wholly surrendered to God.

As an offering to him. And he says, that's your reasonable service. It's the only thing that makes sense when you understand what God has done for you. When you understand Ephesians chapters 1 through 3, the only thing that makes sense, the only thing that is right is to present yourself, to present your life as a living sacrifice to God. So Paul says, walk in love. Living for others, dying to self, as an offering to God.

Now, the only way that we can do that is to have a genuine love for God and for others. And we can only have this genuine love, this agape love from God. It's not something that we can work up within ourselves or we can really try to manufacture within our hearts, but it's a love that must be given to us by God. We need to ask God for this love, that we may be obedient to his command to love one another.

Now, if we're to walk in love, Paul will now share with us the contrast. What does it mean not to walk in love? What is the opposite of walking in love?

Paul shares with us in verses 3 and 4 here in Ephesians chapter 5. He says, But fornication and all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not even be named among you as is fitting for saints, neither filthiness nor foolish talking nor coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks.

He starts out in verse 3 and he uses the word but. It's a word of contrast. It's a word where he says, okay, you're to walk in love, but now let me show you the contrast of that. The opposite of walking in love is these things here that Paul will share with us.

To walk in love means that you will not be walking in these ways, in these areas. And if you're walking in these areas, in these ways, Paul says you're not walking in love. They're exclusive things. Walking in love, you're not doing these things. If you're doing these things, then you're not walking in love. And so Paul says, here's the opposite. Here's the contrast. Here are the things that you and I need to allow God to examine in our hearts.

The first area that he deals with is the area of fornication. He says, but fornication, let it not even be named among you as is fitting for saints. Don't even let it be named or be a topic of conversation. Don't let it be a part of your life. Fornication, what is that? Well, this word covers a whole range or really the whole range of sexual immorality. It's the word fornication.

In the Greek, pornea, where we get the word pornography from. But it deals with all types of sexual immorality. It deals with adultery. Adultery is a sexual relationship with someone to whom you are not married. Fornication it also deals with, which is a sexual relationship, again, with someone that you're not married, but neither of you are married. And so in the world's eyes, you would think that's okay. But according to God's word...

It's fornication, it's sin, it's sexual immorality. This word, porneia, also deals with homosexuality, which is a sexual relationship with someone of the same gender. Even to the extent of incest, this word covers. And bestiality, sexual relationship with animals.

So it's any type of sexual immorality that Paul says, if you're involved in that, you're not walking in love. And if you're walking in love, you will not be involved in that. Now, this is hard for us to comprehend and hard for us to digest because it's completely the opposite of what the world is telling us and what we've been trained up with for how many ever years we've been walking in this life.

Contrary to what the rest of the world will say, to be involved in sexual immorality is the opposite of walking in love. Young man, young woman, old man, old woman. Anyone who says to you that if you love them, you would have a sexual relationship with them. They are lying. It's a lie.

It's not true that if you truly love, you'll have a sexual relationship with them outside of marriage. It is true that God loves the sexual relationship. He designed it, but he designed it between a man and a wife.

That's it. In a marriage relationship, that's where he blesses, that's where he condones, that's where he commands, yes, be involved sexually with each other. But anything outside of that is the opposite of walking in love. Whether it be with someone else who is married or someone to whom you are not married, whether it be with someone of the same gender, someone close within your family, it's the opposite.

There's no exceptions to this, and oftentimes we convince ourselves that we are the exception. Oh, we really love each other, not like everybody else who just says it, and so it's okay for us. No, the opposite is true. It's wrong. It's sin. It's the opposite of love and being involved sexually when you are not married. Now, often people will say, hey, it's okay to have sex before you're married as long as you really love each other. But that is a lie.

Often it is justified that, well, I can be involved with this person because they really love me and my husband, my wife is not really demonstrating that love anymore. I don't think they love me anymore. This person really does love me, so it's okay for me to leave my marriage relationship and go and be with this person. That is a lie. That is the opposite of walking in love. Paul is being very straightforward with us so that

We could be protected from being deceived. As we'll go on to share in verse 6, it will command us not to be deceived. Any sexual relationship with someone that you are not married to is the opposite of love. You can call it making love if you would like, but it's not true unless it is within the bond of marriage. Otherwise, it's the opposite of love. Pornography, it's the opposite of love. Adultery, it's the opposite.

Sex before marriage, it's the opposite. We need to be aware of what God's word has to say and we need to live accordingly.

Because we believe in Jesus Christ. Now Paul says, don't even let it be named among you. There's a couple ways that you can interpret that. You can say, well, don't be in a position where you could be accused of it. And that's a good thing for us to do. And to not put ourselves in a position where we could be accused of sexual immorality. We all need to keep ourselves from situations where we could be tempted because they're traps of the enemy. But also...

can be interpreted or is referring to, to not even let it be a topic of conversation, that it's so much not a part of your lives you don't talk about sexual immorality or joke about it or have discussions about it, that it's not a part of your life altogether, as is fitting for saints, Paul says. That it shouldn't even be something that is discussed or conversed about. Fornication. It's the opposite of walking in love.

He goes on then to share with us also the next area, uncleanness. Now uncleanness, this refers not to needing to take a shower, but it refers to moral uncleanness. Moral uncleanness. Literally, it's referring to lustful, luxurious, or wildly extravagant living. This, like the word fornication that he used a moment ago, is also a broad stroke covering a wide range of

He says anything basically that is not good, that is immoral, is the opposite of walking in love. It covers the area of drinking, illegal drugs, the whole party scene, live in the Vida Loca. It's not to be a part of our lives. He says it's the opposite of walking in love. These things should not be even named among us. Talked about, glorified, discussed.

Should not be a part of our conversation, nor should we be accused of such things. We need to keep ourselves from fornication and uncleanness. He goes on to share with us also covetousness, which is a greedy desire to have more materialism. Now, he'll go on to tell us in verse five that covetousness is idolatry. It's worshiping God.

things rather than God, worshiping other things like money, like material goods, wealth, status, whatever the case may be, worshiping those things instead of worshiping God. And these are things, Paul says, that are not to be a part of our lives. We're not to allow them. We're not to walk in them.

Because they're completely the opposite of walking in love. They're not fitting for saints. They're not appropriate for those who are believers in Jesus Christ. Those who say, I am like Christ. It's not appropriate for them to be involved in fornication and uncleanness or in covetousness. Now Paul would go on now to give us three more examples of not walking in love. And all three of these have to do with the things that we say, the words that we speak. He says, neither filthiness...

which is obscenity, dirty jokes, dirty language, filthy language, however you want to talk about it. It's not to be a part of our lives. It's not to come out of our lips. We're not to have obscenities as a part of our conversations, as a part of our discussions. Foolish talking, he goes on to say. Now, foolish talking is literally, it's godless talking. It's speaking about things that are not of God, that are not godly, that are not right.

Now it's interesting to me, walking in love, do you realize...

The opposite is not including God in your conversations. And so to walk in love, something very important, an important element about walking in love is including God in your conversations and talking about him and centering what you discuss and what you talk about around the person of Jesus Christ. And if you do that, oh, that's an important element of walking in love. But if you keep God out of your discussions, your conversations, your topics,

It's the opposite of walking in love, talking about things that are not of God. We need to be very careful. The last thing he shares with us is coarse jesting, which is mean jokes, jokes that inflict pain or hurt others. These things, Paul says, they're not fitting. They're not appropriate for those who say, I am like Christ. I'm an imitator of God. I'm a follower of Christ. Of course, the question to each one of us is, are you a follower of Christ?

Are you a disciple of Jesus Christ? And then, are these things a part of your life? Do you walk in fornication, in uncleanness, in covetousness, with filthy language, foolish talking, and coarse jesting?

Are these things a part of your walk, a part of your life? Because these are not the things that Christ did. And this is not walking in love the way that Christ did. Now he's warning us very strongly here. We need to pay attention. Look at verse 5. He says, For this you know, that no fornicator, unclean person, nor covetous man who is an idolater has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.

This is a wake-up verse. Are you awake? One person is. Are you awake? We need to wake up. This verse should cause us to open our eyes. Our eyes should bulge and we should take a second to reflect and realize what Paul is saying here. Verse 5 again, For this you know, that no fornicator, unclean person, nor covetous man who is an idolater has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.

Now, he told us we're to imitate God, we're to walk in love as Christ did, not in these other areas that are opposite to walking in love. Why would he tell us those things? Why does he tell us to keep fornication and uncleanness and covetousness out of our lives? Well, he tells us, for this you know, here's the reason. Because those who practice such things, those who live that lifestyle, will not inherit the kingdom of God.

This is serious. We need to approach this with a sober attitude, realizing that Paul is talking about life and death eternally. Paul is protecting us here again from being deceived. Just because someone says that they are a Christian, it does not mean that they actually are. Just because someone says that they are saved does not actually mean that they will inherit the kingdom of God. We need to be careful. How do I know if I'm a follower of Christ?

But Paul is telling me here in chapters 4 through 6 and specifically here in chapter 5 that I can tell by the way that I walk. I can tell by the life that I live. That's Paul's points in Ephesians. We learned in chapters 1 through 3 who God is, what he's done for us, and now how it must impact our lives. Paul says, listen, if you are living in sexual immorality, don't expect to go to heaven.

Don't expect to inherit the kingdom of God because you know. And you could say that you don't know and anybody else can claim that they don't know, but Paul says, you know that no fornicator, unclean person, or covetous man who is an idolater has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. But I went on the field at the harvest crusade, or I prayed a prayer after someone as they gave an invitation to receive Jesus.

I've been going to church and reading my Bible, whatever. Listen, are you awake? Paul says, if you are living as a fornicator, as an unclean person, as a covetous person who is an idolater, you have no part, no inheritance in the kingdom of God. Don't count on that prayer, that walk on the field. Don't count on that relieving you from accountability for the way that you live your life. You are accountable for

And you will stand before God. And Paul says very clearly, and it's not just here in this portion, but we're warned several times. 1 Corinthians 6, verses 9 and 10, Paul tells us, Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. He warns us again. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God.

Very serious. We need to pay attention. Revelation 21 verse 8. We're warned throughout scripture. The way you live your life is crucial.

Because what you believe will be demonstrated by the way that you live. Where your faith really is, if you really believe in Jesus Christ, it will be demonstrated by your walking in love. And if you're not walking in love, Paul says you have no part, no inheritance in the kingdom of God.

Now, at this point, you're probably thinking, man, Jerry, you just came back from Israel. I was coming this morning, just excited, thinking about, you know, all the things you're going to share about Israel is going to be really encouraging and fired up. And you're not supposed to give a fire and brimstone message at the return of your trip. But here's where we are in Ephesians chapter five. And this is what Paul says you need to hear. We need to pay attention. Don't be deceived. Don't be deceived.

Take the blinders off your eyes. You cannot live in sin and expect to inherit the kingdom of God. You can't continue on in fornication, uncleanness, and covetousness and expect to inherit the kingdom of God. Don't be deceived. Don't be blind. In verse 6 he says, Don't be deceived.

He says, let no one deceive you with empty words. Oh, you know, God is love and he understands. And as I shared before, we always convince ourselves that we're the exception. It's okay for us. It's okay for me because I'm different. This verse isn't talking about me. No, very clearly, this is what the Bible teaches. We cannot live in sin and expect to inherit the kingdom of God.

Don't think that because you went forward at a harvest crusade or prayed a prayer after someone that you are not accountable for the way that you live. You are accountable. Now, the Bible is very clear. All you need to do to be saved is believe in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. But don't be deceived because a true believer in Jesus Christ lives.

will have a dramatic change in their life. That belief in Jesus Christ will dramatically impact your life and change the way that you live and cause you to walk in love just as Christ did. James 2, verses 14-26 says,

James tells us very clearly that faith without works is dead. You can say that you believe and you can say that you have faith, but if it's not demonstrated by the way that you live, that's a dead faith and it's not able to save you. 1 John 3, verse 9, John tells us there that whoever has been born of God does not sin or does not continue to sin habitually.

For God's seed remains in him and he cannot sin because he has been born of God. If we're born of God, we cannot continue in sin. Maybe I should phrase it this way. A child of God cannot continue comfortably to live in sin. Just as a part of their life and not think anything about it. The child of God cannot be comfortable with sin in their lives.

Because a true child of God, Hebrews 12 tells us, will be chastened of God. And he will purge that sin out of our lives. We cannot continue habitually in sin as children of God. But if we are able to continue in sin without any problem, without any conflict, without being uncomfortable, then we need to watch out. Because we're demonstrating that we're not a child of God. Are you awake?

Are you paying attention? Paul is speaking very hard things to us. And it's hard to digest. It's hard to swallow. But we need to pay attention. Don't be deceived. Paul tells us here, don't be deceived with empty words. Because of these things, the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.

The wrath of God is coming because of this conduct, because of this type of sin. And so you cannot go on living in sin and expect to inherit the kingdom of God. If you go on living in these ways, expect to inherit the wrath of God. Because those who live in sin will receive the judgment of God. That's why in verse 7 he says, Therefore, do not be partakers with them. The wrath of God is coming upon those who are in disobedience.

And those who live in it will experience the judgment of God. So don't partake with them. But instead, repent. Don't be a partaker with the sons of disobedience. Don't be involved and don't continue on. Don't let that be your lifestyle. But instead, repent and walk in love as Christ did. Paul tells us here some very hard things. But it's for our protection that we do not be deceived. That our eyes would be opened.

that we would walk in love, that we would be imitators of God. And we need to take heed to what he shares with us this morning. As we come now to the end of our service this morning and prepare our hearts for communion, we come to the Lord's table and as I shared, it's so easy for us to have excuses and reason after reason why we are the exception, why it's okay for us to live in fornication or uncleanness or covetousness.

It's so easy for us to think that we have arrived. We've already learned how to die to ourselves and to live for others. But Paul is calling us here to open our eyes, to wake up, to protect ourselves from being deceived so that we might repent and that we might allow God to do the work in our hearts that he wants to do. You know, as we saw two weeks ago in the end of chapter four, we have been set free in Christ.

We're not bound to the sinful nature any longer. We don't have to live in sexual immorality. We don't have to live in uncleanness or covetousness. We're set free by the power of the blood of Christ that was shed for us on the cross. We're set free and he's given to us a new nature that we must put on that we may walk in love, that we may walk worthy of the calling with which we were called. This morning as we

Come to the communion table to remember what Jesus has done for us. We remember Jesus 2,000 years ago in the room with his disciples, giving them the bread and saying, this is my body which is broken for you. And giving them the cup saying, this is my blood which is shed for you. Not literally his body and his blood, but representing those things to his disciples, saying, I'm about to die on the cross for you. That your old nature,

Your sinful life, those things that you were bound to, could be put to death. That you may walk in newness of life and have an intimate relationship with me. What we remember as we come to the table of communion is what Paul shares with us in verse 2 of Ephesians 5. He says, walk in love as Christ also has loved us and given himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling life.

aroma. We remember what Jesus did on the cross for us. This morning, we must come with sober hearts. Paul having shown us very clearly the way that we should walk and the way that we shouldn't walk. Let's not be deceived. Let's look this portion straight in the eye and say, God, deal with my heart. Because the power of the cross is sufficient to deliver us from bondage to any sin.

The power of the cross is sufficient to remove the guilt from our lives and to wash us and to cleanse us from all sin as we confess it to the Lord. The power of the cross. It's where Jesus accomplished the victory. And we walk in love from this victory that God has given to us through his son, Jesus Christ. We are able to walk in newness of life through this victory that was given to us at the cross.

By Jesus Christ. And we receive it by faith. We receive it by faith. Believing God at his word. That as we invite him to be the Lord of our lives. As we invite him to be our savior. As we receive this work that he has done for us. That he has set us free. Past tense. Already done.

What does Paul say in Galatians 2.20? I've been crucified with Christ. My old nature, the old man, the sinful lifestyle, it's been included with Jesus on the cross, nailed to the tree, put to death. It no longer has dominion over me. But now the new life that I live, I live by faith in the Son of God. I live by faith, receiving the strength, the power, the deliverance, the freedom that was given to me at the cross.

Some of you this morning, as we come to the communion table, you need to repent. You need to let go of those things. To lay aside the weight and the sin that so easily entangles. To put off the old man and to put on the new creation that God has given to you. This is the perfect opportunity. As we come to the table this morning, come to the cross.

And find deliverance from the bondage to sin. Stop living that lifestyle by the power of God. Find forgiveness and freedom and grace and mercy and abundant love at the cross. We know what love is because of what Jesus did for us on the cross. And when we come to him, we find grace and mercy to help in time of need. So let's come boldly to the cross. Let's come boldly to the table.

We all need to walk in love. We must. As followers of Christ, it's the automatic response. It's the reasonable service. It's what happens when we put our faith and trust in Jesus Christ. And so let's come to the communion table this morning with a renewed commitment in our heart to be obedient to the word of God, to be an imitator of God and a follower of Jesus Christ, that we would die to ourselves and live for others just like Jesus did. If you need to repent,

There's some of these areas that are a part of your life. Repent. Let Him go. Lay Him aside by the power of the cross. God says He gives you everything that you need for life and godliness through the knowledge of Him. So draw close to Him in this time of communion. If you're here this morning and you're a guest, you don't know what communion is, you don't have to partake. Don't worry about it. But if you want to receive the work that Jesus has done on the cross, even if you've never...

Receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. You can do that right now. And every single one of us, as we hold that bread and hold that cup, let's do it with the understanding that we are receiving His body that was broken for us, His blood that was shed for us, that we might walk in newness of life. Let's pray. Lord Jesus, we come before you this morning. And Lord, right now we prepare our hearts before you. Lord, you've given to us these elements, the bread and the cup.

Lord, there's nothing special about them on their own by themselves. But Lord, they represent to us, per your instruction, your death on the cross, the deliverance that we find, the grace and mercy and forgiveness that we find in you, Jesus. And so God, I ask right now that you would search our hearts. Lord, that you would lay us completely open before you. Lord, if we are deceived, pierce through that deception, God. Open our eyes and open our hearts.

Lord, that we might surrender to you those areas of sin, those areas that need to be dealt with. Lord, we give you our hearts this morning and we ask, search us and know us. See if there's any wicked way within us, God, and lead us in the way of everlasting. Uncover those things in our hearts, Lord Jesus, we pray. Lord, because we come to the foot of the cross, where we don't find your condemnation upon us, your judgment towards us,

But Lord, we find the judgment that was supposed to be given to us delivered to your Son, Jesus. You received the punishment I deserved at the cross. And so Lord, I come to the cross not to find punishment and judgment, but to find grace and mercy. Lord, I come in obedience and faith, receiving what you've done for me. Thank you, Jesus. I pray, Lord, that you would continue to work in my heart and to work in all of our hearts as we worship you.

Lord, that we would surrender those areas that you're calling us to surrender, that we would find forgiveness and deliverance to walk in newness of life. Thank you, Jesus. You are so wonderful, and we love you. Amen. We pray you have been blessed by this Bible teaching. The power of God to change a life is found in the daily reading of his word. Visit ferventword.com to find more teachings and Bible study resources.