purity primer...

I trust this finds you encouraged after our “community” series from Ephesians 4-6. One theme of that portion of Scripture that encouraged me from the start was our mutual sense of responsibility and dependence that we have towards one another because of Christ’s work on the Cross. God’s activity of uniting us in one Body has massive implications in how we build up one another.

One of the ways this sense of interdependence plays out is in how we encourage one another in our specific battles with and struggles against the sin patterns that can entangle us in the world. Encouragement like that means that we are all equally aware of our own history in being freed from sin and our ongoing capacity to stumble in many ways… and I love the way that humility bears fruit like this. Often, some of the ways we’ve been most helpfully encouraged comes from those who have struggled and prevailed- ultimately because we’re aware that Christ became one of us, was tempted like us, and overcame sin for us. What a faithful God we serve.

With that in mind, we’re beginning a conversation this month on the topic of purity… specifically with application in the arenas of temptation regarding sexual immorality within the world and the joys of pursuing purity for the sake of knowing God better. Here’s how the month unfolds:

• Sun am 2/7: Jonathan Putnam will teach from 1 Corinthians 6
• Fri pm 2/12*: Darren Lander to married couples from 1 Cor 7
• Sat am 2/13*: Christine with ladies on purity in marriage
• Sat pm 2/13*: Paul Michaels to singles on the battle for purity
• Sun am 2/14: Paul Michaels will teach from Matthew 5
• Sun am 2/21: Eric Grover will teach from 1 Thessalonians 4
• Sun am 2/28: Darren Lander will teach from Romans 8
  * As you can probably tell, this weekend represents a concentrated time of teaching. I’d encourage you to make these meetings a priority if at all possible as I hope they will help us to fight for purity in a more concentrated and intention manner as a church.

This specific focus and application will be most noticeable on the 12th and 13th as these conversations will be intentionally directed to areas of sexual temptation in marriage and singleness. Therefore, FNL will be targeted towards married couples or couples moving towards marriage, Saturday’s women’s meeting is primarily going to be constructed as a follow-up to this conversation, and Saturday’s singles meeting is geared towards all singles and towards teens who have been prepared for this topic by their parents. Please feel free to call me if you have any questions.

the community and commitment...

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Ephesians 6:10-12

This past Sunday we celebrated God's faithfulness to our church over the past ten years. January 30, 2000 marked the day when a group of about 40 people with hopes and dreams for the Cleveland area first gathered to worship as Sovereign Grace Church. We've seen over this series that God's plans for us were larger and more sweeping than those that a typical church plant might have in mind: God wanted to represent His plans to unify everything in His Son- and He wanted to demonstrate His success through our lives, ambitions, and attitudes... not individually but corporately. God's plan for SGC is to put redemption on display so that others can marvel at His grace and power.

But Ephesians 6:10 introduces another set of plans... there are organized, powerful, deceitful forces that are dedicated to opposing God's plans in the church. Their battleground will be those "mundane moments, not mountaintop experiences" where we live and interact: the home, the workplace, our friendships. In short, the devil's in the details.

So what are we supposed to do about spiritual warfare? According to Ephesians 6, we're called to stand... to withstand the attack and to counterattack by claiming the promises of God. All of us are called to the same conviction: our job in this army is to stand on the glorious gospel of Christ. That kind of spiritual wrestling is marked by two firm convictions:

First, all of us are called to stand together. Paul's picture in Ephesians 6 is not of a lone soldier marching out to battle like David against Goliath. Paul portrays an army, lined up shoulder to shoulder and shield to shield in a united wall of resistance, gathering together for a battle in which the community of God battles the enemy of God by standing on the gospel of God. You and I are always tempted to "go it alone" and we often canonize those who live that way as heroes in Christianity. But my heroes are the folks who have helped me in my walk with Christ... the folks I get to serve each and every week with the word of God. I'm so grateful for my brothers and sisters who have known (some more and some less) of my struggles and have prayed for me and encouraged me, challenged me and reminded me. What a blessing from God to stand together!

Second, all of us are equipped to stand together. While Paul's reminder of the "armor of God" was likely informed by the Roman soldier, it's basis is in the character of God. Isaiah 59:17 says, "He put on righteousness as a breastplate, and a helmet of salvation on his head; he put on garments of vengeance for clothing, and wrapped himself in zeal as a cloak." Going to battle for Israel, God prepares by wrapping Himself in particular characteristics. As we head into battle, Paul wants to encourage us that God equips us (not with our own fortitude and ability) but with protection that comes from our being wrapped in Christ.

• His truth wraps us tightly... and should define our attitudes and speech as well.
• His righteousness protects our life... and should be interwoven with our right living as well.
• His salvation guards us from fatal blows by the enemy... and should guard our thoughts as well.
• His gospel gives us confidence to stand firm... and equips us to bring the message of grace to others as well.
• His promises shield us when attacked... and must be lifted up to extinguish the arrows of doubt and fear and feelings of failure and guilt that can plague believers who forget God's promises to forgive and change us.
• His sword stands ready to defend and attack the enemy... and we must keep it sharp by storing up His word that we might not sin against Him but rather overcome the enemy.

Do you feel the weight of this image? God has lent us His armor! We stand together as warriors in this church- called to stand here- but not ill-equipped. Instead, God takes His own nature and clothes us with traits that describe Him! What a privilege we then have to stand together, to raise up the next generation of warriors ready to fight for our King, to hold firm in battle with one another- ready to defend one another from the enemy. As you gather this week, I want to remind you of the quote we looked at from Sinclair Ferguson... what a privilege to do this together: “What is the believer to do? Raise the shield of faith. Refuse the lies that have burst into flame in the mind. Resolutely trust in Christ. Trust Him! Christ alone is our salvation. This is also the time to turn to others in the army and say, “Raise your shield of faith over me! Pray for me and share in protecting me! Reassure me of the truth and power of the gospel.”

the community on canvas...

"Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with all your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ." Ephesians 5:15-21

Isn't it amazing how often we use elegant and flowing language to talk about spiritual realities... and isn't it amazing how hard it is sometimes to give feet to those same inspiring words? We love to sing about and read about people who were under the Spirit's influence in the book of Acts- the disciples in the upper room (ch 2), Peter before the Jewish authorities (ch 4), Paul with a defiant sorcerer (ch 13)... we love it- we're inspired. We want to follow their examples, to walk in their footsteps... until we turn to Ephesians chapter 5.

Here, Paul has the audacity to suggest that those filled with the Spirit will live differently, not in bold public ways, but in the private and mundane moments of life... in marriage (5:22-33), in the home (6:1-4), and even at work (6:5-9). That's a challenge, because I'm not sure I want to live under the Spirit's influence in those settings... but as Sinclair Ferguson has said, "Mundane life, not mountaintop experience, is the sphere in which Satan appears."

So if we're going to resist Satan's influence in our church, let's back up and understand the passage above again. In short, Paul tells Christians who are serious about how they live, who "look carefully then how they walk" v 15-18...

• not to be unwise but wise (make sure they're eager to apply what they learn)
• not to be foolish but to understand God's will (be sure to live with an awareness of God's presence and desires)
• not to be drunk but to be filled with the Spirit (live not in self-indulgence of every desire but under the influence of the Spirit)

Now it's not always hard to identify people who are Spirit-filled because Paul gives three ways of noticing the Spirit's activity. Spirit-filled believers are people who are...

• worshipful (v19- using Scriptural beauty in conversation and in songs of worship)
• thankful (v 20- making sure that everything always leads us back to expressions of gratitude)
• deferential (v 21- lining up under the structures God placed within the community)

Here's where it gets tough: we like the idea of singing songs of worship and expressing gratitude for God's work. But what about those times when I don't like something... am I still supposed to be grateful? And what about those times when I disagree with somebody... am I still supposed to be submissive? How we answer those questions reveals our eagerness to be filled with the Spirit.

So here are a few questions to help us ascertain our eagerness for the Spirit's activity in our lives:

• Husbands- are you eager to love your wives like Jesus: sacrificially, gently, redemptively, personally... the way you'd care for your own body? It's what Jesus did and He wants us to put His love on display with the way you love your wife.
• Wives- are you eager to lean towards your husband's ideas and leadership: submissively, respectfully? Do those words describe the tone of your speech, the expression of your face, the attitude of your relationship? It's the privilege given you... not to mindlessly defer but to actively portray the way we are to respond to Jesus' loving care for us.
• Fathers- are you looking forward to the moments you have to train and bring up your children: for their maturity and success, not for their daily list of ways they've disappointed you and fallen short? Is the fruit of your parenting children who are moving towards mature obedience and honor or children who are more frequently provoked towards anger. The privilege of parenting is representing the authority of a loving Father and then transferring our children from living obediently under our authority to living obediently under His.
• Children- are you actively looking for ways to honor your parents and to obey your parent's authority? Although this changes as we move out from under our parents' provision, we're always called to honor them in the Lord. (As an aside but related: one of the greatest privileges I've had recently is to watch a generation of young adults make the transition from being kids and teens at SGC to young men and women who still lean towards their parents' wisdom and authority while seeking to obey God independently. This is fruit that grows steadily and surely during the teen years and ripens into a wonderful example for the next round of kids who have been watching how you live now. Thank you for your examples!)
• Workers- are you looking to obey your authorities at work? It's easy to do this for show or for promotion... but Paul's not content with that. Spirit-filled submission for the "slaves" of the 21st century involves heart-level deference to authority and Godward obedience ultimately toward God. Does that dominate your tone and conversation around the "water-coolers" of your workplace?
• Bosses- simply put, does your authority recognize the dignity and impartiality present within the kingdom of God? We're called to represent the authority that serves the good of the company without portraying our own personal superiority over others. Humility that's gospel-centered is the only lasting conviction that can motivate this type of attitude at work.

These contexts represent the mundane moments of life in which the Spirit of God fills us and enables us to represent Him and advance His kindgom. But we're opposed in this... more on that in the next post.