WHAT IS PROPER AMONG SAINTS? (Eph 5:3-4)

Let's all try to move in closer towards the middle so we have extra seats on the outside.

As we are getting seated, I just want to thank you all for being here.

I just want to remind you that we have our first Wednesday night Bible studies starting this Wednesday.

Are there any youth out there?

It's hard to see you all the lights.

We will be meeting at Shadrach's.

Are y 'all pumped for that or what?

I know some of the older students are jealous of us so.

More the merrier so if you want to swing by and see the youth on Wednesday.

It'll be a Shadrach's just up the road and the adults will be in here and all that will start at

630.

And so we do have a children's ministry, so if you are a guest or If you have

kids the age we will be able to facilitate that as well and so.

Once again, we just want to welcome everybody here, especially the members of 12 five you are loved and we

appreciate your service.

Utilizing your gifts to the body.

And so we also may are just being obedient to what we've been Called to do.

The writer of Hebrew says that we are not to neglect the gathering together of the Saints.

So thank you so much members that are in covenant fellowship with one another and if you are a guest or

regular attender.

You are loved too, and we want to thank you so much for being here.

And if you get a chance, please fill out one of our connect cards.

We'd love to get to know you more and pray for you and so with that being said.

Our prayer this morning is that all of us would grow in the grace and knowledge and love of the triune

God.

Amen.

And so as we do every Lord's Day, we lift up a local church in prayer.

And so this morning, we're going to be praying for Mount Zion Baptist Church.

So if you would please join me and pray Heavenly Father we wish to lift up Mount Zion Baptist Church

Lord.

We pray for their leadership.

God that you would give them wisdom.

God that you would bless Men in the church to be able to rally around you King

Jesus and that you would impress upon their hearts.

To serve you well.

God and also the women.

God and all the people that you bring there.

God we pray that you would give their people a heart of service.

God to just be a beacon of light in this community in Walcott.

Lord, we love you.

We pray for your blessing on Mount Zion Baptist Church in your name Jesus.

We pray All right, if you would please stand for our call to worship.

We will be looking at Psalm chapter 1 together.

The King David says blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked.

His

delight is in the law of the Lord.

He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season.

The wicked are not so.

Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment

for the Lord knows the way of the righteous.

Let's

pray again this morning.

Heavenly Father we adore you and all that you are God.

We lift up your your name.

That is holy Lord, I pray that this morning that we would not be distracted.

But that we would rest in your grace and your provision in our lives.

Lord, please give us ears to hear and a heart.

To listen to your word.

God, please impress upon us to worship you in spirit and in truth.

We love you Jesus.

We pray this in your name.

You bring

us out

so we are

children

yet

Generation

C.

You're

strong

in

my

gracious hand.

Gracious hand provides for all.

First

of a

wicked

man new

Christ.

Our

scripture

reading this morning comes from Romans chapter 8.

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

The law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.

For God has done what the law weakened by the flesh could not do by sending his own son in the

likeness of sinful flesh.

And for sin he condemned sin in the flesh in order that the righteous Requirement of the law might be

fulfilled in us who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh.

But those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit.

But to set the mind on the flesh is death.

But to set the mind on the Spirit is life in peace.

For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God for it does not submit to God's law.

Indeed it cannot.

Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

He's

here,

He's

here,

He's all,

sing with

me, He's

all, in time,

of all

names,

sing it

out, for the name,

you are, word, how great, one

more

time,

how

great

is our

God,

just

our

voices,

sing

it out,

and

how great,

how great, is our God, amen, amen, you

can be

seated.

All right, this is our time for giving and offering what God has blessed us with in our

life to be able to reflect and prayerfully Contemplate about what he would have us give back to

to him.

So if you would please join me in prayer.

Heavenly Father, I just want to lift up this time of giving.

God I pray that no one here God would give under compulsion or of necessity.

God I pray that we'd give from a place of cheerfulness got a heart of love.

God as we've been singing about your name is above all names.

God you own everything.

God your word tells us you own a cattle on a thousand hills and everything else.

God I pray that we would give out of an abundance of a heart of joy and thankfulness to you

Jesus Lord.

We love you.

Pray these things in your name.

Go ahead and open up your copy of God's Word to Ephesians.

Ephesians chapter 5 and We are going to be looking primarily at verses 3

and 4 today.

But we're gonna start reading in verse 1 so we can understand the context and read on through.

I think we are in week 44 of Of our study through Ephesians if I'm not

mistaken, and so this has been a blessed time for our church.

I was speaking with someone the other day and we were talking about The spiritual

maturity that we are seeing being worked out in our church and

We're seeing in individual lives growing in the faith growing in spiritual maturity we even see it in

ourselves, hopefully a little bits at a time and and That is not due to us that is not

due to our circumstances that is not due to a building that is not due to each other.

Necessarily that is primarily due to the fact that God's Word never returns void

it always does what it sets out to do and We have been walking through this book that has shown us what

it means to be part of the body.

And so we are trusting in God's providential work in our lives to work through and in us in his

word.

So let's let's start reading there in verse 1 of chapter 5 where Paul says therefore be imitators of

God as beloved children.

And walk in love as as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us a fragrant offering

and sacrifice to God.

Of a sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must must not even be named among you

as is proper among saints.

Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking which are out of place, but

instead let there be Thanksgiving.

For you may be sure of this that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure or who is

covetous.

That is an idolater has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.

But no one deceive you with empty words for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of

disobedience.

Therefore do not become partners with them.

This is the reading of God's Holy Word.

Let's let's once again stop and pray.

Let's let's ask the the the Holy Spirit to illuminate our hearts and minds to this wonderful truth.

Lord we bow our heads before you in humility

acknowledging that We are but the creature.

You are the creator you have given us

your word and it is clear.

It is good.

It is right and in our Flesh.

We.

Struggle understanding it and we most certainly struggle obeying it so we

ask this morning that you work in our hearts and minds as You renew our thoughts and our

minds that that you mold us together as a people.

Mold us into obedience to your word.

Guard my lips from error.

Guard their ears from hearing anything that is not true from this word.

In Christ's name.

Amen.

Amen.

Well in the last half of chapter 4 Paul begins this process of calling

us to live in light of this great.

This great inheritance the great inheritance that you and I have in Christ.

The one that that he has spoken extensively on in chapters 1 through 3 the full first half of

Ephesians was just about Doctrine and who you are in Christ and how Christ has brought you into this.

And he does so by by telling us there in chapter 4 to no longer walk as

Unbelievers to no longer walk as as those who live in the futility of their

minds but for us to put off that old self the futility of mind

and to actively Put on the new self.

To actively pursue living in the power of the Holy Spirit that is within you now.

Here's the thing because when we walk in the old self we walk in the flesh that that old futility.

We grieve the Holy Spirit that is within us.

Don't we so Paul says and In the process we do harm to ourselves and we do

harm to each other in the body.

We do harm to the church.

We do harm to the very body of Christ that he is building.

And we got to the beginning of chapter 5 last week and we saw that putting on this new is

essentially Imitating God, isn't it?

Pursuing actively putting on the new self is imitating God and Imitating God is

walking in love as Paul said there and I believe verse 2.

And we can only define love how?

We can only define the love of God.

Because God is love and God is what defines love and It is only seen

in the person and work of Jesus Christ, isn't it?

Right.

No one has seen the Father except through Christ.

He has shown us that tremendous love in Christ and here as as we make it to verse 3 I

believe that Paul is contrasting that walk in love with the Perversion

of love with the earthly sinful distortion of that love.

One that the world not only walks in but the world is enslaved to you and I were once

enslaved to it.

We were trapped by it.

We did nothing but the perversion of love.

That's all we had.

That's all we had to offer.

That you and I even though we've been made anew we often default

To live in that old self, don't we and it's when we are not actively

putting on the new self.

And it is obvious even at first glance that that walking in love imitating God is

self sacrifice.

But we we saw that perfectly exemplified in the life of Christ, that's what we talked about

last week.

However what we see Paul listing here and starting in verse 3 it screams self

-indulgence.

So let's take a closer.

Look at it.

Look at it with me with there at verse 3 in chapter 5.

What does he say?

He says but sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness Must

not even be named among you as is proper among Saints.

Well, the first thing that Paul lists here in contrast to walking in love Is sexual immorality.

We see this phrase all through the New Testament.

New Testament speaks quite a bit about this.

You see that phrase all throughout the New Testament and sometimes I'll be honest I read it and I

know you do too.

We read a phrase like that sexual immorality and our self -righteousness or

self -excusing.

Self -preserving.

Justification kicks in doesn't it?

We read something like that.

No, I think well after all I don't cheat on my spouse.

You might not have a have a spouse it but you might be thinking well I'm not out there just hooking up like the hookup culture out there in the

world.

I'm not doing all of that.

And we think whoo boy.

I'm glad I'm not guilty of at least that one and we just kind of skim over it.

Don't we?

Well, maybe we should take a closer look.

Maybe we should stop for a second set aside our own self -righteousness and think

in the Greek.

The word that we translate into sexual immorality is porneia.

You can hear it.

It's where we get our word pornography.

So does this phrase?

Refer to adultery and promiscuity.

Well, yeah, of course it does.

Of course it does yet it encompasses Much it takes on a

whole another level of meaning when you understand what Paul's saying here.

As a matter of fact if you remember in the Sermon on the Mount and we went through that just a few months ago as we're Walking through in chapter 5 and

Matthew chapter 5 starting in verse 27.

What did Jesus say Jesus says?

Hey, hey, you've heard it said and then he quotes the Old Testament law that they were using right?

You shall not commit adultery.

They they were proud of themselves.

I'm not out there committing adultery.

I'm not committing the act of adultery and Jesus goes but I say to you everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent

He's already committed adultery in his heart.

And if you were with us, then you will remember Jesus is not adding to the law here as some might think they

think well man Jesus comes and he just adds more on top of the law.

He takes the you shall not commit adultery and you just hold another level.

No Jesus came to define the law.

Jesus came in and said you think you're able to adhere to the law by just not

Participating in the physical act what I'm saying is what's in your heart is already adultery.

Hmm.

We think we're okay because we've somehow restrained ourselves from the physical act of that sexual

immorality.

Yet have wondering eyes and thoughts.

You see sexual immorality is absolutely anything.

Absolutely.

Hear me out anything that goes against God's prescribed created order of

intimacy between a husband and a wife and Yes, that includes

thoughts and intents and Paul places this in

contrast to walking in love.

Hey, you're supposed to walk in love.

You're supposed to be imitating God who is love and Here this this has no place.

Paul says in 1st Thessalonians chapter 4 he says for this is the will of God.

Hey, I get that question a lot people come to me and they say well pastor.

What's the will of God for my life?

What's the will of God for my life?

I'm like, well actually come on.

Let me show you I can show you it tells us that's what Paul said.

He said this is the will of God.

You want to know what the will of God is?

He says your sanctification.

Your sanctification you're walking in the new self, that's the will of God.

And he goes on he says What is sanctification?

What does sanctification look like that you abstain from?

Pornea sexual immorality.

That you abstain this is one of the first things Paul says.

This is sanctification that's being worked out in our hearts and our minds.

We're participating in that now that we've been brought into faith and we're walking in this and God is saying

walk put on the new Self no longer walk in the old self.

The new self is Sanctification.

This is the will of God to abstain from this.

And it's interesting that he says abstain from sexual immorality.

Because it's almost as if Paul's implying that we all have a propensity towards it.

I'm sure there are very few of you out there that might have the gift of singleness and don't have the problem.

But for them for the vast majority of us This is an issue and to grow in that sanctification is to

flee from it to abstain from it to run from it to stay Away from it to kill

it at every turn when it pops into our minds and our hearts.

Well, look at what Paul mentions next.

He just keeps diving it deeper here.

Look at back at verse 3 the sexual immorality and.

All.

Impurity this term that Paul uses it adds here.

It's it's it's a more general term than pornea.

You see this impurity this refers to anything anything that is unclean or filthy.

Anything that is unclean or filthy.

As a matter of fact you Jesus used this very word to describe the rottenness of a

decaying body in a tomb.

When over and I think it's Matthew 23 when he compared the Pharisees to the whitewashed tombs.

He uses the same phrase.

So it's decay.

It's rottenness.

It's it's death.

After all, what is sin?

Sin is death right it leads to death.

He he takes this further.

Right.

Paul doesn't just point to sexual sin.

He he takes it to the next step.

He doubles down.

He says he says all impurity not just your thoughts and

actions in in in that other way, but now all filthiness again

anything and everything that falls short of holiness and Righteousness because

that's what we're to walk in right.

This includes and I'm gonna get very practical here for a second.

I don't do this very often.

You know that I usually try and just stick to the text and say, okay.

Let's say the Holy Spirit's gonna do the work.

But there's just some obvious things that stick out in the text sometimes you can bring out the practical.

So that's what I'm gonna do right now.

And so if I hit a little too close to home, I'm not aiming at you specifically.

I'm probably aiming at myself more.

This includes what we watch.

This includes what we listen to.

This includes what we read.

It includes what we think about.

It includes who we spend time with.

No impurity all.

Impurity is off the table for us.

Now I have to be careful I'm not talking about some type of legalism.

But here's the thing all of us know whatever you consume it's in you, isn't it?

Whatever you take in to these eyes and these ears and this thought it's in you it becomes part of you.

It's inside of you a steady diet of impurity will certainly lead to spiritual heart disease.

It will always corrupt from the inside.

Is he spirit.

The scripture never promotes some type of off -the -grid Amish lifestyle because that's our flesh.

When I say that I know exactly what you're thinking the same thing.

Man if I follow this to its logical conclusion that I just I have to live out in the woods and detach from electricity and

phones and TV and detach from everything and I have to I have to remove myself from every Temptation of

the world, but that's not what scripture promotes.

But it does certainly say something about consuming entertainment that glorifies sin.

It most certainly says something about that.

I want you to look at what he says next though.

Look back at verse 3.

It says but sexual immorality and all impurity or

Covetousness, I think there's some confusion as to why this is in here scholars as you read through you're like man.

He's dealing with like sexual morality and something that's really tied to sexual morality impurity.

And then all of a sudden he throws it like covetousness like why not another sin like covetousness.

I think it's as if Paul is starting with the lesser to the greater sin to the bigger sin.

He specifies a specific sin and sexual immorality.

Then he he zooms out a little bit and he says he says oh and guess what any and all impurity

and then he zooms out even more and I and now I think Paul cuts right to the heart to the core of what

leads us to any of these Things and it's covetousness.

Essentially greed.

All of us carry this in our hearts we know it's sin and we justify it so often.

Well, he actually defines what he means let's let's clarify what he means.

Paul clarifies it for us.

As a matter of fact look down at verse 5.

He lists those same things off again in verse 5 later on.

He says for you may be sure of this that everyone who is there sexually immoral or impure or who is?

Covetous and then you see in parentheses a definition of what he means that is an

idolater.

Somebody that is covetous is an idolater is what Paul is saying.

Right, what is covetous idolatry.

As a matter of fact turn with me over to the book of James keep your hand there in our passage in Ephesians.

But I want you to look at James chapter 4.

Where Paul is speaking in verses 1 and 2 he's warning against worldliness here

in James chapter 4.

Starting in verse 1.

He asked the question.

He says hey, what causes quarrels and what causes fights among you?

What what causes this in you.

Is it not this?

That your passions are at war within you.

You see the you see the connection here to what we're saying.

Paul said and Ephesians put off the old self and put on the new.

Well your passions that are a war within you.

That's the old self still fighting still warring against you.

He says you desire and you do not have so what do you do?

You murder.

Why does anyone murder they desire and do not have where the wars come from they desire and do

not have their covetous.

Look at the next part.

He says you covet and Cannot obtain there's that word you covet and cannot

obtain.

So what do you do you fight and quarrel?

It's greed.

It's me.

It's my desires, it's what I want.

It's what I think is rightfully mine.

And it leads me to all types of sin.

The moral law of God that in the Ten Commandments says we were to have no other God before him.

Have no other God before him.

What does that mean?

What does it mean to have no other God before him?

You see it's anything that you and I desire.

Seek comfort in.

Rely on chase after can't live without.

Anything and everything that pulls us away from total reliance on his Providence

rest in his sovereign control and obedience to his commands is Idolatry

when we covet.

You and I are desiring something other than him.

When I covet I'm desiring something other than God

and it's for my own gratification.

It's for myself.

Leading us to to all types of debauchery, doesn't it?

Why do you fall prey to sexual sin?

Why do we fall prey to it?

Well, the world would say well, you're just wired for that.

Just it's only natural.

But why are we drawn to it?

Because we long to gratify our own flesh.

Leading us to treat other image bearers other human beings made in the image of

God as nothing more than an object.

To be used to fulfill my desire.

Covetousness leads me to this.

What I long for.

Why do we fall prey to all types of impurity things that dishonor God because he is not our

hearts desire.

We have an idol.

Maybe self.

Whatever it is.

It's not God on the throne of what you most desire.

Look to.

We desire something else we covet that other thing that idol.

All of this is the opposite of love.

It is self indulgence every bit of it.

And.

What does Paul say about these things.

Look back at the verse in verse 3 in chapter 5.

The sexual morality and all impurity or covetousness must not even

Be named among you.

What does Paul mean by this?

What is he saying it these three things?

Shouldn't even be named among us.

Is he saying that we can't even speak of these things in any way.

Is he saying don't even bring them up don't bring them up in front of everybody.

Don't even bring them to the table because the problem with that that idea is in this case Paul's broken his own

rule.

He's brought him up here.

After all, we must preach and teach against these sins, right?

They're present in our world.

They're obvious.

They're here.

Are we not to name them?

Well, I think we can gain a better understanding of what Paul means here in the next phrase.

Look at it.

He says these things these three things must not even be named among you as.

Is.

Proper among Saints.

I think one way to maybe translate this that might be helpful for you to think of.

Is that these three things must not even be named among you in such a way as is

improper.

These things should not be named among you in such a way as is improper.

It must not be present.

See if you and I are in Christ, what are we?

What's the phrase for us that are in Christ?

What are we at this moment?

Paul's been talking about it in the letter so far.

Saints right.

Saints we are Saints.

We've been set apart.

We you and I have been made a people unto himself and our actions and our lifestyle should

represent that.

To act like to be like the world like the old self has no place in our lives.

It has no place in our midst.

It has no place amongst us as believers.

We are something altogether different a dwelling place for the Lord God has made his

dwelling place amongst us and then we bring the corruption of the world into his very temple.

It has no place amongst us does it?

Let me give you an example, you know all earthly examples fall short of a spiritual reality.

I said it all the time, so don't read too much into it.

But I think this may be give us a visual here have you ever seen an older man like like up in his

up in age who He tries to keep up with the times a little much and he dresses

hip.

He dresses like a 20 year old.

Very fashionably, right?

It just looks unnatural, doesn't it?

It's not it's it doesn't look good.

It's like the guys the older guys over 40 wearing skinny jeans.

They look like a pug standing up on their back two legs.

You know what I'm talking about here's a man up there in his age who should have an

aura of wisdom and maturity about him at this time in his life who has experienced enough of

life to realize the futility and vanity of dressing stylishly and Just given up on all of that

stuff for more important things, but his foolishness is paraded all over him.

His ignorance is paraded all over him and his outfits and his lifestyle.

It's not proper for the stage of life that this man is in it stands out like a sore thumb, doesn't it?

It's it's uncomfortable to be around it.

You see this is the same masquerading as the world.

Living in the old self.

It's the 70 year old guy trying to dress like he's 20.

It's something completely different and it's unnatural.

This has no place.

The old self is not fitting for the new self.

It has no place there.

They they're as Paul will say in verse 4 later on out of place.

This is out of place.

This is this has no place here amongst the Saints.

It is out of order.

So what is proper among the Saints?

What is proper for us as believers within the body of Christ?

Well.

Paul goes on to tell us and he starts with a negative what it's not.

Leading us to a positive of what is proper look at verse 4.

He says let there

be no filthiness Nor foolish talk

Nor crude joking Which are out of place.

How can we tell?

When sexual morality and purity and covetousness are being named among us.

How can we tell when they're in our midst?

How can we tell when they're in our own hearts and lives?

What's in the heart?

Comes out the mouth.

It's pretty obvious, isn't it?

You spend time with anyone you want to get to know somebody.

You want to know who they really are.

Just stand back and let them talk.

Just let them talk.

You'll find out who they are real quick because what's in here will always come out here.

They can only restrain it for so long.

You see Paul has already addressed this back in chapter 4.

Remember in verse 29.

He says let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths.

No.

Perverted distorted.

Corrupting talk come out of your mouths because of the harm that it does to the listener.

Because of the harm that it does to those around hearing the corrupting talk come out.

But Paul is taking a different angle here in chapter 5.

And shows us how it is unseemly and out of place for us as Believers who are

saints?

Well first he says look at the beginning there.

Let there be no filthiness.

Some of your translations may say Obscenity and in the context

that Paul uses it here.

It is equivalent to a filthy language.

Filthy language the root of the same word is used by Paul over in Colossians chapter 3 when

he says.

But now.

You must put them all away.

Now when you see in Scripture a command like that I mean you need to stop in your tracks, right?

You must put them all away.

He's saying again.

He's saying put off the old put on the new.

Be active in this put these away.

And he goes off to list anger.

Put it away wrath.

Put it away malice.

Put it away slander.

Put it away and Obscene talk it's the same root word here

Obscene talk.

And he says from the mouth Put it away.

Get rid of it.

Look at what he says next actually in verse 4 let there be no filthiness.

Nor.

Foolish talk and the word that Paul uses here means

stupid babble or foolish speech.

This as Paul says is out of place for a saint because it has no purpose.

Foolish talk has no purpose.

Its only goal is tearing down.

There's no neutrality in speech.

There's no neutrality in intentions.

None.

You are actively building up or you are actively tearing down.

We're told as Christians to grow up in every way to no longer be children.

I think of this in this way if you ever have you ever been around a group of middle school boys and

Heard their conversation.

It's maddening, isn't it?

It's it's pure chaos.

It's it's totally nonsensical.

It is riddled with utter foolishness.

Understandably so though.

They've yet to grow and into mature manhood.

They've yet to grow up.

They're still children.

But have you ever been around a group of adult men who Maybe aren't directly speaking

of foul things.

Maybe they're not telling dirty jokes and using foul language, but their conversations are

foolish and lacking substance.

Just foolishness.

That's the world.

The world has no substance to offer.

It has nothing there and darkness and utter darkness.

And we once were but sometimes we bring this foolish talk to the table.

This foolishness comes to the table here.

I'm not talking about goofing around and having fun.

There's a difference.

I've met guys that their conscience is so pricked on this when they're around a group of guys and the group of guys aren't talking About

theology.

They're like I feel like we're in sin.

That's not the way it works here, but there's a fine line here.

I'm talking about the type of speech that has no purpose.

It has no meaning has no substance.

No goal of edification.

It's incoherent and thoughtless.

That's not what we're called to as believers and Here's the problem.

What's the problem with foolish talk?

Childish talk immature talk.

What's the problem with it?

Just just nonchalant.

Just goofing around and being stupid like the world.

What's the issue with it?

Because It usually leads to what Paul says next.

Look back at verse 4.

Let there be no fool it filthiness nor foolish talk.

I'm no crude joking.

Now just as I mentioned earlier about sexual impurity we can we can read this phrase and think oh, man I'm so

I.

I'm good pastor.

I don't ever tell dirty jokes.

I'm totally covered here.

That's okay.

But the word that Paul uses here, it's difficult to translate.

Is he depending on its its derivation?

It can be quite innocent.

This word could be quite innocent here that Paul uses its literal meaning is that which turns easily

or simply versatile.

That which turns easy can flip very easily.

It's in reference to a person that can hop from subject to subject.

Essentially a very sharp individual somebody that can in conversation.

You want to start talking about this topic over here.

They're able to make that switch back and forth and they they're very versatile in their ability to speak.

However, depending on the the context this same phrase can be used when speaking about someone who is

quick to turn any Subject and topic into something crude and inappropriate

using things such as like a double entendre, I Think I'm pronouncing that right?

That sounds good.

Thank you.

Yeah taking something that is seemingly benign and innocent and

Making it something filthy.

I think that's why it's translated crude joking here.

Not I'm gonna be honest.

This is This used to be me.

This used to be me.

I used to struggle this I I have personally had to mortify the flesh over the years on this

feeling the weight and convicting power from God's Word because Because it's so easy even

someone that has grown up in the church grown up in a healthy church around godly men.

I even find myself so easily be able to turn a phrase or to begin to stand there in the midst of

foolish talk and Take something seemingly innocent and switch it to something

foul.

Paul says these things are out of place.

So why are they out of place?

Why do they have no place amongst us?

Well, I Personally used to make the excuse that we were just having fun.

We were harming nobody.

We weren't hurting anybody standing there after all.

I'm cautious about who I say it in front of and I'm with the guys.

I'm not saying anything.

They haven't heard before.

Seems innocent, doesn't it?

But look at what Paul says next.

Just let there be no filthiness or foolish talking or crude joking which are out of place.

That should be enough.

But then he gives us the positive.

But.

Instead.

Let there be Thanksgiving.

He doesn't leave us with the negative of hey Christian don't do these things.

Just stop doing them.

He points us to something better.

To something that is more that something that is of benefit.

Turn with your Bibles one more time with me to Colossians chapter 3.

Colossians chapter 3.

I want you to see what Paul says here in verses 15 through 17.

Colossians chapter 3.

Paul says starting there in verse 15.

He says and let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts.

To which indeed you were called in one body.

We speaking of the body of Christ, right?

He's speaking of us the one body brought together each one of us as saints and.

Be thankful be thankful.

Right you've been called to this.

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts.

How you doing that we're being thankful we.

Verse 16.

Let the Word of Christ Hold on the Word of

Christ.

Is there anything crude or foolish or Filthy in that

the Word of Christ.

I Hope your heads are saying no.

There's nothing crude filthy.

There are foolish in the Word of Christ.

The Word of Christ is sufficient and good.

It's life -giving.

Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly.

Remember what's in here comes out there, right?

What's in here comes out this mouth.

And so if the Word of Christ is dwelling in you richly.

What are you gonna do teaching and admonishing?

That's an external that's coming out of the mouth through your actions.

Through the way you live.

Through the way that you speak through every intent and purpose you have is teaching and Admonishing one another in

all wisdom.

The foolishness and incoherence is gone from all of this.

There's no place amongst us.

This is something greater.

He says singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs with thanksgiving in your hearts to God.

Look at verse 17 and whatever you do in Word

how you speak or deed what you do.

Do.

Everything does it say whatever you speak and

whatever you do when you're at church.

Let's say whatever you speak or whatever you do most of the time.

Whatever you speak whatever you do with some things you can categorize your Christian life and then you can live like the

world elsewhere.

That's not what he says.

Is it he says do everything.

Absolutely down to the down to the fine print.

Every single thing in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ giving thanks to God the Father through

him.

This is the life of a believer.

This is the Christian life here.

All of the other stuff has no place amongst us.

Foolish talk and crude joking are forms of selfishness, aren't they?

That's what we've already come to the conclusion, right?

These are forms of selfishness.

Me.

Look at me pay attention to me.

Look at look at how quick I can turn this how how creative I am or how how?

How smart I am or whatever you want to think.

But Thanksgiving is an expression of unselfishness.

You cannot be selfish and thankful at the same time.

Try it.

Because the moment you become selfish you can no longer be thankful.

You say you're thankful but you're not being thankful.

When you were thankful you were acknowledging that you deserve nothing.

Seriously, maybe I should stop.

You're acknowledging right that you deserve nothing.

Leading you to not desire for everyone to look at me and pay attention to me.

When thankfulness is in your heart you appropriately pointed to the object of that thankfulness.

The one that you were thankful to.

Your life will be one that desires to point absolutely everything to him.

The one that is so graciously purchased us made us into a new creation

the triune God, right.

And be thankful to the triune God.

God the Father who loved us before the foundation of the world.

God the Son who came and purchased us by blood ransom.

God the Holy Spirit who indwells in us and seals us for the day of glory for our glorious

inheritance, right?

That's thankfulness.

This should incite than us.

What what we should be doing which is one of praise one of Thanksgiving this glorious truth should

inform it should guide.

It should consume all of our thoughts and intentions and speech.

Every bit of it.

I'm not saying you have to go to every party and everything.

It's and only talk about theology but if your speech is something that pulls anyone

here or not or even yourself away from Thanksgiving to the glory of God then

it is wrong and it has no place amongst us.

It's meaningless.

It's foolish.

It's childish.

It has no purpose other than to tear down.

Every action from our mouths should be an expression of this thankfulness.

Every word and every action of our lives should scream out the glory of God.

So Saints.

Let there be no sexual immorality.

No impurity or covetousness named among us, but what is

proper among us Saints.

Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking.

Those things are out of place instead.

Let there be Thanksgiving.

May our thankfulness to God just flow from us.

Because what's in here?

It's gonna come out here.

You show me a person who continually Speaks in crude ways dishonoring ways

to God and I will show you a person who is not thankful to the Creator.

See if you were struggling with these things today in your life.

I Encourage you to continually have your mind renewed by his word.

Keep going back to it consume it.

We I said a moment ago All of the what we watch what we listen to what we read all of

those things whatever is coming in Right is gonna corrupt us.

May your life be saturated in the word and goodness and truth.

Confess your sins one to another so that your brothers and sisters can rally around you and pray for you in

moments of weakness.

That God would deliver you from that idolatry.

For those of you in here who are not actively participating Covenant members of a healthy church.

This will most certainly be impossible for you.

Do not think that.

You cannot be a active participating member of a healthy church and accomplish this.

That common means of grace is absolutely essential for you.

So you're fighting an uphill battle.

You will not win that.

You must have that.

But I want to speak to those of you in here because I know there must be some Who have no desire to submit

yourselves to the word and to holiness?

You're sitting here hearing me say it.

You're going.

Yeah, I feel a little guilty, but I'm gonna keep doing it.

I don't often say this.

But friend you are probably not in Christ.

I don't care what prayer you prayed.

I Don't care what waters you were dunked in.

I don't care what membership card you have at whatever church.

Christ's sheep hear his voice and they desire to obey him.

It's pretty cut -and -dry now, unfortunately.

None of us are able to do this perfectly.

None of us perfectly desire it.

None of us can perfectly obey it.

And this Saint is where we continually rest in the finished work of Christ.

Amen.

This is hope because you can feel it you feel the tension you feel in your own heart and conviction.

You see the words the words never return void.

They penetrate into your mind and you go.

I see it.

I gotta bend the knee to it.

I I want to obey God.

I'm just struggling to do so will continually look to Christ and rest in the finished work of the

cross.

And thankfully we see this sacrifice every week in the ordinance of the Lord's Supper, don't we?

That's why we do it.

It's ever -present before us.

We can look and see what our great Savior has done for us.

You and I were not able To save ourselves were we.

You and I were not able to do right to be right.

We still struggle with doing anything, right?

Don't we that we were left to or if it was left to us, we

would all be without hope.

I Saw a quote this week that was very good.

One of you shared it said if if salvation is 99 .9

God and 0 .001 man, we would all be damned.

Because God is the one that did it he sent his son his son

willingly came.

Live the life.

We could not live died the death.

We deserved and rose from the dead declaring victory and Now sets the right hand of the

Father interceding for us those that are his.

And he he says my righteousness is placed on you.

Remember that when we go to this table.

You remember when the wine the blood that was shed for us?

Paid for us that perfect spotless blood.

The body that was given over for us and the bread.

Remember this great sacrifice.

Rest in it if you have to repent if you need to go before God and lay some of these

sins down of the way you have Spoken the way that you carry yourself the way that you think or or any other

thing me or pastor Jeremiah will be up here.

We will pray with you if you desire.

But you don't need us.

You can go to the right to the source.

You go to the Lord and lay that down and then come.

Joyfully to the table.

Knowing there's therefore no condemnation for those that are in Christ Jesus.

Oh Man it's it's so Glorious, isn't

it?

I can't think of a better word anybody think of a better word than glorious.

I say it all the time, but it's my favorite word because it is this is a glorious truth.

Let's pray that God would be honored in our time of worship for those of you in here.

By the way that aren't familiar with how we do this.

Table on this side and there's a table on that side.

You can come around the outsides and get in line take the wine and the bread.

There is juice on the backsides.

So the front is wine.

The back is grape juice for conscience sake.

You can partake of that.

Come back to your seats through the center and you can pray as a family.

You can pray individually.

You can pray in a group you can partake right there.

And then we will come back together as we do every week and sing the doxology and praise to our triune God.

Let us pray dear Heavenly Father.

We ask that you continue to do that great work in our

hearts that.

That you began.

That we know that you are continually doing and that you will finish.

We love.

We'd love that we get to stand redeemed Clean as Saints even when there is

filthiness that comes from our mouths even when we fall prey to crude joking and and and all types

of impurity and Lord, even when we do that our glorious Savior

standing there going child.

I even paid for that.

How'd he paid for it?

You were stiff.

You were in good standing with the father.

Because I was perfect.

I never fell prey to it.

Help us to remember this truth today as we come to this table and we

partake of these elements and Lord we know

Jesus that you are you are with us even now.

But you are with us uniquely.

You express your presence with us uniquely at this table.

So I pray that all of us the Saints would experience Your loving arms

and acceptance and grace be honored in our worship

in Christ's name.

Amen.