• As God the Holy Spirit continues to convict the hearts of people to turn to God the Father through our relationship with God the Son, we will see people rise up to do good things In His Name for His Name’s sake.
• When it comes to our Faith, we must think triadic.
• In the same way our Faith is influenced by a triune God, there’s also three influences that comes against us.
  • The world, the flesh, and the devil.

Ephesians 2:1-10 (ESV)

1 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.

4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

• The letter of Ephesians it’s divided into two parts.
  • The first half focuses on our calling.
  • The second half focuses on our conduct.

In the first half (Ephesians 1-3), there are three key teachings:

1) Christ headship over His body (Ephesians 1:22-23)

Ephesians 1:22-23 (ESV)

And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.

2) Unity in Christ’s body (Ephesians 2:19-22)

Ephesians 2:19-22 (ESV)

19 So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, 21 in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. 22 In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.

3) The glory that the body gives to the Head (Ephesians 3:20-21)

Ephesians 3:20-21 (ESV)

Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

• In the second half we see many imperative teachings on conduct. For example: Do not grieve the Holy Spirit.

Ephesians 4:30 (ESV)

And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.

Ephesians 4:25-32 (ESV)

25 Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another. 26 Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, 27 and give no opportunity to the devil. 28 Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need. 29 Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. 32 Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.

• Grieving the Holy Spirit = speaking corrosive words that tear down members of the body whom the Spirit is building together in unity.

If Christ is not the head, then we are under the wrong headship.

Three Dark Influences Competing For Your Headship:

#1) THE WORLD

Ephesians 2:2a… “following the course of this world”

• John 3:16 – world = kosmos =  earth; inhabitants of the earth; humanity; creation.
• Ephesians 2:2 – world = kosmos = that which is against God; opposed to God
• course = aiōn = period of time; age of time; may refer to the mindset, customs, and practices of those who are estranged from God.

Romans 12:2 (ESV)

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

Matthew 6:9-10 (ESV)

Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

The patterns of this world:

A) MORALS

Isaiah 5:20 (ESV)

Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!

Proverbs 17:15 (ESV)

He who justifies the wicked and he who condemns the righteous are both alike an abomination to the Lord.

Psalm 14:1–3 (ESV)

The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds; there is none who does good. The Lord looks down from heaven on the children of man, to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God. They have all turned aside; together they have become corrupt; there is none who does good, not even one.

Matthew 5:6 (ESV)

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

Isaiah 1:17 (ESV)

learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow’s cause.

Colossians 3:5–10 (ESV)

Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. On account of these the wrath of God is coming. In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.

B) PLEASURES

Matthew 15:19 (ESV)

For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander.

Jeremiah 17:9 (ESV)

The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?

If you follow your heart, you are following the patterns of this world.

1 John 2:15–17 (ESV)

Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.

Colossians 1:10 (ESV)

so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God;

Psalm 19:14 (ESV)

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.

Ephesians 5:10 (ESV)

and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord.

Psalm 147:11 (ESV)

but the Lord takes pleasure in those who fear him, in those who hope in his steadfast love.

Galatians 1:10 (ESV)

For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.

Hebrews 13:16 (ESV)

Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.

C) PERFECT

1 Thessalonians 4:3–5 (ESV)

For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God;

• The world pushes an illusion of happiness that leads to death and destruction.

Jesus loves you so much that He doesn’t want you to head into a path of destruction.

Psalm 139:13–16 (ESV)

For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.

John 10:10 (ESV)

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.

John 7:17 (ESV)

If anyone’s will is to do God’s will, he will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own authority.

CONCLUSION

2 Timothy 3:1–5 (ESV)

But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people.

Philippians 3:19–20 (ESV)

Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ,

Colossians 3:2 (ESV)

Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.

Titus 2:11–12 (ESV)

For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age,

• We are in this world but not of this world.

John 15:19 (ESV)

If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.

Colossians 2:8 (ESV)

See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ.

James 4:4 (ESV)

You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.

• Don’t allow the world to be your headship (what leads your life). Let it be God.