Noblesse Oblige

Sermon for North Hill Adventist Fellowship
Sabbath, January 29, 2011


Here is a list of some of the things I know about you. You are:
Saints,
Faithful.
Holy and blameless.
Heirs of God, chosen by him even before you were born.
Marked by the Holy Spirit.
You have already been assigned a place in heaven with Jesus (Your name is on one of the seats on the judgment bench beside Jesus—see Rv. 3:20, etc.),
You are destined to do good works.
You are free to approach God with freedom and confidence.
You are in possession of an astonishing secret about the love of God.
You are filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

What do you think? Does this describe you? Does this describe your friends?
I didn't just dream these words up. I've taken these descriptions from Paul's letter to Christians in the town of Ephesus. Paul wrote similar things to many other groups of Christians as well. Christians are God's people and God's people are
Saints, 1:1
Faithful. 1:1
Holy and blameless. 1:4
Heirs of God, chosen by him birth. 1:5
Marked by the Holy Spirit. 1:13
Already assigned a place in heaven with Jesus. 2:6
Destined by to do good works. 2:10
Free to approach God with freedom and confidence. 3:12
In possession of a magnificent secret comprehension of the love of God. 3:19
Filled with the fullness of God. 3:19
This is who we are. This is what we are. This is our identity. This privileged identity imposes some obligations on us. We are nobility and we carry the burden of noblesse oblige. Paul is just as emphatic about the nature of the obligations our privileged status imposes on us as he is about the status itself.
He challenges us to live a life worthy of the calling we have received. 4:1
We are to be completely humble and gentle; 4:2
Patient, bearing with one another in love. 4:2
Habitually speak the truth in love. 4:15
Live “in the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.” 4:24
Put off falsehood and speak truthfully. 4:25
Let no unwholesome talk come out of our mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. 4:29
Be imitators of God as dearly loved children. 5:1
Live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. 5:2
Utter no obscenity, foolish talk or coarse jokes. 5:4
Practice giving thanks. 5:4

There are a couple of ways to put these ideas of Paul to work in our lives.
First, cultivate our awareness of our identity, of our privileged status. This is one of the primary functions of worship. In our music we celebrate what God has done for us. We celebrate God's love for us. Our musicians lift our hearts. Their words and tunes and rhythm help us experience the facts of our faith. In our sermons, we assert the truth that is sometimes contrary to the apparent meaning of events in our lives.

The stronger and more vivid our awareness of our identity, the it will shape our words and behavior.

A second way to put Paul's words to work is to examine our lives. Especially our speech. Does it line up with the character of our Father? If not, maybe we need to do more to deepen or refine our awareness.

So how does your speech measure up? How does the speech of the people you voluntarily listen to?How about the words in the emails you forward?

Paul's ultimate goal for the words that come out of our mouths:

17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is.
18 Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery.
Instead, be filled with the Spirit.
19 Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs.
Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord,
20 always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.