Cited in sermons
S. M. Baugh
5 sermons · All people cited
The Conduct of the New Man, Part 1
Ephesians 4:25–28 grounds the Christian's ethical conduct not in legal compulsion but in the indicative of redemption: the old man has been put off, the mind is being renewed, and the new man has been put on. This sermon works through three prohibited actions — lying, sinful anger, and theft — each examined under its corresponding commandment from the Decalogue (the Ninth, Sixth, and Eighth), with a prohibition, an exhortation, and a motivation for each. The ethical demands of the New Covenant are not a new law but the restoration of the creational law now internalized by the Spirit according to Jeremiah 31:31–34. The hearer is called to put off deceit, guard against nursed anger that gives opportunity to the devil, and replace theft with diligent labor aimed at charitable surplus.
The Gifts Given by the Ascended Christ, Part 2
Ephesians 4:11–13 presents Christ's ascension gifts to the church — apostles, prophets, evangelists, and pastor-teachers — not as a support structure for general congregational ministry, but as the primary agents of three coordinate purposes: perfecting the saints, engaging in the work of ministry, and edifying the body of Christ. The sermon argues at length for a reading of verse 12 that sees all three prepositional phrases as dependent on the gifted men of verse 11, contesting the newer 'every-member ministry' interpretation found in modern translations and commentaries. The church's corporate maturity and doctrinal stability depend on qualified, diligent, Word-centered ministers whom Christ in his wisdom and kindness has given as gifts, and the congregation bears a corresponding responsibility to receive and honor that ministry.
The Gifts Given by the Ascended Christ, Part 1
Ephesians 4:7–11 presents Christ the ascended Lord as the giver of gifts to His church. This sermon expounds the provision of God's grace in verse 7, the Christological argument drawn from Psalm 68 in verses 8–10, and the specific gifted men named in verse 11 — apostles, prophets, evangelists, and pastor-teachers. The preacher argues that Paul's appeal to Psalm 68 is typological: as Yahweh conquered Israel's enemies, received tribute, and distributed it to his people, so Christ conquered sin and death, ascended to the right hand of the Father, and now distributes gifts to His church through the Spirit. The practical weight of the sermon falls on killing pride, praying for elders and deacons, and recognising that the teaching ministry — not celebrity — is the bond that produces the love and unity Paul commands in verses 2–3.
The Prayer and Praise of the Apostle
Ephesians 3:14–21 presents the apostle Paul's prayer for the Ephesian church and a concluding doxology, and this exposition works through the prayer's occasion, posture, and first two petitions. Paul prays from his knees before 'the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,' drawing on the boundless storehouse of divine glory, for two things treated in this sermon: that believers would be strengthened with might through the Spirit in the inner man so that Christ dwells in their hearts by faith, and that they would comprehend the boundless love of Christ that surpasses knowledge. The sermon grounds both petitions in Trinitarian structure — strength flowing from the Father through the Spirit issues in the presence of the Son — and in the confession that God is 'most loving,' whose love neither increases nor diminishes. Hearers are urged to imitate the apostle by praying not only for temporal needs but for the spiritual strength and knowledge of Christ's love that alone sustains perseverance in a world hostile to the gospel.
The Gracious Purpose of the Father
Ephesians 1:3–6 opens with what the Apostle Paul calls a 'barakah' — a formal blessing of God followed by specific reasons for that praise. This sermon expounds the Father's role in the covenant of redemption: His sovereign, unconditional election of sinners in Christ before the foundation of the world, and His predestinating purpose that those chosen would be made holy and blameless. Election is the cause, not the consequence, of faith and repentance — sinners dead in trespasses and sins are chosen not because of foreseen merit but according to the good pleasure of God's will alone. The sermon calls believers to respond to the doctrine of election not with defensive polemic but with the doxological posture Paul himself models: praise, blessing, and adoration to God Most High.