If you know Christ, who he is, his love for you, his gracious salvation, the wondrous hope he gives, you will sing. This is what Spirit-filled people do. This doesn’t mean you can carry a tune, or that you are good at singing. It doesn’t mean that you sing solos. But it is what you will do if you have the Spirit. A Spirit filled church sings.

The main imperative in vv 15-17 is in 15: Look carefully then how you walk. We’re to observe our lives carefully, to contemplate our lives before the Lord. We should think about our choices, about the consequences of our actions. Our lives matter to Christ. Christians think about how they live. How can we do this?

If Christ is not raised, then we might as well pack up our church and go home. That’s exactly what Paul says in 1 Cor 15:14. My question this morning is even more important: What if the resurrection really did happen? What does it mean if the resurrection is true?

Why is this man Nicodemus found at the cross moments after the death of Jesus with these spices?

In our walk, each step matters. The Christian life is a life infused with purpose and direction. We are no longer ignorant of why we exist, why we are here, what the end of our lives are. We know that God has created us and redeemed us for his glory. The idea is this: Christians think about how they live. How can we do this? Once again, Paul gives us a series of contrasts.

For those of us who come to salvation through the knowledge of the Son of God, we are light, and that means we no longer walk in darkness. The light is so powerful we become one with it. So we must walk, not in the darkness of spiritual ignorance and sin, but as children of light. The main point this morning comes straight from our text: Walk as children of light. There are four ways we do this:

God’s Word reasons with us here about the sins of sexual immorality and covetousness. We shouldn’t practice them because we are holy ones, saints. They are out of place in a church, the body of Christ. Now, Paul gives us additional reasons to avoid these sins, and that has to do with God’s own character and our destiny in Christ as saints. The central idea of these verses is that those who walk in love like Christ must live pure thanksgiving-filled lives.

Part of our commitment to the Lord Jesus demands that we bring our own understanding and affection into alignment with his. The big idea of this passage is that those who name the name of Christ must live pure thanksgiving-filled lives.