Ephesians 4:25-32
Today we are going to be looking at Ephesians 4:25-32, as we continue our walk through the application portion of Ephesians. Important to keep in mind what we are applying, what we are applying is the doctrine that we learned in the first three chapters of Ephesians. That’s a big deal! The way we are called to live isn’t arbitrary, but the response to true doctrine as given to us in scripture.
Through the doctrine we have learned –
1)That we have been given every spiritual blessing (Ephesians 1:3)
2) we have been given knowledge and understanding (Ephesians 1:17-18)
3)That we have been made alive by His mercy and Grace (Eph 2:4-5)
4) That we have been released from the curse of the law (2:15)
5) that Jesus Himself dwells in our hearts (3:17)
Most importantly, doctrine has taught me that my Christian life is not about my ability – but God’s power.
Brandon started this section by noting that chapter 4 started with therefore, and that is how all this works. Because of doctrine, we walk a different way. Those who only consume theology only are only halfway in their Christian
walk.
This halfway walk why James (in his frustration) capped a lengthy statement with
James 1:27 Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this:
to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted
from the world.
It’s kind of weird teaching from the middle of this section of Ephesians. So let’s step back just a little before we hit the specific text and just review what we are in the middle of. In this application section we have general
markers that tell us something has changed. Brandon noted that last week.
Living as a Christian is different from living as a non-Christian. Paul doesn’t necessarily teach that we talk changes, but that we walk changes.
Notice–
*Ephesians 4:1 I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk
worthy of the calling with which you were called,
Remember This from last week?
*Ephesians 4:17 This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind,
*Ephesians 5:8 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the
Lord. Walk as children of light
*Ephesian 5:15 See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as
wise,
Each of these phrases shows how things should be now that we are in Christ. The mark, or testimony to that change is how our walk is different from how the world walks. This section we are in today is going to be very detailed in specific sins, I guess you could call it “rules” to follow. When we get this close on the subject of sins, we sometimes think that the rules are a stop sign. (STOP- DON’T GO) Actually the rules are not about stopping, but they’re about moving in a different direction, as we walk on our path. These “rules” are signposts on the paths we walk, to direct where we are going.
Ephesians 4:25-32
Some of this isn’t terribly fun to talk about, in fact none of this is terribly fun to talk about. (unless you’re talking about that person over there, then maybe it’s a blast to talk about). But the intent of this scripture is to speak
to each of us, including….ME.
Now this section gets personal, down to where we live. Lying, stealing, anger, laziness, bitterness, filthy language. The simple reality of Paul’s teaching here is to show where you should walk and to contrast that with
where you shouldn’t walk.
Again; there are many who would bemoan these “churchy rules”, that those who go to church like to load up on each other. Why are we talking about this? Didn’t Jesus save us to eternal life? Let’s have a “high five” and sing of how awesome Jesus is and go get some lunch. Why dig around here?
Now; to be sure, Jesus’ sacrifice did purchase our redemption unto eternal life. How should we live that eternal life? Many would reply; “I don’t know. I guess I’ll find out when I get there.” Guess what, you’ve already started your eternal life. How we would live our eternal life is where we are now.
What kind of eternal Jesus gave us?
Here’s one example-
John 10:10
The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.
Our lives here matter a lot. Lying, stealing, filthy language is not the “abundant life” that is meant for us. The things in today’s text are darkness, this is how the unsaved live.
God doesn’t give us these rules to be a killjoy, or to make our lives boring. He doesn’t give us these standards for the sole purpose of making us feel guilty. These rules are guardrails that keep us walking in the light. That we might enjoy the abundant life. So as we walk through these “rules”, let’s think of the abundant life
available to us, let’s strive for victory, for our joy and that perhaps our Lord Jesus be glorified through us.
*4:25 Therefore, putting away lying, “Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor,” for we are members of one another.
This is talking about lying, but has a depth added to it in that you especially shouldn’t lie to people who would trust you to tell the truth; your neighbor.
In our society we grade lies;
We have semi innocent half lies, and even more innocent “white lies’ ‘, and then we have the real serious ‘all out lie’. For the sake of truth, we’re going to bunch them all together and call them .. lying.
Now we all know what lying is, what we need to keep in mind is what it declares.
Both Lying– or– being truthful declares who our father is. Let’s take a moment and make a character comparison, just to see how dreadful lying is?
Here’s our character comparison –
*Hebrews 6:18a
so that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie,
So the Lord’s Character is truth.
*John 8:44
4 You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.
The Devil’s character is lying.
Our enemy, the Devil, tempts us with many things. And we can fall into many things, like drunkenness, gambling, gossip, etc. When confronted about these problems, often people lie about it. I saw a shocking statistic that (According to Barna Research), 68% of church-going men and more than 50% of pastors regularly view porn. Do you think a pastor would admit this sin, or would he lie?
Our enemy does love making people fall into porn, or other addictions. But that isn’t his the real goal. Our enemy is about corrupting people so that they will lie about their problems. The Devil is about making liars, so He can
say; “I am such an awesome father, just look at all my children.”
Sometimes I have to ask myself; “who do I consider my father to be?”
Or more important to ask; “As I walk, who do my actions declare my father to be?” Later we’re going to be talking about grieving the holy spirit, lying definitely falls into that category.
Being stuck in a sin, especially one that brings about lying, is discouraging for many a Christian, but before I go to the next sin, can I take a moment here to be encouraging?
1 John 1:9
9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Want to be free? Confession and repentance is the path, and by God’s mercy it is always available to us.
To finish up on the topic of lying, let me just say – Listen, we’re all in the same boat, we all have the same shortcomings, the same temptations and failures. Let’s break free and be honest with each other, (our neighbor) so
that hypocrisy doesn’t grow. My friends, beware of lies.
*Ephesians 4:26 “Be angry, and do not sin”: do not let the sun go down on your
wrath,
People love to justify themselves with this verse. People will say; “Hey hey, the bible says my anger is o/k” Maybe, maybe not. So what does this mean?
We can get angry, how we act upon our anger can be the sin. Someone just makes us so angry that ……
1) We lash out = Sin *(Proverbs 16:32)He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, And he who rules his spirit more than he who takes a city.
2) We want revenge = Sin* (Romans 12:19) Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord.
3) Then the biggie, now — I’m angry on the Lord’s behalf, so I’m taking action for Him. = Sin Backwards to reality * (Psalm 18:17-19)He delivered me from my strong enemy, From those who hated me, For they were too strong for me.18 They confronted me in the day of my calamity, But the LORD was my support.19 He also brought me out into
a broad place; He delivered me because He delighted in me. Can I give an extreme example to make this clear. Is it o/k to be angry over these laws on abortion that are running rampant in this country? Yes it is. In anger Is it o/k to unlovingly berate a woman who has fallen into this sin?
No. In anger Is it o/k to murder an abortionist on behalf of the Lord? No
This verse gets really personal. Do not let the sun go down on your anger. This makes it clear that the Lord wants us to put aside our flesh in anger . That righteous anger is not about me, it’s not about something that satisfies my flesh. A Lot more is said about satisfying the flesh in anger in a couple of verses, so stay tuned. For time I’m going to go through the next 3 verses only briefly.
*V27 nor give place to the devil.
This is talking about that little spot in your heart that you keep available for the Devil, just in case you want to have a really fun weekend. Don’t keep a room available for him in your heart. Evict him and lock the door.
*V28 Don’t steal, but work!
You’ve seen this, you know that crusty, grouchy, old man saying to a young person; “get a job!”
I really love saying this to young people. Seems like the older and crustier I get the more I like saying it. Is that bad? The bible is saying the same thing here. What’s interesting here is why it says you should “get a job”. It’s for
the sake of others, not yourself. Does that sound upside down?(Hold that thought)
* V29 Speak well as a Christian
No corrupt language (no 4 letter words? Like tax, or politics?)
This could be something vulgar, or profane, but what we really learn is that we should speak in a way that builds up. Corrupt language here is anything said that unnecessarily tears down. A word that is ungraceful. (talk of my
experience as a kid?) What if someone really deserves a tongue lashing? I could spend a lot of time on this verse, but let me just summarize that our tongues should be imparting grace, not necessarily justice. That is what our
Father is all about. Gracefulness is a tradition from our Heavenly Family.
*V30 Do not grieve the Holy spirit. Interesting to notice that the Holy Spirit can feel sorrow, pain, unhappiness, or distress. That is what the word grieve means. One thing that this makes very clear is that our relationship
with God is very personal.
1st let be very clear on what this verse doesn’t say.
This verse doesn’t say –
Don’t grieve the Holy Spirit or you will no longer be sealed for the day of redemption. Our redemption is sealed and secure. By the power of the Father we are created. By the power of Jesus we are redeemed. By the power of the Holy Spirit we are sealed. We cannot be lost. The good nature of our relationship can be turned to sadness, but the relationship itself is permanent;
Thank goodness for our Faithful Lord;
*1 Corinthians 1:9 God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
* Philippians 1:6 being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;
Our salvation is secure in Christ, but take note; because this
Verse 30 stings a little, It’s almost like saying, “Don’t make the Holy Spirit sad that you are sealed for eternity.”
V31-32 Is two sides of one coin. And it goes back to our walk that we discussed at the beginning of the message.
V 31 is a path that we should not be walking
V 32 is a path that we should be walking
*V31 really sums up what man is; at their heart. Angry without any gracefulness. You see this in politics, you see it on the job, you see it at European soccer matches, you see it when you’re driving your car.
Verse 31 is anger in all its manifestations;
1st is anger that we love to hang onto – bitterness
2nd is anger allowed to progress, to manifest itself – wrath
3rd is general anger – as a lifestyle
4th is anger that is loud, pushy, public – clamor, brawling
5th is anger that looks to make allies, (you can be mad at them too)- spreading slander
6th- malice is the “anger gasoline” that we allow to boil up in us so that we can be just plain mean.
Ever notice how “those” angry people can be so unkind? The biggest problem with “those” people is that sometimes I’m one of them, and I justify my actions to others by saying that they deserve it. You want to know the truth? It’s probably true. They probably do deserve it. By the world’s system they do deserve what I hand out, and even more.
The question to ask at this point is; “Am I of the world?”
What is the Christian response?
*Matthew 5:38-39
“You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also.
Does that statement seem like an upside down way to live? In truth; this is how the Kingdom of Heaven works. This “upside down” lifestyle is how Jesus purchased our salvation. I’m going to teach you something that our enemy keeps secret. The teachings of Jesus are not upside down, this world is what’s upside down. We have lived in this world so long that we have become accustomed to thinking of anger as an O/K value, “ under the correct circumstances”, and it is not. For the children of God none of the world’s standards should be normal.
This is part of the “gentile futility” that Brandon spoke of last week. If we use anger to win the day, it is futile, we
have actually won nothing. In the previous verses we’ve seen rules, the next verse is a little different, it’s as much about our new walk, or our new lifestyle as Christians; as it is about rules.
Normal is…..
*V32 (read)
Be kind and tender. Just so we really understand were the bar is on that phrase
*Matthew 5:43-44
you have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and
persecute you,
*Matthew 5:46
For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?
The right side -up of Christian living Seems strange? Tough to pull off? This lesson doesn’t get easier;
Because The last part of verse 32 is the show stopper, where being a Christian is described in its highest form. A path that shows us as His children.
“Forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.”
Let’s just review what that means.
Is it forgiveness to say; “They deserve to be forgiven”, That is not forgiveness. If they “deserve forgiveness”, it’s wages. Like wages, you are giving them what they have earned, you’re giving them what they deserve.
When God forgave us, was He giving us what we deserve? No; he wasn’t.
Just to review-
Justice – Getting what you deserve
Mercy – Not getting what you deserve
Grace – Getting what you don’t deserve
Forgiveness comes out of mercy and grace, it does come from deserve.
This goes back to living with doctrine, what is doctrine on this?
*Ephesians 2:8-9
For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast.
To forgive, is to forgive those who do not deserve it.
Forgiveness is the most graceful act we can do. It is God’s power to us and it is His power through us.
Probably the next question, how graceful should we be? Because, some of the people we encounter may be.. Exasperating.
Jesus actually spoke to this. This last reference is like the Holy of Holies;
*Matthew 18:21-22
21 Then Peter came to Him and said, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?”22 Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.
As we close here, I think it’s important to remember where we started out here in today’s message. As Christians our lives should be different from the world. We live differently, not that we can be saved, but because we are saved. We are of the family of God, so let’s be circumspect, kind, truthful, and forgiving, because they are family traditions. The Lord is our Father, Jesus is our brother, this is what our family does, we forgive. Being confident, Our Father from heaven will give us what we need, to be His children.
Jerimiah 17:7-8
Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is. For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green;
and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall (he) cease from yielding fruit.
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