"25 Therefore, ridding yourselves of falsehood, speak truth each one of you with his neighbor, because we are parts of one another. 26 Be angry, and yet do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, 27 and do not give the devil an opportunity. 28 The one who steals must no longer steal; but rather he must labor, producing with his own hands what is good, so that he will have something to share with the one who has need. 29 Let no unwholesome word come out of your mouth, but if there is any good word for edification according to the need of the moment, say that, so that it will give grace to those who hear. 30 Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 All bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and slander must be removed from you, along with all malice. 32 Be kind to one another, compassionate, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you."
Good Morning Beloved,
Welcome to worship this Lord's Day
We're glad you're here
Someone recently asked why every day, I refer to it as the Lord's Day, rather than just Sunday.
It would seem to me, that God has created them all. Therefore, they all belong to Him.
When a person is recreated in Christ, there's something different, something new. A new creation. Therefore, there is to be something characteristically different. Something that separates us from those of the world. Unless there is a distinction in your living, there is most likely no distinction in your nature. If your life is not distinctly different from the world, it's likely you're not really a Christian at all. In other words, if you are a new creation, you will live to like it.
Ephesians, chapter 4, verses 25 to 32, is another one of those straight forward, very practical portions of the Word of God. In fact, so much so, that all you really need to do is read and allow the Holy Spirit to convict you.
Let us bow our heads in prayer.
Heavenly Father,
Father we thank You again for the clear truths In Your Word for us today. You have called us to be like You, how far we are on our own. Thank You for Your Holy Spirit that empowers us, it's no wonder that we need to depend on this divine resource, no matter how we try, we just can't come close. Thank You for helping us to realize who we really are and who, in Christ, we can be. No wonder Christ lives in us.
Thank You for Your selfless, forgiving, and unconditional love. You chose to love us, to demonstrate that love to us, though we didn't deserve it. We know that the world doesn't love that way. Lord, we pray that You would keep us from being like the world, and to be more like You.
Father, I pray that You will protect every precious soul with us today from the evil one. Help us to walk in love, and to live as You have created and called us to do, so that You may be glorified. For Christ's sake
We pray this in His name
Amen
Today's Message: Transformed Life
So let's open our Bibles to the tremendously practical section of Ephesians, as finish our study on this wonderful chapter of Paul's letter to church at Ephesus. I invite you to follow along with me as I read verses 25-32 of Ephesians chapter 4.
"Therefore, ridding yourselves of falsehood, speak truth each one of you with his neighbor, because we are parts of one another. Be angry, and yet do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and do not give the devil an opportunity. The one who steals must no longer steal; but rather he must labor, producing with his own hands what is good, so that he will have something to share with the one who has need. Let no unwholesome word come out of your mouth, but if there is any good word for edification according to the need of the moment, say that, so that it will give grace to those who hear. Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. All bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and slander must be removed from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, compassionate, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you."
Paul begins verse 25 by making it clear that if we are to dress the part
according to what Jesus has already done for us, that we need to put off
falsehood. The word "falsehood" comes from the Greek word "pseudos," from which we
get our English prefix "pseudo" which we use to describe something that
appears to be genuine, but is not. For instance when someone uses a
pseudonym, it is a name that appears to be genuine, but is not.
"Therefore, ridding yourselves of falsehood, speak truth each one of you with his neighbor, because we are parts of one another."
So when Paul writes that we are to put off falsehood, that word
covers a broad variety of things that appear to be genuine, but are not.
It goes far beyond just lying, which is how the word is translated in
the KJV.
Most of us don’t have problems identifying outright lies. However, falsehood is much more subtle than that. Here are a few examples: The check is in the mail. I’ll start my diet tomorrow. We service what we sell. What's your number and we will call you right back. I just need five minutes of your time.
We might laugh a little uneasily at some of those because most of us have either
used them or we’ve had someone else use them on us. But perhaps
even more insidious falsehood occurs when we actually attempt to use
true facts to deceive others. What Paul is saying here, is tell your neighbor the truth. In Christ’s body we’re all connected to
each other, after all. When you lie to others, you end up lying to
yourself. Given the context in which Paul is writing here in chapter 4, that the best word to describe what falsehood is in today’s culture is pretense. Which means an attempt to make something that is not the case appear true. And Paul is particularly concerned that his readers not engage in
pretense within the body of Christ, the church.
Unfortunately the church is not immune to followers of Jesus Christ who fail to put off falsehood, at least occasionally. I know many of you are thinking to yourself, "I would never lie to or deceive my Christian brothers or sisters." I
hope that is true of your life, but allow me to give you a little food for
thought.Are you a different person when you’re at church or
you’re around other Christians than you are the rest of the week? Do you
have one vocabulary that you use at church and another at work, another
at home and another that you use when someone cuts you off in traffic?
Do you treat your co-workers, neighbors, friends and family members
differently that you treat people at church on Sunday morning? Are the
movies and TV shows you watch consistent with what you profess to
believe? Do live different lives depending on
your setting, if so, then I would suggest that you are still clothed with
falsehood.
Let me take it a step further. When people ask you how you’re doing, do you just say "I'm fine" or are you
honest about how you’re really doing? Do you feel free to share your
hurts with others or are you afraid of what others might think of you?
I’m not saying that you have to just dump all your problems on people and burden them
with all of your problems. But if you’re not willing to be honest about
your life with others, that is a form of falsehood.
Have you ever told someone that you would pray for them and then
not followed through? Perhaps you just said it because it sounded
spiritual, but you really never had any intention of doing it. Or maybe
you really meant well, but you just never followed through. When we promise to pray for someone and we don’t follow through or when we fail to keep
our commitments, then we’re still clothed with falsehood.
Perhaps you are struggling with some temptation or sin in your life, but you’re
afraid to share that with anyone else. Maybe you’re afraid that someone
will betray your confidence or you’re worried about what someone else is
going to think of you. And you don’t want to appear weak.
James 5:16, is likely one of the most over looked verses in Scripture by Christians today. "Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. A prayer of a righteous person, when it is brought about, can accomplish much."
If we're being honest with one another, we don't really do that, do we.
Have you ever refused help from someone when it is offered? Do you tell others
that you’ll be fine on your own or tell them you don’t need the help,
when you really could use that assistance? That's a form of falsehood.
So as we see by these illustrations, even as followers of Christ, we're not immune. How easily we point it out the failures of others, while denying our own. Why do we do that? In part, the answer to that question is that even though our
sins have been forgiven through the blood of Christ, we still have our
old sin nature that tugs at us and tries to draw us back to our former
way of life, even though we know that’s a place that we don’t ever want
to go back to.
Let's consider the words of Jesus, in Matthew 5:37, "But make sure your statement is, ‘Yes, yes’ or ‘No, no’; anything beyond these is of evil origin."
Jesus us saying the true children who are to be part of His kingdom are distinctly different from those of the world, as outlined in the Sermon On The Mount.
Then in verse 26, he says "Be angry, and yet do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger."
If we’re not careful to go back to some of the fundamental basics of
Bible study, we can very easily miss the principles that Paul is trying
to teach us in this passage. We must remember the context, Paul is writing to the church, not individual believers.
The most common initial response to this passage, is a platform for how to deal with the anger in our individual lives in a healthy way. Therefore, I am not at all surprised that many pastors has chosen to do that. There is certainly no doubt that Scripture has much to say about how we are to deal with the anger in our lives. However, I believe that the focus of Paul’s writing here, as we’ve seen time and time again,
in Ephesians, deals much more with life in the body than it does with our
individual lives as believers and this passage is no exception to that
pattern. Paul is giving practical instruction on how to "dress the part" according to what his readers already are in Jesus.
If you will recall, in verses 22 through 24, Paul reminded us that we are to dress the part
according to who we already are in Jesus. We are to put off all the
things that characterized our old way of life and put on those things
that are consistent with the character of Jesus. Then, beginning in
verse 25, Paul gave some practical instruction on what that should look
like. You’ll remember that he began that section by exhorting us to put
off falsehood and put on truth within the body of Christ.Then, in verses 26 and 27, are a continuation of that practical instruction. "Be angry, and yet do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and do not give the devil an opportunity." In verse 26, Paul is quoting Psalm 4:4
directly from the Septuagint, the Greek version of the Old Testament.
So it’s important for us to understand the theme of that
Psalm and why Paul uses it here.
This is one of those passages where the translations vary greatly. So, to consider the context, we'll look at several translations.
"In your anger do not sin": Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold. (NIV)
Even if you are angry, do not sin: never let the sun set on your anger or else you will give the devil a foothold. (NJB)
Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: Neither give place to the devil. (KJV)
Be angry, and yet do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and do not give the devil an opportunity. (NASB)
There are two significant issues that we need to deal with in the text itself: A command or a condition?
You
will easily notice that there are two completely different approaches
on how this verse is translated. The KJV and NASB translations treat the
first phrase of the passage as a command: “Be ye angry” (KJV) or “Be
angry” (NASB). The NIV and NJB translations, on the other had, treat it
as more of a condition: “In your anger” (NIV) or “Even if you are angry”
(NJB).
Without going into great detail, let me say that technically
both approaches are possible based on the Greek grammar used by Paul.
However, given the context and the way similar grammar is employed
throughout the New Testament, I believe that we had ought to choose the simplest
meaning and regard this as a command. Perhaps one reason that some
translations are reluctant to do so is that we’ve been taught that anger
is wrong, so it just doesn’t seem right that we would be commanded to
be angry. However, upon closer examination of the text, we will see that Paul intended to give his readers a command here.
Most translations use the words "anger" or "angry" twice in verse 26.
Only the KJV gives us a clue that these are actually two different
Greek root words since it uses the words angry and wrath.
The
Greek word "orgizesthe," translated "angry" in the command "Be angry" is the same word that
is often used to describe God’s anger. It is sometimes described as
righteous indignation. It is anger that is an abiding, settled attitude
against that which is sinful.
It is also the same word used to describe Jesus’ anger with the Pharisees when he healed a man on the Sabbath in Mark 3:5. "After looking around at them with anger, grieved at their hardness of heart, He *said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And he stretched it out, and his hand was restored." The Greek word "orgē,"translated "wrath" in the second command Paul gives – "let not
the sun go down upon your wrath" – deals more with the provocation, to make angry or
the underlying cause of the anger. It is also used to describe anger
that is mingled with irritation, exasperation and embitterment. It comes
from the same root word Paul will use in Ephesians 6:4 when he commands fathers not to "exasperate" their children.
This passage is dealing with anger that is to be expressed within the body of Christ. When
Paul commands his readers to "be angry," the verb is in the second
person plural – "y’all be angry." This is completely consistent with the
context of this passage in which Paul is dealing with the entire body
rather than just individual believers. So the kind of anger that Paul is
commanding his readers to express here seems to be limited to that
which is expressed within and by the body. That is why Paul can come
back just a few verses later verse 31, and instruct his readers to get rid
of all their individual anger.
Although there may very well be
times that we are justified in expressing this kind of righteous
indignation individually, Paul seems to be limiting it to the body as a
whole in this passage. That is a key concept in allowing us to get a
right understanding of the principles Paul is teaching here.
In other words, we are to be angry at that which robs God of His glory.
In James 1:19-20, "You know this, my beloved brothers and sisters. Now everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger; for a man’s anger does not bring about the righteousness of God."
So if that’s not what Paul is writing about here, what does he mean? As I said earlier, the key to understanding this passage is in Psalm 4:4. "You sons of man, how long will my honor be treated as an insult? How long will you love what is worthless and strive for a lie? Selah But know that the Lord has set apart the godly person for Himself; The Lord hears when I call to Him.Tremble, and do not sin; Meditate in your heart upon your bed, and be still. Selah"
David wrote this Psalm out of his distress, probably at a time when
his son Absalom rebelled against him. And in verse 2, David reveals the
object of his anger. While David has certainly been hurt by others, even
his own flesh and blood, his righteousness indignation is directed
towards those who had turned God’s glory into shame. By seeking
falsehood rather than the truth – the very thing Paul has already
addressed in verse 25 – his enemies have robbed God of His glory. But in
verse 4, David is warned against allowing that righteous anger to
become sin.
When sin is allowed to remain within the body of
Christ, it robs God of the glory that it to be His through the church.
In Ephesians 3:10-11, Paul described for us the glory that Jesus is to
receive through His body, the church. It is the church through which God chooses to reveal His manifold
wisdom, not just here on earth, but also in the heavenly realms. And
when that occurs, God receives glory, as we see in Ephesians 3:21.
However, when there is open, rebellious, continuous sin that is allowed to remain
within the body, it prevents the body from revealing the wisdom of God
in the way that he ordained and that robs God of His glory. Now
obviously, because the church is made up of human beings who are sinners
by nature, the church is never going to be completely free from sin. To be clear,
I’m certainly not suggesting that we are to be angry at every little
sin in each other’s lives and that we are to be on some kind of witch
hunt to try and root out the sins of others.
However, when we see continual, unrepentant sin in the body, we ought to get angry, not because of what that sin
does to us or to our reputation, but because of the way that it robs God
of the glory that he intends the church to give to Him as it manifests
His wisdom to the world.
In verse 28, Paul says that "The one who steals must no longer steal; but rather he must labor, producing with his own hands what is good, so that he will have something to share with the one who has need."
You don't need to be a great exegete to properly discern this verse. There's an exchange occurring here.
In other words, don't steal from others, but work so you can give to other people. Be an honest person. Our society today, doesn't know how to handle honesty do they? If you don't believe me, just point it out the next time someone undercharges you for something, or gives you too much change back. And just look at the expression on their face.
"Let no unwholesome word come out of your mouth, but if there is any good word for edification according to the need of the moment, say that, so that it will give grace to those who hear."
I'll be honest, nothing is more distasteful to me than filthy language, vulgar communication. It doesn't matter whether is profanity or dirty jokes, it has no place in the life of a Christian.
Psalm 141:3 "Set a guard, Lord, over my mouth; Keep watch over the door of my lips." If Jesus Christ is the doorkeeper of your lips, there will be no corrupt communication. He'll control what comes out of it. And if you are a true Christian, if you have slipped and spoken corrupt communication, if will bother you to the point of repentance.
In Matthew 12:34-35 Jesus teaches "You offspring of vipers, how can you, being evil, express any good things? For the mouth speaks from that which fills the heart. The good person brings out of his good treasure good things; and the evil person brings out of his evil treasure evil things."
We've all heard the old saying "Stick and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me,"
However, we know this not to be true don't we? We have all been deeply hurt by something someone has said. Sometimes, those words scar, and stay with you forever. They don't heal. I've had broken bones, and for as bad as the physical pain may be, it eventually fades. However, words can leave lasting emotional pain, they torment us.
Therefore, as Christians, we are to speak that are edifying, that build people up. And if Jesus is keep watch over our lips, what comes out of our mouth, will do just that.
Verse 30, tells us "Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption." Did you know that we can grieve the Holy Spirit? In Jeremiah 14:17 says "Let my eyes stream down tears night and day, And let them not cease."
So what grieves Him? What causes the Holy Spirit to grieve, is when we do not exchange the old man for the new. When we speak lies, rather than truth, stealing from others rather than sacrificing
and sharing. When we display anger instead of forgiveness. These things cause the Holy Spirit to grieve. When we were saved, we were sealed, authenticated by the Holy Spirit. God put His stamp on us. And what Paul is saying in verse 30 is knowing these things, how could you do that? God sealed you forever as His own, so how could you cause His Spirit to grieve whom sealed you? How could you grieve the one who made your body the sanctuary of His own holy presence? How could you do that?
Then, in verse 31, Paul sums it all up "All bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and slander must be removed from you, along with all malice." In other words, let go of that smoldering, lingering resentment, that brooding, holding onto grudges, all wrath — that wild reaction out of anger, and clamor. For those of you who may not know, clamor, is a violent outburst, public screaming or telling at someone, like the car who just cut you off in traffic. Or the kind of outburst we have likely all heard on a warm summer night, when we have the windows open. Then he says "along with malice," which it the intent or desire to do evil. This is concerning how you relate to others. If you're a Christian, who can't be demonstrating these behaviors. Get rid of it.
That's why Paul ends with verse 32. "Be kind to one another, compassionate, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you." Some of you are probably saying to yourselves right now, "Pastor, you just don't understand. I just can't forgive them for what they've done to me. You just don't know how bad it was. They don't deserve my forgiveness!"
In Closing...
Do you want to know something? God was kind, tender-hearted and forgiving toward you, after all you had done to hurt Him. And you know something else? You didn't deserve it either! God said, "I don't care what you've done, how badly you've hurt me, I love you. Therefore, in My grace, I'll be gentle, kind and forgiving toward you."
Now allow me to take it one step further, that is exactly what God expects you to do with others. Because He has shown love and forgiveness, He wants you to show it toward others. If you are truly a "new creation," God says just as I have loved you, I want you to love others. And forgiveness, always comes from a place of love.
May it be so...
And now may the Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace.
Now and forever, in Jesus' name
Amen
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