Exhortation to an Edifying Lifestyle (4:25-32)
Ephesians: Anatomy of Christ's Glorious Church • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Introduction:
Introduction:
As we continue to learn how we are to live as the body of Christ from Paul’s epistle to the Ephesians saints, we saw last week according to Paul’s Testimony, what we as the mature, Christ-like, members of his Christ’s body should be doing and how we should be acting. Who we once were is not who we now are, because of the righteousness of Christ imputed to us, we can and must live holy lives.
This morning we begin to unravel some of the particulars of what that looks as we look at Paul’s Exhortation to an Edifying Lifestyle from Ephesians 4:25-32.
Text: Ephesians 4:25-32
Text: Ephesians 4:25-32
25 Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another. 26 Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, 27 and give no opportunity to the devil. 28 Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need. 29 Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. 32 Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.
Main Idea: Because we have been created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness, we must produce evidence of works that reflect that likeness.
Main Idea: Because we have been created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness, we must produce evidence of works that reflect that likeness.
I. Evidence of Godly Actions (25-28)
I. Evidence of Godly Actions (25-28)
Therefore (dio [conjunction]) - for this reason…pointing back to verse 24, which sets the context of this morning’s passage:
24 and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.
Here we see a series of actions that those who are created after the likeness of God and are living in holiness are to do. This is by no means an exhaustive list, but gives us real life examples of what it means to not just stop something the was a part of our past, unregenerate lifestyle, but replace that activity with something righteous. It is displacing the old with the new, not living in a vacuum.
A. Replace Lies with Truth (25)
A. Replace Lies with Truth (25)
(25) Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another.
having put away (apothemenoi [aor, mid, par] - divesting oneself of a garment) falsehood (pseudos [noun] - anything that perverts the truth, not just bold face lies, but shades of truth), - the grammar assumes that we are already in action against anything that perverts truth and tells us instead to...
[let] each one [of you speak] (laleo [pre, act, imp] - to speak) the truth (aletheia [noun] - truth found in the fact of who we are in Christ; we therefore have that which the world does not have) with his neighbor, - this is a command to affect our circle of influence with truth, God’s truth.
Although this command is certainly to be carried out with the unregenerate neighbors, it is in the context most likely addressing our relationship with one another in the household of faith, because he says...
for we are members one of another. - This phrase, as we have learned, is synonymous with the functioning body of Christ, the true church.
B. Replace Anger with Self-control (26-27)
B. Replace Anger with Self-control (26-27)
(26) Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger,
Be angry (orgizo [pre, act, imp] - to become angry; shows in the context that there are things to become angry about; example: sin, false teaching, false worship, etc.) - anger is not necessarily sinful, when it is aimed away from ourselves and sees its harm for the body of Christ. Jesus himself got angry:
12 And Jesus entered the temple and drove out all who sold and bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons. 13 He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you make it a den of robbers.”
and [do] not (me [negative adverb]) [sin] (hamartano [pre, act, imp] - to engage in wrong doing) - we are however, to control our anger so that it does not get out of control and we end up sinning as a result.
20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions,
do not let the sun go down on your anger - there is to be a limit to our anger…we must deal with it in a righteous way, knowing that harboring anger leads to bitterness and wrath. So how do we handle anger? Are we to hold it in? Let’s look at how the Psalmists handled their anger…for example in Psalm 69...
Let their own table before them become a snare; and when they are at peace, let it become a trap. Let their eyes be darkened, so that they cannot see, and make their loins tremble continually. Pour out your indignation upon them, and let your burning anger overtake them. May their camp be a desolation; let no one dwell in their tents. For they persecute him whom you have struck down, and they recount the pain of those you have wounded. Add to them punishment upon punishment; may they have no acquittal from you. Let them be blotted out of the book of the living; let them not be enrolled among the righteous. But I am afflicted and in pain; let your salvation, O God, set me on high! I will praise the name of God with a song; I will magnify him with thanksgiving.
Note that the Psalmist unloaded on God regarding his anger at his enemies, however, he left their punishment up to God and ended with praise and renewed commitment to him.
Anger, out of control, places us in a vulnerable position and gives opportunity to our enemy...
(27) and give (didomai [pre, act, imp] - to give, permit) no opportunity (topos [noun] - to provide space to function) to the devil. - when we live in a state of anger, we live irrational in our behavior, providing the much needed space for the devil to operate, since he is always an opportunist!
13 And when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from him until an opportune time.
C. Replace Stealing with Hard Work and Giving (28)
C. Replace Stealing with Hard Work and Giving (28)
(28) Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need.
Let the thief (klepto [pre, act, par] - one who takes without the owners approval) no longer (meketi [negative adverb] - not for any more time) steal (klepto [pre, act, imp]) -
but rather (mallon [adverb] - instead, in its place) let him labor (kopiao [pre, act, imp] - do hard work), doing honest work with his own hands, - in contrast to the dishonest stealing, the thief now becomes, no longer idle and unproductive. But his productivity is not just self-focused...
so that (hina [conjunction, adverbial purpose] - for the purpose of) he may have something to share (metadidomai [pre, act, inf] - to give with the idea of sharing a need) with anyone in need. - so not only is the former thief to stop stealing and start working productively, but he is to do so in order to share with those in need.
So not only are there to be evidences of godly actions, but Christians should talk differently also, we see next that there should be...
II. Evidence of Godly Communications (29-31)
II. Evidence of Godly Communications (29-31)
A. Replace Corrupt, Inappropriate Talk with Edification (29)
A. Replace Corrupt, Inappropriate Talk with Edification (29)
(29) Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.
[Let] no corrupting (sapros [adjective] - rotten, putrid, filthy) talk [come out] (ekporeuomai [pre, mid or pas, imp] - to come or go out) of your mouths - Jesus tells us why in Matthew 7…this same greek word is used for the word “diseased” tree.
15 “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. 16 You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17 So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. 18 A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
but only such as is good for building up (oikodome [adjective] - building a structure, edification), - as corrupt words bring disease and tears down, edifying words build toward maturity.
as fits the occasion (chreia [noun]) - as is necessary, fitting a need or supplying what is lacking.
that it may give grace to those who hear. - this in turn provides grace and builds up the hearer.
B. Replace Grieving the Spirit with Wholesome Speech (30-31)
B. Replace Grieving the Spirit with Wholesome Speech (30-31)
(30) And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.
And [do] not [grieve] (lypeo [pre, act, imp] - to cause to feel sorrow or unhappiness) the Holy Spirit of God - we are called to not cause the Holy Spirit sorrow
by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. - remind us that we are sealed by the Holy Spirit from chapter 1:
In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.
eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
Since it is the Holy Spirit that seals us, unifies us, and gives us peace, what grieves the Holy Spirit is what Paul says next:
(31) Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.
Let all bitterness (pikria [noun] - have a bad taste; anger allowed to fester that causes a person to develop a bad taste in their mouth toward the one they are angry with) and wrath (thymos [noun] - intense anger in action) and anger (orge [noun]) - this happens when we don’t deal with our anger to the point we become bitter and break out in wrath toward one another.
and clamor (krauge [noun] - to shout or scream) and slander (blasphemia [noun] - abusive words falsely spoken that damage one’s reputation) - this is what happens when our communications are set against one another to the point when we mount an offensive against one another with words.
be put away (airo [aor, pas, imp] - to become terminated) from you - throw away and terminate all these things…they have no place in the assembly of God’s people.
along with all malice (kakia [noun] - perverting virtue and moral principles toward evil ends). - like using what God has given us for evil purposes. The gathering of God’s people should be a blessed family time and not a time for evil purposes to break out.
But instead, there should be...
III. Evidence of Godly Relationships (32)
III. Evidence of Godly Relationships (32)
(32) Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.
Be kind (chrestos [adjective] - good, benevolent) to one another, tenderhearted (eusplanchnos [adjective] - compassionate), forgiving one another, - instead of our relationships being torn apart by bitterness, anger, wrath, clamor, and slander, we foster our relationships with benevolence, compassion and forgiveness.
There should be nothing that we can not forgive one another for because our standard is not one another, but...
as God in Christ forgave you - Being kind, tenderhearted, and forgiving flows from constantly remembering that God first forgave us and that we need his forgiveness daily, so therefore, he is the standard, as demonstrated in Romans 5...
but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses,
So What?
So What?
Is there evidence in our lives of godly actions that show the difference between us and the unregenerate world?
Is there evidence in our speech that we are walking in the Spirit and communicate that which is edifying and wholesome?
Do our relationships with one another, particularly in the household of faith, show evidence of our being forgiven by Christ, and as a result we forgive one another?