Ephesians 4:25-29
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Last week we noticed that have been given the ability to make choices. We who know Christ can put off our old selves (those old natural tendencies) and we can put on our new selves. There is a whole new way we can live and we must no longer walk like we used to walk, we have a choice in this.
When God saved us by an act of His great mercy, He created us after His own likeness in TRUE RIGHTEOUSNESS and HOLINESS. So there is a lot at stake here. He saved us to be like Him. The world needs to see Him and your born again lifestyle is God’s artist rendering of Himself to those who are darkened in their understanding can look at to see Him. Whoa!
We were wrecked and ruined by the fall, but what was once wrecked and ruined is now fixed and restored because of Jesus.
We have been born again and now we can bear His image rightly as we walk uprightly and in the light as He is in the light and what Jesus said of His first disciples is true of us as well.
14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.
For those who are followers of Jesus, we must all grow past those things we were formerly known as and show off the true righteousness and holiness that we have been given.
Let’s observe the text together to see what God has intended for us to learn today.
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.
This is one of those sermons, where I feel like, if I am to be honest, I have to say, “Do as I say, not as I do.”
We will take an expository journey again like last week. Line by line through the text and collect some souvenirs along the way to remember what God’s Word has said concerning some very practical things.
TEXTUAL IDEA: The righteousness you have been given must be turned into a functional righteousness.
TEXTUAL IDEA: The righteousness you have been given must be turned into a functional righteousness.
Knowing how prone we are to wander off course, it is almost unfathomable to believe that we can be practically righteous. However, we are righteous. Our righteous status has been given to us by the perfect active obedience of Christ. You and I are not who we once were.
We have had a fundamental change at our core because of what we have “learned” about Christ, but we must continue to work out our “righteousness” in real life. The righteousness that we have been given, has to be functional in our lives.
By functional, I mean useful and practical.
What does “functional righteousness” mean?
Some of us have periodically rearranged furniture in our houses to make the space more functional. So many of us have had to work from home over the past year because our places of work and office buildings were closed. That forced us to make our homes into work spaces…and that made us try to make our spaces more functional for family and work. We had to rearrange a few things in our house to make our houses suitable for becoming a work space. For some this was a welcomed blessing…for others this was an impractical curse. But regardless things had to be moved around a bit to make it work.
That is what I mean and I think Paul means by this “true righteousness and holiness.” It is “functional” by nature. In order for it to work, it must change a few things around to be practical.
In Eph. 4:17-24, Paul was on just on top of a massive theological mountain discussing who we used to be and who we are now because of the way we have “learned” Christ. And now Paul, lead by the Holy Spirit of God, gets down on our level and into the nitty gritty areas of our lives to see how this theology actually works in real time.
Paul is going to argue that TRUE RIGHTEOUSNESS AND HOLINESS must be very practical…not just mystical. Our TRUE righteousness must be a visible and tangible righteousness that plays itself our in how we relate to other people.
What we are going to see today and the next two Sundays is that our functional righteousness demands that we: tell the truth and control our anger. It stops us from stealing and forces us to make an honest living so that we can share with others the wealth that God has given us. Our functional righteousness changes our speech patterns because we have been changed at the heart level. It makes us people who are kind, tenderhearted, and forgiving to one another and it helps us demonstrate self control over our sex drives.
Practical stuff right?
We should look different in all these areas of life. This is a lace up your work boots righteousness. This is very down to earth stuff.
Let’s take a closer look at the text.
Those formerly known as liars, are now truth tellers. (v 25)
Those formerly known as liars, are now truth tellers. (v 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.
Here we are told to, “put away falsehood” and instead we are to do the opposite…we must “speak the truth.”
Some of you think…man I don’t a problem with with that. If you think that you, are probably guilty of lying! Haha…why else would Paul be led by the Spirit to write this down in Holy Scripture if it wasn’t something we needed to be called out on?
We are probably more deceptive than we realize. But why? Why it is easy to slip into falsehood instead of letting the truth be known?
Tim Shoemaker is a young adult fiction writer who happened to be the Elder Chairman at the church I served at formerly. His insight into our humanity and his ability to replicate it in story form is amazing. I highly recommend any of his books…you can find them on Amazon. Anyway, he wrote a book about this subject that is called, “Code of Silence.” I won’t reveal any of the plot line, but I do want to share with you the insights he shares in the appendix of his book. He asks the question.
Why do we lie? He highlights a few reason why we do so. I want to mention some of them and add some comments.
1. We lie to avoid something uncomfortable or unpleasant.
1. We lie to avoid something uncomfortable or unpleasant.
Sometimes we lie by saying what we think the other person wants to hear instead of the truth. This happens every time you say you will do something, but have no intention of actually following through with it.
We do this to get someone off of our backs, but we really have no intention of doing it. That is deceptive. We know the right words to say to avoid an uncomfortable or unpleasant situation, but they are words of deceit.
2. We lie to avoid punishment or consequences.
2. We lie to avoid punishment or consequences.
When we mess up we decide to cover it up. This is an age old tactic…let’s go get the fig leaves. When we do this we are hiding reality and being deceptive. Here is the thing…when you withhold the truth and you aren’t getting away with anything…you actually become ensnared by the truth and haunted by it…and it will eventually come out. Some of you think you can carry your secret to the grave…but the problem is, is that your secret is carrying you to a place of judgement. Expose your darkness to the light of day and find rest for your tormented soul.
3. We lie to get something we wouldn’t get with the truth.
3. We lie to get something we wouldn’t get with the truth.
Think about how selfish this is. We withhold the truth in order gain an advantage or a privilege that we wouldn’t get if the truth were told. This is so devious because it is rooted in self preservation and it is also a form of theft.
One of ways we do this is when don’t speak our minds. It has been said that, “the silent treatment is the sanitized version of murder.” This is very easy for us who like to avoid conflict. Instead of fighting with someone, we flee from a situation. We just don’t want to acknowledge that we are bothered with something and so we flee, but in our fleeing we don’t overlook the offense and move on, rather we remain bothered and then bitterness takes root and we come to find out that our silence regarding the problem is really dishonesty.
Lies take on all shapes and forms. Sometimes we delete details from stories to our advantage. Sometimes we just flat out lie. Remember who Jesus said is the, “Father of lies?”
If you have ever been lied to it is frustrating and it destroys the bond of trust with those you love.
We need to be people who commit to telling the truth. I know that it seems like the hard road, but it really is much easier. Your honesty will pay off in the long run.
Rather than lying, Paul says, don’t neglect your responsibility to be honest with your neighbor or your brothers and sisters in Christ.
Paul says look…if you lie to one another it is like a self inflicted wound. He appeals to us to not lie to one another because we are members of one another.
Remember when you were a kid and you would take your brother or sisters arms and hit them with it and say, “Stop hitting yourself. Stop hitting yourself.” That is what Paul is saying here. Don’t lie to one another…when you do, you are lying to the members of your Body.
Are there any “lies” or “secrets” or “withheld information” that you are ensnared by? When are you planning on letting the cat out of the bag and finding relief for your tormented soul?
Those formerly known as liars, must now be truth tellers. (v 25)
Those formerly known as liars, must now be truth tellers. (v 25)
Those formerly known to fly off the handle, must now manage their anger properly. (v 26-27)
Those formerly known to fly off the handle, must now manage their anger properly. (v 26-27)
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.
Anger is combustable. It can blow things up and be used of the devil to destroy or it can be harnessed and propel things forward.
Think of the basic components of a gasoline engine. In order for the crankshaft to work and turn the fly wheel and turn the transmission there needs to be a controlled explosion in the piston chamber.
The problem is not that you get angry. Anger is a universal human experience. The problem with anger is what you do with it. Is your anger destructive or productive? And how can you tell?
David Powlison, a writer and biblical counselor defines anger like this:
At its core anger is “active displeasure toward something that’s important enough to care about.”
At its core anger is “active displeasure toward something that’s important enough to care about.”
God has given us the ability to size up any given situation, assign value to it and then to make judgements that turn into actions. This is one of the ways in which we are made in God’s image.
What do you get angry about most often? Is your anger justifiable? If it is how can you harness it to produce God honoring results?
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.
Do you realize what Paul is saying here in this verse. He actually says… “Be angry.” This verb is in imperatival form. Paul doesn’t just give us permission to be angry…he commands us to.
What did you learn in church today? I am supposed to be angry.
Care deeply enough about something to have an emotional reaction.
Once again our emotions aren’t bad…we mentioned that a few weeks ago. Our emotions are indicator lights that tell us what is going on in our hearts. Our emotions are amoral. They aren’t right or wrong. How we react to them is either moral or immoral.
Paul says, “Be angry…but don’t sin.”
Let’s consider Jesus in the temple for a moment.
All four gospels recount Jesus clearing the temple in Jerusalem. This was a provocative act and it seemed to seal his fate during the Passover Week. John’s account offers a fascinating insight to the account that no other Gospel writer does.
14 In the temple he found those who were selling oxen and sheep and pigeons, and the money-changers sitting there. 15 And making a whip of cords, he drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and oxen. And he poured out the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables.
16 And he told those who sold the pigeons, “Take these things away; do not make my Father’s house a house of trade.” 17 His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for your house will consume me.”
This is an amazing display of controlled righteous anger. Jesus sizes up a situation that is clearly wrong. Exploitation, greed, hypocrisy are at an all time high by the religious elite during the Holiest of Weeks in the Jewish calendar. Jesus observes it, judges it and is moved to decisive action that is God honoring. The zeal of the Lord consumed Him. He makes a whip of cords and drives out sheep and oxen from the the temple. He over turns tables with coins on them, but he tells those who were selling pigeons to “take these things away.” He doesn’t open the cages to let them go…why not?
Jesus was in control of His anger. He was angry and not sinning.
What do you mean? Think about this for a moment and marvel at how amazing Jesus is.
Would you say the anger you most often experience is a controlled righteous anger like Jesus?
It’s hard, but not impossible to go round up sheep and oxen.
It’s hard, but not impossible to pick up scattered coins on the ground.
It is however, impossible to track down winged creatures that can fly away. If Jesus let them go He would have been guilty of theft! But Jesus controlled His anger and harnessed its potential for good.
This is amazing…this makes me think of the old hymn.
O to be like Thee! O to be like Thee!
Blessed Redeemer, pure as Thou art;
Come in Thy sweetness, come in Thy fullness;
Stamp Thine own image deep on my heart.
Instead of us serving anger and giving the devil an opportunity to steal, kill, destroy, divide and devour, we must let anger serve us to show us what is going on in our hearts. We need to redeem it and let it help us make proper judgments that lead to productive actions.
Paul finishes this little segment with this comment.
27 and give no opportunity to the devil.
Paul says, look, I think the devil has enough opportunities to bring down the blood bought children of God. There are enough flaming arrows already in his arsenal…let’s not give him any more ammo. Handle your anger correctly and force the devil into a different game plan to bring you down.
Those formerly known to fly off the handle, must now manage their anger properly. (v 26-27)
Those formerly known to fly off the handle, must now manage their anger properly. (v 26-27)
Those formerly known for taking what was not rightfully theirs, must now work and give away what they have earned. (v. 28)
Those formerly known for taking what was not rightfully theirs, must now work and give away what they have earned. (v. 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.
I think one of the hardest things for me to do is to trust God with my finances. It’s so crazy because I trust Him with the eternal salvation of my soul, but I will be tight fisted with my 10 percent. I admit it doesn’t seem logical and it isn’t. It’s a struggle.
How hard is it for you to trust God with your finances?
I think we all struggle to some capacity with this. We take what isn’t rightfully ours and we are guilty of theft.
We certainly do this from an immaterial stand point. We steal glory from God or glory from others by not giving credit to where credit is due, but this passage is primarily talking about physical things.
That is why Paul uses words like, “labor” and “work.” These are things that we do that can be exchanged for physical things that we can “share” with others in need.
Speaking of sharing…lets ask ourselves this question: who owns the legal rights to the netflix, hulu, disney plus, or cable accounts we so often watch? GHHHH. Notice I said “we” not “you.” This just got real for all of us...real quick. If emojis could appear out of thin air…we would have all witnessed the “wide eyed” one.
Guilty.
Do not steal is the 8th commandment, but Paul goes further than the prohibition to not steal and he draws out the positive implication. Instead of sponging on the community…work hard, make money and contribute to those in need or to the greater causes of the kingdom.
Instead of sponging on those here at FCC, what can you work hard at doing so that you can earn money to contribute to the greater causes of the kingdom?
I know it is awkward to talk about money and giving in church…but this is what the text is bringing up. “Share with anyone in need” is what the text says. A better translation is “Share with “the entity” in need.”
The Greek word is simply a definite article and the context determines what it refers too. In this verse we are to contribute to anything, whether it be a person, place or thing if we notice that it is χρῄζω. (meaning lacking in something).
If you see things that are lacking in funds or furnishings, you are to do labor with your hands so that you can earn something and make a contribution.
Whether its to the general fund, the capital campaign building fund. Work hard and earn money to give it away for the greater cause of the Kingdom.
Give to those on the mission field bringing the Gospel to those who have never heard.
Give of your physical blood and your sweat and hours in your work week to finish renovating the ministry center or erecting a brand new building on our campus so that in the future…those in need will be able to be nourished by the grace of Gospel when they step on our campus.
Those formerly known for taking what was not rightfully theirs, must now work and give away what they have earned. (v. 28)
Those formerly known for taking what was not rightfully theirs, must now work and give away what they have earned. (v. 28)
Those formerly known to use their mouths for evil, must now use it for good. (v. 29)
Those formerly known to use their mouths for evil, must now use it for good. (v. 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.
This might be one of the hardest areas of our lives for us to be renewed.
James says something that, on the surface, seems very deflating.
7 For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind, 8 but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.
9 With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. 10 From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so.
Taming the beast in your mouth is hard. What comes out of our mouths can do some massive damage or it can be used to bring about immense blessing. The crazy thing about the words that come out of our mouths is that Jesus said they are sourced in our hearts. Your mouth isn’t the problem…your heart is.
Our words are either weapons hurled by our hearts or they can be tools sent forth from our hearts to bring grace and healing.
Today we are going to scratch the surface of this topic, but know that underneath the surface there are massive rivers of destruction or blessings that need to be either diverted or let loose.
We need to put off the old self and put on the new self as we seek to control that which comes out of our mouths. Your mouth is more than just a door for calories.
Here are just a few quick rules Paul lays out for us in this text.
First of all he says,
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.
What is corrupting talk? The word Paul uses means “harmful” or “rotten.” Don’t let harmful speech come out of your mouth. Don’t let something come out of your mouth that might rot other people. Whoever said, “sticks and stones can break my bones but words can never hurt me” clearly is oblivious to reality.
People are literally being driven to take their own lives because of words that are carelessly and harmfully thrown around on social media platforms. This is tragic.
If I am to combine what Jesus said in the sermon on the mount about our words and what Paul is says here…sprinkle a little bit of James on top and then paraphrase it…I think it would sound like this.
“Don’t be a rotten murderous crab.”
Do your words demonstrate that you are more like a, “Rotten murderous crab” or someone who “builds up others at appropriate times to give others grace?”
Instead of being a rotten murderous crab and letting garbage come up from your heart and out of your mouth and rot other people…only say that which makes it through the three fold straining process that Paul lays out in the second half of this verse.
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.
Only say that which…
...builds someone up…fits the occasion…and gives grace to those who hear.
Will what I say, build this person up or tear them down? Depending on how you answer that question feel free to say it or to silence it.
Does what I am about to say “fit the occasion.” This is where we so often go wrong. We have the right thing to say, but we swing and miss on the timing and our “right words” can be offered at the “wrong time.” Think before you speak. Think, is this the right time to say this? Will what I am about to say be better heard at a different point in time? Will what I am about to say be helpful at this particular moment?
Maybe the best time to have loving conflict resolution isn’t at 11:30pm when you and your spouse are exhausted and need to wake up early the next day. I’m just saying. Make sure your speech fits the occasion.
Finally, ask yourself, “Will what I am about to say give grace to everyone who hears?” Grace is “showing kindness to someone.” In this case…we must show kindness with our words.
Who has at least one thing to work on this week? Who just got pummeled by the Holy Spirit?
Come back next week as we continue on the expository journey and see even more ways in which we must let the righteousness that we have been given become a more functional righteousness.
Let’s pray.