Tonight we continue in the second half of this wonderful book of Ephesians…doctrine in the first half, how to live out that doctrine in the second half

To summarize the doctrinal portion: we learned that the Father, Son, and Spirit predestined for salvation a people for God; that this action was done from before the foundation of the world, and accomplished solely by His sovereign grace; that this salvation is vividly described as bringing the spiritually dead back to life; and we learn that God was intent on creating a single people, one people, holy and pure and unified, drawn from both the Jewish faith and the Gentile nations…a truth that even as Paul writes it in this book of Ephesians is such a radical concept that it still sounded unbelievable to those hearing this read in the churches of Asia Minor…and as he finishes this doctrine of the church as the body of Christ, he turns to the practical matter of instructing the church about how to live like the church we are

Now in the exhortational portion of the book, the last three chapters, we are told to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace, that the Church has been given gifted leaders, and that we as the body of Christ are to grow up into that One Who is our Head, even the Lord Jesus Christ Himself; that we are to be who we are, not to return to living as the Gentiles do, as Paul says, that we are to walk in a manner worthy of the calling of Christ…that we are to live in light of the fact that we have put off the old self of the flesh, and put on the new self in Jesus

Now, we as finish the fourth chapter, Paul puts a spotlight on our ethics and behavior -- on the choices we make each day about how we live in relationship not so much to God directly, but to each other, particularly within the body of Christ

Turn with me to Ephesians 4.25-32 and we’ll read God’s word together

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.

Let’s pray together.

I. Overview

So what can we see as we look at this passage as a whole? 

It begins with the important word “therefore” -- clearly linking what goes before this -- a command from the authority of Jesus to no longer live as those Ephesian believers, and we, used to live -- to be darkened in our understanding, alienated from God, hardened in our heart, callous, desiring sin and impurity -- but instead we are to live consistent with the fact that by the grace and love of God we have “put off” that old self in us, and “put on” the new self -- and now Paul leads us from doctrine to duty, to see what it looks like to walk in faith and love and joy with those around us, and Paul lays out this teaching in those terms: “putting off” and “putting on” 

First, we see that all of the changes Paul describes have to do with relationships…why? Because our faith in Jesus isn’t something that is just between ourselves and Jesus -- who we are in Jesus is lived out in our relationships with other people

Our faith is made evident in our relationships with our spouses, our children, our parents, our friends, even with acquaintances and strangers we don’t know well, or whom we don’t know at all…if the love and peace and joy and holiness and unity we know in Christ doesn’t find expression in our lives with other people -- or said another way, if our vertical relationship with God doesn’t find expression in our horizontal relationship with other people -- then something is desperately wrong…there must be consistency, integrity, between our faith and practice…

Second, we see that Paul describes a negative aspect and a positive aspect to these changes, corresponding to the metaphor of “putting off” and “putting on” -- it’s true, isn’t it, that when we look at ourselves, we see both dimensions in our behavior -- there are practices, habits, words, attitudes, actions that we must stop in order to more closely walk with Jesus, but there are also practices, habits, words, attitudes, actions that we must begin in order to more closely walk with Jesus…the Spirit leads us in both of these ways

And then third, there is a reason given for the change -- a principle that forms the foundation for the putting off and the putting on, so that when we consider it, we don’t just see the what, but we see the why as well

Let’s dive in and see what we learn

II. Speak the Truth                              4.25

25 Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another. 

The negative instruction: put off (away) falsehood -- “the lie” (to pseudos) -- should read “having put off The Lie” -- what lie is that? The lie of idolatry, that there is another God, another one worthy of our worship and adoration…the Ephesians had decided that issue for themselves and had turned to the Living and True God

The positive instruction: let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor -- certainly the application is to everyone with whom they came into contact, much as the meaning of the word “neighbor” in the parable of the Good Samaritan…but most applicable to the other members of the body of Christ, the church…Paul is now speaking to a group of people, Gentiles who have come out of that idolatrous life where they were raised on lies and deceit, and they were being told that they had to put that behind them and speak only truth…a very foreign concept to them, no doubt

But is it any different to us? How consistently do we tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth? When you consider the complete picture of truth as God sees it, and the difference with how we see the truth, it might surprise us…

We should see by now in this book, shouldn’t we, how critically important the truth is? Just in the preceding verses in this fourth chapter, we see how, in a sense, the most critical difference between the lost and the saved, between unregenerate Gentiles and the saints of God is an understanding of the truth…God is deeply concerned with the content and the nature of the truth, especially when we note that Jesus Himself says He is the “Way, the Truth, and the Life” (John 14.6)

It’s not enough to simply not be a liar…we must, at all times and in all circumstances, speak the truth, just as Jesus does

The obvious straight-up, in-your-face lie, sure, we all recognize that…what about saying the part of the truth that suits us best and leaving the rest unsaid? What about telling the truth when we know we will suffer for it, or perhaps lose a benefit or an advantage because of it, or when those consequences might apply to someone else we know or love? Is it a lie when we silently decline to offer what might be important information? Or when we choose not to speak when someone might be offended? Are we guilty of shading or hiding the full truth, often to avoid negative consequences?

I’m certainly not saying we must speak every time we have the opportunity, and say everything we think or know…but I do believe we can discern in our spirit the difference between all of the truth being the truth, and only part of the truth, being also partially a lie…and perhaps the telling difference is in our motive…if we ask ourselves who benefits or gains an advantage by what we say, and if the answer is that we ourselves do, we should look very carefully at our speech and ask God’s Spirit to advise us on the complete truthfulness of our words…

Why? Because we “…are members one of another.” We understand now, barely only halfway through this most important book regarding the Church, that this is the truth of God…we are We are not simply individuals, joined temporarily and by mutual consent in a civic organization called a church, but we are as closely conjoined as are the various parts of our own bodies…this language could be rendered “…we are parts of the same body.” 

Ever stub your toe on the coffee table in the dark? Ever had a dental cavity that needs to be filled? Either of those situations will remind you that every part of your body is connected to every other part -- those localized points of pain seem to radiate throughout your entire body…a lie is, as John Mackay said, “a stab into the very vitals of the body of Christ” -- when one of us is not truthful to another, it has effects that ripple beyond just those immediately involved…deceit and untruthfulness are no small thing -- we must speak truth to one another, since we are members one of another

III. Don’t Sin in Your Anger                           4.26

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. 

The beginning of this verse is a quote from Psalm 4.4, something of a Hebrew idiom…another way to say it in English would be the NIV translation, “in your anger, do not sin” -- this construction permits, but then restricts the exercise of, anger…

The positive instruction: Be angry, but the permission is carefully bounded by the negative instructions to follow…is it permitted for a Christ-follower to ever be angry? Yes, it would appear so…the word speaks of God’s anger against sin in all its forms…dozens of times the biblical writers called out to God to rise up in anger against their enemies and against sin; we know from the Gospel accounts of Jesus’s anger at those who would turn the court of the Temple into a marketplace, especially those involved in corrupt and fraudulent business and religious practices; but is there ever a time when Christians should be angry? I think the answer is yes, but the restrictions given here and elsewhere in Scripture allow only a narrow space for such attitudes and behavior…but in that space, is there not a call for Christians to be angry about those things that make our God angry? 

John Stott reminds us, “We human beings compromise with sin in a way in which God never does. In the face of blatant evil we should be indignant, not tolerant, angry, not apathetic. If God hates sin, His people should hate it, too. If evil arouses His anger, it should arouse ours, also.” 

But be warned: F.F. Bruce said this -- “There is no doubt a proper place for righteous indignation; but there is a subtle temptation to regard my anger as righteous indignation and other people’s anger as sheer bad temper.” Amen?

The negative instruction: But knowing our weakness, Scripture wisely tempers that permission with two restrictions in this verse: don’t sin in your anger. Be aware of your own tendency to exceed the bounds of righteous anger and fall into the trap of unrighteous anger. 

How do we know where that boundary lies? 

These might be some questions to ask yourself: in addition to a righteous indignation at evil and wickedness, is there any involvement of personal pride or offense? Am I no longer defending the righteousness of God but also myself and maybe my own self-righteousness? Am I seeking to gain something -- approval of others, status, or maybe financial gain -- by my indignation at sin? Am I concerned more about the reputation and fame of God, or my own? Honest answers to those questions, and others, will help you discern if you’re allowing sin to creep into your “righteous anger”

The second restriction is this: “do not let the sun go down on your anger” What exactly does this mean? “Don’t go to bed angry” has been a piece of marital advice for generations…but how are we to best understand this? If you have a disagreement with your spouse at 8:00 pm, and you’re angry about it, and the sun sets as it will today at 8:32 pm, must you resolve that issue in the next 32 minutes or be in violation of God’s word? Or if you live above the Arctic Circle and it’s summer, can I stay angry all the time since the sun never sets? Or perhaps the point the apostle Paul is making is less about the clock and the calendar than it is about our hearts…maybe it’s really about our tendency to hold on to anger, to carry along personal offenses against us, to maintain a perverse requirement to “win” arguments and a self-righteous demand to always be right, even at the expense of damaging a precious relationship with a loved one…we know, don’t we, that the point is not to nurse a grudge, to hold on to our anger, but to seek as soon as practical and possible to resolve the situation…and then, let it go

James offers good advice in his letter: James 1.19-20

19 Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; 20 for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.

Why? Because if we don’t, we risk the reason for the warning in the first place: we can give an opportunity to the devil. He only needs a small thing to find a way into your heart and mind, and from that to your attitudes, words, and actions…he’s like an expert rock climber who can scale a vertical wall with seemingly no footholds or handholds at all…but if you look carefully, there are small, almost imperceptible cracks in the rock face that provide an expert climber the opportunity to ascend the face of the cliff…so it is with us…we have to realize that we aren’t just making a mistake, we’re opening the door -- providing that foothold or handhold in the rock face -- for our adversary to exploit to our harm

IV. Don’t Steal                                 4.28

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. 

The negative instruction: don’t steal. Simple -- and not new, in the first century or in this century…actually repeats the eighth Commandment…even if it is your habit -- even your line of work -- continue in that sin no longer

Most believers I know would say to themselves right now, “well, there’s one thing I don’t have to worry about” -- but are you certain? For not every thief is a burglar, or one who kicks in a door or breaks a window to take all that can be taken as fast as possible…it also includes less obvious actions…one who would exceed what the law allows in maximizing tax deductions, business owners or managers who take unfair advantage of workers to gain a financial benefit, calling it “minimizing expenses,” employees who steal time and sometimes product or merchandise from their employer, or employees who offer excessive discounts to friends at the expense of the company, so-called “sweetheart deals”…in a previous job, I worked with law enforcement officials in such cases, and those guilty of that theft were prosecuted just the same as a shoplifter was…once we think about it, stealing is more pervasive, and less obvious, than we sometimes want to believe…even to the point that we are guilty of it ourselves 

The positive instruction: “rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands,” -- Paul’s counsel to a thief would be to learn a skill, seek honest employment…certainly in concert with the Law of God…earning his own living without taking from others

Why? so that he may have something to share with anyone in need. 

This is the surprising part of the injunction…the instruction is not just to stop the sin of stealing, and not just to replace that with the positive act of honest work, labor to make your own living without harming someone else…but instead the motive now becomes to actually earn enough for yourself, perhaps, your family, and then a surplus to bless others. It is a pointed direction to stop living a life of “taking” and start living a life of “giving” -- this would require a true work of the Spirit in a person’s life, wouldn’t it? To shift from stealing to blessing -- requires not just a change of action, but a change of motive and intent of the heart…the focus changes from self and personal provision and wealth to others, meeting their needs, decreasing what you keep from your honest work and increasing what you give away…human beings in our natural state don’t do things like this…when you see this happen, you’re seeing a true work of the Lord in a person’s life…

V. Don’t Let Your Speech be Corrupt                        4.29

Now Paul turns back from actions to speech, from works to words…

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. 

The negative instruction: let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths…”corrupting” renders the Gr ‘sapros’ -- to make rotten, putrid, or corrupt…used of rotting fruit, for example

There is speech that isn’t positive, wholesome, edifying…it doesn’t build up, but instead it tears down…it doesn’t heal, but it harms…it’s rotten, corrupt…ever left something in the crisper drawer of your refrigerator too long, only to find that it isn’t “crisp” any longer, but is barely recognizable for what it once was…maybe that’s just me in a college apartment…but you get the point…

Speech is a uniquely human gift…other creatures can communicate, some in complex ways, but this gift is, I think, one of the characteristics of humanity that links us to being created in the image of God…He speaks, and He has gifted us to speak, as well…but like many of our gifts, this sword has two edges…a scalpel can wound, and it can heal…James says it best in his warning

James 3.1-12

2 For we all stumble in many ways. And if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle his whole body. 3 If we put bits into the mouths of horses so that they obey us, we guide their whole bodies as well. 4 Look at the ships also: though they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. 

5 So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things. How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! 6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell. 

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. 11 Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and salt water? 12 Can a fig tree, my brothers, bear olives, or a grapevine produce figs? Neither can a salt pond yield fresh water.

My dad gave me a word of wisdom when I was younger, and like many of his words, I still recall it now…”the spoken word cannot be erased” -- once you’ve said something, as this passage says, once it’s “come out of your mouths,” it’s done -- you can’t take it back, as children say…you can only ask forgiveness for harmful, corrupt speech, for words that wounded instead of healed or strengthened.

Which brings us to the positive instruction: “but only such as is good for building up,”

Paul pleads with the Ephesians to use this precious gift for good…we all understand, don’t we, that we can build others up with our words, or we can tear them down with our words…many of us, if not all of us, can still recall things that were said to us in our childhoods -- things that had a profound positive or negative effect on us…and that building up or tearing down can last for decades…some of you right now may be tearing up thinking of something that was said to you earlier in your life, even in your childhood…that is a good representation of the power of our words

In our mirror book, Colossians, there is a parallel passage:

Colossians 4.6        6 Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.

We should be men and women whose speech is redemptive -- preserving, not corrupting -- we should be the opposite of the word Paul uses in this verse -- sapros -- meaning that which contributes to decay…we should be ready to answer, knowing how to speak grace into people   

The motive for this instruction, the “Why”? It’s clear -- we are to speak “as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.” How critically important it is that as Christ-followers, our speech convey grace -- not condemnation, judgment, ridicule, criticism, or mockery -- people will get plenty of that speech from the world, they sure don’t need it from inside the body of Christ

In other Christian faith traditions, what we call ordinances are called sacraments, which are defined as the means of dispensing grace…now there might be some things we would have to talk about regarding the sacraments, but I do think we could agree on this principle -- our words need to be sacramental in that sense, they need to be a means of dispensing grace to people who desperately need it, who are swamped with hate and despair, overcome with darkness…friends, our words can be a clarion call of grace and hope to people who are listening for something, anything, true and positive…and I don’t mean just outside the church, I mean inside the church, too…that’s one reason it is so important that we stay in touch with each other through this period of isolation, because we know that we need each other, I need to hear the grace of God come through your words, your voice…we can give people, as Proverbs 25.11 says it, a word fitly spoken (which is) like apples of gold in a setting of silver. 

As for us personally, as believers, we must realize the truth of what Jesus said in Matthew 12

Matthew 12.33-37

   33 “Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit   bad, for the tree is known by its fruit. 34 You brood of vipers! How can you speak   good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth   speaks. 35 The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil   person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil. 36 I tell you, on the day of   judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, 37 for by your   words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”

That’s the key, isn’t it? Once we understand that what we say is actually just the overflow of what’s in our heart, we can start to tell what the true problem is…maybe it isn’t our speech after all, maybe the problem is our heart -- if the words we say are corrupt, then it’s a sure bet that our heart is, too, if only for that moment…but if this becomes a persistent problem, we would need to step back and see where we really are before God…because it’s clear that Jesus takes this whole thing very seriously…what we say is such a powerful indicator of who we are that on judgment day, our words will stand as proof of our actual identity, who we really are

No more corrupting talk -- only gracious speech that fits the need 

VI. And in conclusion…                           4.30-32

Paul now turns for a moment back from our relationship with each other to our relationship with God, this time the Holy Spirit, with a clear command

30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 

Some believers, perhaps many, are still not really clear on the Person and Work of the Holy Spirit -- too often we don’t think of Him as a Person at all, but some form of impersonal force or presence, incorporeal, divine, but not knowable, and really not relatable, either…we know from Scripture that He is the Person of the Godhead of whom Jesus said 

   John 14.16-17    

   16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you   forever, 17 even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither   sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.

He is our closest Companion, our Refuge, our Strong Tower, the One who leads us into all truth, He is our Paraclete, the One who comes alongside us to comfort, lead, and guide us

His Names in Scripture are manifold…He is known as

the Spirit of God, 

the Spirit of Jesus, 

the Spirit of Christ,

the Spirit of Jesus Christ,

the Spirit of the Lord, 

the Spirit of the Lord God,

the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, 

the Spirit of counsel and might, 

the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord,

the Spirit of your Father,

the Spirit of truth,

the Spirit of holiness,

the Spirit of life,

the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead,

the Spirit of adoption,

the Spirit who is from God,

the Spirit of the living God,

the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation,

the eternal Spirit,

the Spirit of grace

So we are not to grieve Him…how would we do that? What could we do that would break His heart, if you will, cause Him grief?

Let’s look back at His names again…

Because He is the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, when we refuse to speak and walk in that wisdom and understanding, I think it’s reasonable to conclude that we will grieve Him

Because He is the Spirit of holiness, when we choose to speak and walk in persistent sin, rejecting His conviction and godly counsel, I think it’s reasonable to conclude that we will grieve Him

Because He is the Spirit of grace, when we choose to speak and walk in condemnation and judgment toward others, holding them to letter of the Law while we ourselves insist on mercy and kindness, I think it’s reasonable to conclude that we will grieve Him

Because He is the Spirit of truth, when we choose to speak and walk in that which is untrue, against His truth, I think it’s reasonable to conclude that we will grieve Him

May it never be that our attitudes, words, and actions would bring pain to the heart of the Almighty God.

For it is by (Him) you were sealed for the day of redemption.

Back in the first chapter, remember this?

Ephesians 1.13-14

13 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, 14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.

At the beginning of our journey of salvation, at that very first moment, we were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, in a spiritual sense, much as one might seal a scroll with melted wax and a signet ring…God put His signature stamp on each of us, as it were…now in this chapter, Paul tells us of the end of our journey of salvation, the day of redemption…it’s not the day we were saved, for that’s when we were sealed…and it’s not the day of our physical death…it’s the day when our bodies are redeemed and our journey is complete, the day spoken of in Luke 21, “28 Now when these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”

We were sealed from the beginning unto the end. Hallelujah!

Paul now turns to two final injunctions, or instructions, to us…

A sort of contrast of opposites…

31 Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. 

These words all have distinct meanings…from having an irreconcilable and resentful spirit, to a long-tenured rage, to the kind of anger that screams and shouts in a tantrum or fit, to the deceitful anger that is expressed through lies and malicious talk, to scheming and devious hate…but they have this one thing in common: they have no place in the heart or life of a Christian, nor in the communal life of a church…they are to be put away, just as surely as each believer is to put off the old self, the person we once were before we met Jesus

All of the things Paul prohibits in the fellowship of a body of Christ -- lying, wrongful anger, stealing, and corrupt and corrosive speech -- all find their expression from a heart consumed by these vivid descriptions of hate and animosity. These attitudes, words, and actions must be rooted out and cured by the grace and mercy of Christ for the body, and each individual within it, to be whole and well

And Paul ends with one final positive instruction…

32 Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.

Be kind -- be compassionate -- forgive

These simple Christian virtues need no further explanation -- we understand what it means to walk in kindness with our brothers and sisters…we already know that we must be compassionate, not judgmental, with those who have fallen into sin or just on hard times…and we know that we must forgive, extending to each other in mercy the same forgiveness that the Father, through the pierced hands of His Son, has extended to us

Application -- Get Truth Into Life And Act On It 

Yet at the moment these virtues are called for, and they are called for often, do we reach out in genuine care and concern and live out the kindness, compassion, and forgiveness of Christ? 

Do we become the hands, the feet, the heart, and the smile of Jesus to our brothers and sisters in the Lord?

Do we speak the truth in love, without wrath or clamor, without selfishness or deceit?

Do we reach out to bind up within this fellowship the wounds the world inflicts on us?

Do we walk in kindness, compassion, mercy, forgiveness -- in a word -- love?

Do you? Do I? 

Let us pray.