Transcript

The New You

Ephesians 4:25-32
Sunday, March 12, 2017
Pastor Randy Smith

---

As you know, we have been making a significant push for discipleship here in the church. Our Lord final words before His Ascension were, "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations" (Matt. 28:19). Making disciples means leading someone to Christ and then helping them mature in Christ.

Our Lord's primary goal for His people is spiritual maturity, Christlikeness. Discipleship, investing in one-another is the process whereby we assist each other to that end. If you are in Christ you are His disciple. The only question is, are you a good one or bad one? Today's sermon will help you answer that question. This is what a disciple should look like.

You see, the moment we come to Christ, the Holy Spirit begins to transform who we are - our actions, thoughts, desires and words. Being a Christian is much more than a profession. Evidence that we are truly saved is a total overhaul of our character - progressive transformation into Christlikeness.

I am going to attempt to cover verses 25-32 in one sermon. That means there will not be adequate time for details. Our focus this morning will be in the big picture.

Yet before we dig into the text, let me provide you with three main thoughts that will help to keep all the information organized and in perspective.

First, the overall context is unity in the church. That was seen in 4:3 where we learned we all have a responsibility to be "diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace." As we go through these character traits, think to yourself how indispensable they are to church unity.

Second, a couple weeks ago we learned in 4:22-24 that when Christ saved us He put away our old sinful nature, transformed our thinking and put on a new nature (verse 24) "in the likeness of God" built to bring Him glory. We have a new heart. Positionally in Christ we are created in (verse 24) "righteousness and holiness and truth." You are not a "sinner," but a "saint (Eph. 1:1). Yet while positionally in the eyes of God we are a righteous and holy, practically we have a responsibility to keep spiritually maturing into our new standing of Christlikeness. On a regular basis, we should be putting off the old sinful behaviors and putting on who we are marked by righteous and holy behaviors as we walk in the truth. We'll see this parallel or "put off" and "put on" clearly in our passage. This morning we will see five examples.

And third, the behavior expected of us is not a set of arbitrary rules, but rather expectations in-line with the Gospel we have received and the Savior we love. For example, verse 32, why should we forgive others? Because, verse 32, Christ has forgiven us. Chapter 5, verses 1-2 sum it up well. "Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma."

So keep these in mind. One, the traits necessary for church unity. Two, put off the old and put on the new. And three, imitate Christ and model the Gospel. And with that, let's get started.

1. Liar, Liar! (verse 25)

Five points this morning. The first one I have entitled, "Liar, Liar." Look at verse 25. It begins with "therefore." "Therefore" as a result of whom we are now in Christ. "Therefore" because of the grace of God working in us. "Therefore" we should be imitators of God. "Therefore, laying aside falsehood, speak truth each one of you with his neighbor, for we are members of one another." So you see the "put on" and the "put on?"

If Jesus is "the truth" (Jn. 14:6) and Satan is the "father of lies" (Jn. 8:44), it only stands to reason that if we admire the character of Jesus and the Holy Spirit is making us like Christ, we will naturally stop lying (like Satan) and begin to speak the truth (like Christ). Therefore right out of the gate we learn of the need to "lay aside" - we could say, "discard," or "strip off," or "cast away" anything and everything that is deceptive in our speech or character.

Obviously that includes lying, but we cannot eliminate the more subtle form of deception that oftentimes gets a pass in the church. How about exaggeration? Cheating in school? Falsifying hours worked? Failing to keep your promise? White lies? Flattery? Making false excuses? Misrepresenting facts? Our goal is to be without any intent to deceive or mislead.

You see, when we walk in the flesh we are built to deceive. It's the remnants of the old self, created in the likeness of the devil. Why work hard when I can pull a term paper off the Internet, put my name on it, claim it as my own and bring myself a better grade? Why tell the truth when my exaggerated story will bring me more attention? Why be honest when filing my income taxes when withholding will bring me more money?

Is the absence of lying really that important? Remember Revelation 21:8? "But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death." God's people are not marked by lying. They are marked by those who (4:15) "speak the truth in love."

Deception is the characteristic of Satan. Truth is the characteristic of God. We need to forever be in the process of putting off deception and putting on truth. Think about it. How can we show God to others while living as a deceiver? Why should people believe our testimony if they do not know us as a person honest integrity?

2. Chill Out! (verses 26-27)

We need to move on. The second of five points is entitled, "Chill out!" Look at verses 26-27. "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."

This is perhaps the most confusing verse in the entire section. The Bible clearly teaches that anger is a sin. So why would the Scriptures command us to "be angry." I think you know the answer.

Let's remember, we are created in the image of God. God is definitely a God of anger toward anything that violates His character. And He always exhibits His anger without sinning. Therefore we too can (and should) be angry over the things that anger Him. We call this "righteous anger."

In other words, when we experience cruelly, injustice, blasphemy toward God, it should bother us as it bothers God. If we are unmoved by 3,000 babies killed in this country each day and God's name taken in vain in most movies and infighting in the church and Christians tortured oversees, we have to ask ourselves if we really have a heart after God's heart.

You see the reason anger is often forbidden in the Scriptures is because we as humans often demonstrate anger in unrighteous ways. We are mad because we are inconvenienced by another . For example, we are mad because we didn't get chosen to be on a team. We are mad because things didn't go the way we expected. When my anger is about my glory, it's unrighteous anger. When my anger is about God's glory, it's righteous anger.

Therefore as Paul says in verse 26, "Be angry." Show a little more righteous indignation! And "do not sin." Avoid unrighteous anger, and avoid allowing your righteous anger to turn into unrighteous anger! Look at verse 27. "And do not give the devil an opportunity." You see, often our most righteous actions are used by the devil to lead us to sin.

You ask, how can Satan use our righteous anger and cause us to sin? Troubled by the persecuted church? A little shift by the evil one and you are now filled with fear for your own persecution. Troubled by the countless without Christ? A little shift by the evil one and you can begin to feel very self-righteous. Troubled by the way someone burned the Bible. A little shift by the evil one and you can be found seeking vengeance.

Listen, Satan is not here credited with producing the unrighteous anger. He just seizes the opportunity (as the verse says), as He does in many situations, to cause us to sin with our anger. As Paul said in verse 27, you can't give him an "opportunity."

How do you do that? You keep wearing your spiritual armor (we'll get to that in chapter 6). You stay humble and hold fast to Christ. And as we read in verse 26, you "do not let the sun go down on your anger." That means you deal with it quickly and you move on. Nursing anger, holding on to anger (righteous and especially unrighteous anger) is only giving the devil a foothold to perform his corrosive work in your heart. The point is, do not stay angry!

3. Thief! (verse 28)

Point number three is called. "Thief!" Look with me at verse 28. "He who steals must steal no longer; but rather he must labor, performing with his own hands what is good, so that he will have something to share with one who has need. "Another clear example of putting off and putting on.

Like our society, back then, taking things that didn't belong to you was a common problem. Pastor Barry, who was general manager at J.C. Penny, recently told me that all sales are marked up 2-3% to recuperate the items that are stolen in a given year.

Obviously stealing will destroy any community. Obviously stealing is against the nature of God who freely gave us salvation at His expense. "God so loved the world He gave…" Obviously stealing is against our new nature in Christ that calls us to be a giver and not a getter, especially a getter at another's expense. Obviously stealing is a knock on God's shepherding abilities, showing the fact that we are not content with what He has provided us.

The Greek word used in the Bible for "stealing" is klepto," the root for the word, "kleptomaniac." We know what stealing is. It is taking anything that does not belong to you such as intentional overestimating, pirated videos, unauthorized downloading, reneging on a debt, withholding wages, not returning an item borrowed, shoplifting, embezzlement and the list continues. Like lying, stealing is so easy to rationalize and justify. But like lying, it's a violation of the 10 Commandments, contrary to God's nature and unacceptable for the one renewed in Christ.

Rather than taking, the verse said we should be known for our giving to help the needs of others. That should be true for each of our lives personally and even our church corporately. And I believe we are a church known in the community for just that. Offering free food from our pantry. Free Bible and sports camps. Youth and children's programs. Community assistance. GriefShare. Addiction recovery. And worldwide, offering much money to missionaries and the persecuted church.

Instead of being takers Christians should be givers, emulating God, the greater Giver Himself. And the way we become givers, the verse says, we labor and work with our own hands. When we are not takers but givers it shows we understand a little something about the Gospel - sacrifice, mercy, generosity.

4. Potty Mouth! (verses 29-30)

Moving along, point number 4, "Potty Mouth!" Verses 29-30, "Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, 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."

"Unwholesome," the Greek word is "sapros." It means "putrid." It is used in the Bible to refer to rotten fruit (Mt. 7:17-18; 12:33-34). That should give you a good picture of what God thinks about the unwholesome words that come out of our mouths.

You ever notice with an unbeliever how words that are foul, crude, distasteful, unkind, sarcastic, dirty and slanderous are almost inevitable? I witness this amongst almost every guy that I speak with in the gym. It's nearly impossible to hear them string three sentences together without using profanity. And when I tell them I'm a pastor, it often doesn't make any difference!

The problem is the heart. Remember that Jesus said our words are an overflow of the heart (Mt. 12:34). Putrid and rotten words only give evidence of a putrid and rotten heart. A good, newly-created heart in Christ will naturally produce good words. It's impossible to imitate Christ and have a mouth that speaks from the pit of hell. It's inconsistent with our new nature that seeks to show forth the purity of Christ.

So before Christ, I'm sure we were all weak in this area. But now we must put off unwholesome words and on the contrary we should, verse 29, speak words that edify. In other words, as the verse says, we should build people up as opposed to tearing them down. We should use words that are wisely chosen as appropriate for the moment. We should use words that give God's grace to others. Brothers and sisters, are your words edifying, appropriate and gracious? Are your words showing forth the beauty and love of the One who indwells you?

I think the Golden Rule is sufficient as we have all experienced the pain of cutting words and know the blessing of a well-thought, timely comment of encouragement. But if you need more motivation to purify your comments and speak grace to others please consider verse 30.

"Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption."

Your desire to destroy someone or your refusal to build someone up brings great grief to the Holy Spirit. First of all, this shows the Holy Spirit is a Person (and not a force) capable of being grieved. But the main point here is that the Holy Spirit takes great concern to produce through us a wholesome and unified family and church. And when people in our community under the banner of Christ receive filth and not the love of Christ, the Spirit's purpose to testify to Christ through the very people that are said to possess Christ is clearly short-circuited. Such an action, the verse says, brings the One who seals us for redemption much grief. How sad!

5. Attitude Problems! (verses 31-32)

Last point, "Attitude Problems!" Verses 31-32, "Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you."

Another clear example of putting off and putting on. Put off bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander… [and] malice." These attitude traits are not in line with Christ. Get rid of these sinful, satanic qualities. Instead, by God's grace put on kindness, tenderness and forgiveness. Why? Because this is who God is and what He has displayed for you in Christ! The end of verse 32 shows that. "Just as God in Christ also has forgiven you."

You know, it's a lot easier to love than hate. Practice forgiveness and there will be no room in your heart for bitterness. You'll be more pleasant to be around if you are tender-hearted than if you are angry. Kind people, because they are such a rarely, give ample room to make Jesus attractive by their lives.

So by the grace that the Holy Spirit provides now with a transformed mind and renewed heart, "put off" and "put on." Put off lying and put on speaking the truth. Put off unrighteous anger and put on righteous anger. Put off stealing and put on giving. Put off foul speech and put on edifying words. And put off a bitter attitude and put on a heart that is kind, tender and forgiving. Obviously there are more biblical expectations for the believer, but Paul chose at this time to give us these five.

For these are the traits of the Savior we admire and the ones that have been made clear to us in the Gospel we have received. Be a growing disciple, growing each day more and more into Christlikeness.