NBBC Kids' Club - Ephesians 4:31-32

Introduction: Blessings of Being Saved review (Transformation, Ephesians 1:4; Adoption, Ephesians 1:5; Redemption, Ephesians 1:7; Union, Ephesians 1:10; Inheritance, Ephesians 1:11; and Holy Spirit, Ephesians 1:13). Last week, we considered how God wants us to share, to encourage others with our words, and that sinning is something that makes the Holy Spirit sad. Tonight, we’re going to finish Ephesians 4 by looking at the last two verses.

Ephesians 4:31 “31 Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.”

What is bitterness?

It’s an attitude about life and other people that only sees what is bad and nothing that is good (Wiersbe).

What happens is a bitter person has been hurt in the past and only thinks about how they were hurt.

Hurts hurt a lot!

However, as we’re going to read in a moment, the Lord helps us to forgive.

What is wrath?

Wrath is an explosion of actions when someone has hurt us or done us wrong!

You all don’t need examples because we all have experienced this kind of anger!

What is anger?

Anger is the emotional response when someone has hurt us or done wrong to us.

You see, both wrath and anger go together in the sense that wrath is the action behind anger and anger is the emotion one experiences (Osborne).

Example: when someone said something mean about my bike, I punched them.

What is clamor?

Clamor is when we use our words to angrily react to someone who has hurt us or done us wrong (Osborne).

Again, I probably don’t have to give any examples because you already know what this sounds like as we all have experienced this!

What is slander?

Slander is where you speak meanly about someone else.

Because they have hurt you and you want to hurt them.

Or you just want to plain be mean to them!

When someone says something mean about you, perhaps calling you a mean name, what do you naturally want to do?

Call them a mean name back!

Saying something mean to someone about someone is what is meant by slander.

What is malice?

This is being mean just for the sake of being mean to someone.

This kind of person is consumed with being hurt and hurting the one who did them wrong.

What should we do with these things?

Put them away!

We set them aside like an old piece of clothing that we’re not going to use anymore.

Think about it.

God is telling you to set aside saying something mean to your brother or sister if they do something that you do not like.

God is saying to us here not to explode with anger and wrath at our parents by storming off and stomping our feet when they tell us something that we do not like.

God is even telling us to stop trying to fight with someone that we do not like!

Just some of these things?

No!

All!

If you’re thinking, “This sounds impossible,” you’re right!

It’s impossible on our own.

But, if Jesus is your Savior, you’ve got everything you need to combat these things!

Ephesians 4:32 “32 Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.”

What does it mean to be kind?

With a pleasant attitude, you give something to someone that is unexpected and, normally, undeserved.

I’m sure that you can think of someone with a smile and a gentle voice gave you something and you thought, “That was so kind!”

Instead of giving people mean words and hurtful actions, the Lord wants us to be kind.

Who is it that we should be kind to?

One another.

Is one another limited to specific people?

Like, only to one another of people that I like.

No!

There’s no limitation!

What does it mean to be “tender-hearted”?

When you see someone, you are thinking about how you can help them with what you have (Osborne).

In other words, you’re concerned about helping others more than what is the best for you.

I’m sure that we all have seen someone who needs help.

Have you ever seen someone that needed help and you thought, “I need to go help them”?

Then, after this thought, you go and help them?

Being tender-hearted is helping someone because you can, not because of what you can get.

Who should we be tender-hearted towards?

The one another that follows “forgiving” also applies to “tender-hearted”.

There’s no limit to who we should be tender-hearted towards!

There’s no limit to who we should help if we can!

What does it mean to forgive?

You cancel out any wrong that someone has done against you.

Who is it that we should forgive?

One another.

Everyone!

If you’re thinking, “Pastor Bill, God asks us to put aside bitterness, anger, wrath, clamor, slander, and malice and tells us to be kind, tender-hearted and forgiving; how can we do this?”

Why can we be kind, tender-hearted, and forgive others?

We can because God is towards us.

How did God demonstrate His kindness, tender-hearted stance, and forgiveness?

Through Jesus.

Jesus died on the cross to demonstrate God’s kindness, tender-hearted stance, and forgiveness.

If God can do these things, then so can we, with His help by the Holy Spirit and through His Word.

Conclusion: Clubbers, God has enabled you to live like His children if Jesus is your Savior. You can put aside bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, slander, and malice because Jesus put aside those things in dying on the cross for you. You can, instead, be kind, tender-hearted, and forgiving because God did all those things for you in Jesus.