HOW TO BE CONVICTED OF BELONGING TO CHRIST EPHESIANS 4:29-5:2

INTRODUCTION

As I was thinking about what to title the message for today, I began thinking about a story that was relayed to Pastor Greg Laurie some years ago. There was a husband and his wife who were heading to cabin to celebrate their anniversary. In route to their destination, they got behind a slow moving semi. It was chugging up the mountain at a very slow pace. The husband, wanting to get to their destination quickly, decided to pass the truck. He pulled into the other lane and was in the process of passing the truck to get back in the other lane. Unfortunately, he was not able to see the oncoming car until it was too late because of the foggy night. Consequently, they became involved in a head-on collision and were thrown off the side of the road and both the husband and the wife were knocked unconscious. The husband eventually came to and saw that his wife was bleeding. He quickly picked her up in his arms as he looked around to see where they were at. As he turned around, he looked and saw that their vehicle landed in front of the office of a doctor. The building even had the name of the doctor on it.

The husband breathed a brief sigh of relief and then went up to the door and banged continuously on it. Finally, after banging hard on this door many times, the doctor comes to the door. In almost a voice of panic, the husband exclaimed, “Doctor, you’ve got to save my wife’s life. The elderly doctor exclaimed, “Sir, I am so sorry. I no longer practice medicine.” The frustrated and concerned husband looked at the doctor and replied, “You have one of two choices. You either take that sign down or you start practicing medicine again.”

We have a sign at a major intersection of this city. The sign reads, JUDSON MISSIONARY BAPTIST CHURCH. Further, many individual Christians (so-called) have put put a sign out on the door of their lives that reads CHRISTIAN, a follower of Jesus. Here’s the rub. How many of us actually practice what we preach. If you were arrested for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you? We have one of two choices to make, either take the sign CHRISTIAN down or tell people about Jesus.

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There are two main evidences that believers must demonstrate on the sign of their confession of Christ.

CHARGE #1: THE EVIDENCE OF A WHOLESOME WORD (4:29-32)

Jesus calls believers to clean up their conversation as part of the evidence of a transformed life.

A. A Wholesome Word that Builds Up (29).

“Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths.”

Literally, the term means “rotten.” It refers to rotting fruit or decaying meat, such as fish. That type of conversation is to be “put off” and replaced with speech that builds up. I am reminded of the saying I grew up hearing as a child: “If you can’t say something nice, then don’t say anything at all.” We are to speak words that build up and encourage others. If we could just live out this verse, the overwhelming majority of life’s conflicts would be eliminated. Our words should help, not harm.

B. A Wholesome Word that Honors the Spirit (30).

“Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God.”

In the present context, the term “grieve” refers to causing pain. Thus, when our speech is not wholesome and truthful, the Holy Spirit of God is hurt. We hurt God with our words when we use them to hurt others. The reason we should be careful here is because the Holy Spirit is the one who has sealed (1:13) us for the day of redemption.

C. A Wholesome Word that Fosters Forgiveness (31-32).

You have probably heard that a kind word turns away wrath. Proverbs 15:1 “A gentle answer turns away anger, but a harsh word stirs up wrath.”

How do we build up in our speech rather than tear down? How do we keep from grieving the Holy Spirit of God who has sealed us for the day of redemption? It is by taking note of the warnings in the next two verses.

We are to put off all bitterness. We must get better not bitter. Bitterness is a sour spirit that is present in our speech that has become bitter. Many times this is evidenced by the use of sarcasm. My mama called people like this a “sourpuss.”

We are to put off all wrath. Wrath is passionate rage. This is the physical evidence whose anger is out of control. The demonstration of this is what popularly known as having a “tempter tantrum.”

We are to put off all anger. The term here refers to a “settled and sullen hostility.” This is what is commonly known as “holding a grudge.”

We are to put off all clamor. What is clamor? Clamor is “loud quarreling.” This is the description of a person who gets so emotionally charged that they raise their voices against another person in a quarrel to the point of shouting and screaming at that person.

We are to put off all slander. Slander is evil speaking against another. It is to speak evil of others, especially behind their back, with the intent to defame and even destroy a person’s reputation.

We are to put off all malice. Malice is simply “ill will” birthed and growing in the mind of one person against another. It is desiring, wishing, and plotting evil against others.

All of these things are to be taken off like a dirty garment. In its place, there are three things we are to put on.

We are to put on kindness. You know kindness seems to be lost in our culture. Yet, it is what Christians are called to put on. It is the Greek word “Krestos.” There is a ingenious wordplay here. “Krestos sounds very similar to “Xristos.” “Xristos” is the Greek term for Christ and “Xrestos” is the Greek word for “kindness. To follow Christ and give evidence as belonging to Him is to put on kindness.

We are to put on tenderheartedness. To be tenderhearted is to be compassionate.

We are to put on forgiveness. Literally the word means, “to act in grace” towards one another. This is to be our attitude toward others because it is the attitude that Christ has taken toward us.

CHARGE #2: THE EVIDENCE OF A HOLY WALK (5:1-2)

A. A Walk of Learning (1).

“Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children.”

This verse looks back to the previous verse (4:32). The greatest kindness (krestos) Christ (Xristos) ever displayed was Calvary (Golgotha). Because of what God through Jesus Christ has done for us, we are to imitate our Father’s love by displaying the kindness of forgiveness.

Growing in godliness means learning to live a life that honors God and gives evidence that we are indeed following the example of Christ. Jesus Christ did not die to be our example. He died to be our sacrificial Savior.

B. A Walk of Love (2a).

“And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us.”

We are to walk in love as Christ loved us. How did Christ love us? He gave Himself for us. In other words, He died in our place, sacrificing Himself for our sins. Therefore, we are to imitate Christ and walk in the love, grace, mercy, and forgiveness that He has given to us.

C. A Walk of Delight (2b).

“a fragrant offering and a sacrifice to God”

A holy walk is not only a walk of learning (imitating) and a walk of love, it is to be a walk of delight. We are to be a fragrant aroma in the nostrils of God, if I may state it that way. In other words, we are to stink pretty for Jesus. Not only has Jesus loved us and given Himself up for us, He has also given Himself as an offering on our behalf. He did not, as some teach, give Himself up as an offering to Satan to appease Satan. Nowhere in Scripture does God ever try to appease Satan-and neither should we. Finally, Christ gave Himself as a sacrifice. Christ gave Himself as the sin offering. This was a gratitude offering, given on our behalf, which we failed to give that we owed to God.

It was also a sacrifice to sin, without which we could never approach God and without which we must be punished with an everlasting destruction from the presence of God. The offering and sacrifice were presented to God the Father, to satisfy His justice, fulfill the demands of His law, and glorify His holy and righteous government. In Christ giving Himself, God accepted the work of Christ on the cross as sufficient for our sin debt. Now we should live our lives i such a way that our walk will be a fragrant offering pleasing to the Lord who has given us everything

CONCLUSION

I believe the Bible is the Word of God. Well goody, goody for you. Studying and learning the Bible is extremely important. Christian doctrine and theology are crucial. All of these things must become an increasing part of our Christian experience as maturing believers in Jesus Christ. However, anyone who tells you that is where it stops does not really know the Bible and their walk with Christ is highly suspect. The gospel must invade and be observed in human experience. Your presentation of the gospel will be accurate or it will be inaccurate, but you will present the gospel nonetheless:

“You’re writing a Gospel,

A chapter each day,

By the deeds that you do,

And the words that you say.

And men read what you write,

Distorted or true;

So what is the Gospel

According to you?”

Since the last time we came together, our lives have either accurately or inaccurately presented Jesus Christ. You have not been neutral. You have either been positive or negative for Jesus Christ. Your conversation has either been wholesome or unwholesome regarding the gospel. Your walk has been one of holiness or unholiness in regards to the gospel.

“The Christian life is not supposed to be lived on its own. You’re not supposed to live in isolation.” Alistair Begg

When others observe our lives, may that find us guilty of being a Christ follower without a doubt who we belong to.