Speaking The Truth In Love
Eph 4:15-32
15 Instead, speaking the truth/in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. 16 From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.
Many want to speak the truth but do not live the love part, or we want to walk in love but do not want to speak the truth. Still others do not know either what the Love or Truth is!
v Love is not a feeling that you have for someone nor is it your good intentions toward him or her that equal love. Today we will attempt to discover what this verse is talking about when it talks of Love and what it is talking about when it talks about speaking the truth.
IN LOVE
v Joined (join closely together) …
v Held together (woven together) coming to a place of one heart one mind. This is the place where we will see the greatest battles in the body of Christ. Conflict, jealousy, envy, strife, childishness, loveless-ness, trying to find common ground to stand on. It must be based in Christ not in you!
v By every supporting ligament (a supply connection) This is a connection where supplies flow back and forth. Not a passive non-active relationship, but living.
v As each part does its work. According to the ENERGY invested in it.
v Grows and builds itself up in love…
THE TRUTH
17 So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. 18 They are darkened in their understanding and separated (non-participant) from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. 19 Having lost all sensitivity (become apathetic), they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, with a continual lust for more.
v What is the difference between those that have God and those that don’t?
- They follow their own thinking
- No understanding (1Cor.2:14 The natural man..)
- Separated Non participant. They are not living the life of God.
- Their hearts are hard because of rejecting the ways of God through disobedience!
- Lost all sensitivity (apathetic) no feeling for innocence.
- Follow only their desires to feel good..
- Which leads them into all kinds of impurity (i.e. sexual, addictions, abuse, lack of control)
- And they can’t ever get enough. Driven for more.
20 You, however, did not come to know Christ that way. 21 Surely you heard of him and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus.
v Truth = lifestyle and reality.
22 You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; 23 to be made new in the attitude of your minds; 24 and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. 25 Therefore each of you must put off falsehood (lying) and speak the truth to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body. 26 "In your anger do not sin": Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, 27 and do not give the devil a foothold. 28 He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with his own hands that he may have something to share with those in need. 29 Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Get rid of all bitterness (bitterness is when you put poison in someone else’s food to kill him and you die), rage (fierceness) and anger (revenge), brawling (crying out against) and slander (speaking evil of), along with every form of malice (little evil deeds). 32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. (NIV)
Speaking truth…here there is a contrast between lifestyles.
Gen 1: God said and it was so.
Jn 1:1-2 Until we identify our words with ourselves we cannot speak truth nor have faith. Our faith in God’s words are based on our faith in ours. John 1:14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
Matt 12:33-37 (our fruit tells us what kind of tree we are…words and the truth in them)
33 Either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by his fruit. 34 O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. 35 A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things.
36 But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. 37 For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.
Mk 4: Sower sows words. Where are you sowing these words? Into your own heart first Good or bad ground?
v Who’s truth are we speaking?
v God’s? Yeah! No! Yours! Wait a minute pastor Jerry. God’s truth is what we are to speak. Yes and no. It is his truth until we abide in it and it becomes our truth.
John 4:24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.
John 8:31-32
31 Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; 32 And ye shall know (about?) the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
v The truth that you know (being transformed by) is the truth that will set you free.
v This is the truth that I can speak to someone else in love and cause them to grow!