Daily Christian Living (Eph 4:25-30)

Daily Christian Living: Ephesians 4:25-30 Let’s open this portion of our service today by reading our selected scripture and praying. I. Our text this morning, though very specific in its sampling of behavioral instructions, is still appropriate for our first-of-the-month practice of taking communion together. Two reasons: A. Christian behavior is never separated from Christ our Savior (believer’s walk… from belief – behavior follows belief; Christianity follows Christ) B. Your right fellowship with God (relationship intimacy) directly correlates to your obedient submission to his will for you – even or especially in daily choices and actions. (Jesus told his disciples, “If you love me, you will obey what I command.” Jn 14:15 – 1 Jn 2:3 We know that we have come to know him if we keep his commands. – 1 Jn 5:3 In fact, this is love for God: to keep his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, – 2 Jn 1:6 And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love.) II. So what does walking worthy, walking in love look like? In our daily Christian living (walk), what are some specific examples of putting off the old man and donning the new man? (created after the likeness of God, v. 24)  Paul gives practical examples. (many of you are concrete thinkers) – He continues describing a contrast between the old way of life that pertains to the flesh versus the new way of life that pertains to having been re-created in Christ and continually being re-educated in Him. (all the way through 5:21) A. Notice how the issues brought up involve personal relationships. (25b) 1. These vices disrupt the unity of God’s people. 2. The contrasting virtues promote and strengthen community. B. Don’t lie. Tell the truth. 1. We know full well that falsehood runs free in our world and that truth is under fire. – Deliberate deception is often a tool of the trade.  What a terrible tragedy if that should also be true of those who have been made new in Christ. [We not only withhold truth and exaggerate to improve our position or perception… But we allow deception to burrow deep into our own hearts.  Lies destroy, but the truth builds up. (No matter how convenient or seemingly beneficial) 2. The mark of truth in you is the imprint of Jesus. (The words of Jesus to Pilate in Jn 18:37, “You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.”) 3. In all our interactions, we are to be speaking the truth of the gospel in love – v. 15  Be a person who is trusted to speak truth from the foundation of the gospel. C. Be angry without sinning. – Without losing your temper, be angry in a righteous manner. 3 things: 1. Don’t sin. (O.T. reference to Ps 4:4) – turn there to Psalm 4  Righteous anger is real. 2. Don’t let the sun go down. – Don’t let it fester. This might mean having that awkward conversation with someone [when you’d literally rather sit in the dentist’s chair]. It often also requires sitting and praying for your own heart. – In any case, Deal with it promptly. Why?  3. Don’t give the devil a place (an opportunity). – The devil is indeed a slanderer who seizes opportunities to derail Christians and disrupt unity in their community. HENCE, Eph. 6:10-20. (In this way is your spouse your neighbor? ) D. [A third point to illustrate the change from old to new…] Don’t steal. Work hard and give. – Labor (hard, wearisome work) doing good work. Why? The benefit is that (rather than taking from others) you can give from your honest labor to someone in need.  Stealing, even cheating the system, takes ingenuity and effort. Channel that into honest work. (You get Paul’s sincere joke about using hands for work rather than to steal.) – Another way to understand this too is that “good” work IS what is beneficial to others. E. Don’t talk trash. Say only what is good and helpful. 1. Bad, rotten, worthless, harmful – Instead, good words that build up (edify) where it is needed. Don’t let a single rotten, useless, harmful word come out of your mouth. (Oh that should be a cakewalk. James says it’s easy to tame the tongue. – See James 3) 2. Nothing abusive, vulgar, slanderous… (Mt. 12:36 giving an account for every careless word we speak)  “giving grace to those who hear” (I love those words.) F. Do not sadden the Holy Spirit. – Grieve, sadden (cause distress or sorrow) – by hurtful speech, by taking rather than giving, by letting anger rule you and give the devil space to worm his way in, by speaking falsely instead of promoting the truth that is in Christ… These things divide and destroy Christian unity, and that grieves the Holy Spirit, and understandably so. Unholiness and disunity cause him pain. (“holy” Spirit, and “one” Spirit who unites the one body; Spirit of truth) – The Holy Spirit is grieved when (although we have been made new) we don’t yield to his leading in order to behave as those made new. Whatever defiles the purity of Christ’s church causes him great distress. 1. Another motivation (like the other verses)… WHY not grieve the Holy Spirit? B/c he is the stamp of the likeness of God on us, confirming us as having been made new and belonging to God in Christ Jesus to the final day (of salvation and judgment). – we have current redemption by forgiveness but await future, completed redemption… - that also means, and I believe is the emphasis here, the presence of the Holy Spirit with us NOW. – God’s presence by his Holy Spirit is incentive to holy living (and speaking and thinking).  John 14:15-17 (Spirit of truth guides us in truth, Jn 16:13) 2. Instead, yield to the Holy Spirit, who draws our hearts after God. God is our motivation. – What makes a mother smile at her child? What pleases a Father? III. Back to where we began – gaining God and having fellowship (relationship intimacy) with him in Christ by the presence of His Spirit… Are you in fellowship with him? Picture yourself sitting at the Last Supper table with Jesus. […] - Put away falsehood and speak the truth. Don’t sin in your anger; take care of it quickly. Don’t cheat and steal; work hard and give. Put away rotten speech to build others up with your words (giving grace). Don’t grieve the Holy Spirit. Obey God out of love for him and admiration for His purity of truth, patience, generosity, and his grace to you in the spoken word of the gospel. 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 (ESV) 23 For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” 25 In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.