Ephesians 4:25-32

Introduction

We must remember we are created in the likeness and image of God; therefore, God has similar emotional characteristics as we do. Jesus was the exact representation of God and He wept for sorrow over what was happening to His people!

“Therefore” or “Wherefore” — This is Paul’s transition word which tells us what follows is in light of something which came before. In this case, what he is about to say is in light of what he wrote in 20-24.

When we were saved we put off the old man and its way of life to put on the new man and a new life in Christ. We now have a new nature but that new nature and way of life must be cultivated while we in turn subdue the old man.

What we see here before us in these verses are five classes of sins, viewed as the rags our old man once wore and the virtues of the new man seen as robes of beauty with which to replace the threadbare rags we once wore before coming to Christ.

Can we just take a very brief moment to consider again the power at work within us which makes all of this possible? It is Christ who does the work. He is responsible for it and in Him we KNOW that it will one day be brought to completion. Philippians 1:6

Philippians 1:6 CSB

I am sure of this, that he who started a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

So we cooperate with what God is doing in us by dying to sin and living in righteousness. We trust Him to do the work. We have faith in what He is doing and we follow Him.

Five Sins

Lying — This means any kind of deception. This is a chief characteristic of our old man. Remember, we were once enslaved to our sin and obeyed the devil. Ephesians 2:1-2

During a dinner, Mark Twain was talking to a lady beside him and out of courtesy, he said, “You are so beautiful!” The lady was arrogant, and told him, “I’m sorry but I can’t say the same for you.” Mark Twain then told her, “That’s alright, you could be like me, just tell a lie.” The lady looked down in embarrassment.

As reported in USA Today, Jerald Jellison said, "Each of us fibs at least 50 times a day." He explained that we lie about our age, our income, or our accomplishments. And we use lies to escape embarrassment. A common reason for "little white lies," we're told, is to protect someone else's feelings. Yet in so doing, we are really protecting ourselves. According to Jellison, here are some of our most commonly used fibs: "I wasn't feeling well." "I didn't want to hurt your feelings." "The check is in the mail." " I was just kidding." "I was only trying to help."

And lying is the language of the devil. So it was our common language with him. We spoke the devil’s language. John 8:44

John 8:44 CSB

You are of your father the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he tells a lie, he speaks from his own nature, because he is a liar and the father of lies.

This is no longer who we are! We now belong to Jesus and speak the truth. Speaking truth should now be a chief characteristic of our life. Proverbs 12:22

Proverbs 12:22 NKJV

Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord, But those who deal truthfully are His delight.

We are to be honest in all of our personal relationships, business dealings and any every other area of life. People should know this about us.

Neighbor — Anyone in the body of Christ. Paul begins with the church. Telling the truth begins in the church! We MUST be honest and truthful with one another.

Members of one body — “People lie or withhold truth when they conclude that the other person is not competent to handle the whole truth in some desired manner. To convey a falsehood to a fellow believer, to deem him unworthy of knowing the truth, rips the fabric of unity in the “one body.” As members of a “social organism” Christians must be able to share an honest, intimate association with one another.” Boles, K. L. (1993). Galatians & Ephesians (Eph 4:25). Joplin, MO: College Press.

Be angry and do not sin — Anger is an emotion. We can’t help bu feel the way we do. We cannot discount the feelings of others even if we disagree with that which elicits them. But what you do with anger is either righteousness or sin.

At this point let’s talk about the difference between anger and “righteous indignation” which is what Jesus felt when He overturned the tables of the money changers in the temple. All of us want to think our anger is righteous and the next guy’s is not.

Righteous indignation — The reaction of purity against corruption. This is Spirit led and can lead to positive, controlled action.

Man’s anger — is something altogether different. It is often fueled by hate, fear, a feeling that one’s rights have been violated, etc. It is a self-centered expression of rage resulting from these self-centered kind of causes. James 1:20

James 1:20 CSB

for human anger does not accomplish God’s righteousness.

Paul is not here talking about righteous indignation. He is talking about rage, fury, intense feelings of emotion which can lead to impulsive behavior and sin. This is not the actions of the new man or woman in Christ.

Bruce Goodrich was being initiated into the cadet corps at Texas A & M University. One night, Bruce was forced to run until he dropped -- but he never got up. Bruce Goodrich died before he even entered college. A short time after the tragedy, Bruce's father wrote this letter to the administration, faculty, student body, and the corps of cadets: "I would like to take this opportunity to express the appreciation of my family for the great outpouring of concern and sympathy from Texas A & M University and the college community over the loss of our son Bruce. We were deeply touched by the tribute paid to him in the battalion. We were particularly pleased to note that his Christian witness did not go unnoticed during his brief time on campus."

Mr. Goodrich went on: "I hope it will be some comfort to know that we harbor no ill will in the matter. We know our God makes no mistakes. Bruce had an appointment with his Lord and is now secure in his celestial home. When the question is asked, 'Why did this happen?' perhaps one answer will be, 'So that many will consider where they will spend eternity.'" 

We are going to feel angry sometimes and Paul allows for that here. But when we feel angry, because we are in Christ, two things need to take place...

Do not sin — Just don’t do what you feel like doing in the moment. Walk away, pray, create space and perspective. Lean into and rely upon the power of the Holy Spirit within you and don’t do it!

As someone once said, “Anger must be carefully guarded so as not to pass into sin.” When anger is selfish, undisciplined and uncontrolled is is always sinful.

Get rid of your anger — Do not allow it to remain for more than that day. Do not hold onto it. We must reconcile with our brothers in Christ and do all we can to reconcile with others outside the church as well.

Do not give the devil a foothold — When our emotions are out of control Satan moves right in to create chaos. He will exploit the situation of that you can be sure. “Whether in the heat of passion or in a smoldering resentment, the devil is given room to operate.”

Do not steal — Paul has in mind the habitual thief who was converted and is tempted to go back to his old way of life. Before you think that exempts you please consider all of the ramifications of what it means to steal...

Business losses amounting to $50 billion are recorded annually from employee theft. 42.7% of Inventory loss in US stores is caused by employee theft. One-third of business bankruptcies in the US are caused by employee theft. Total business losses from these bankruptcies amount to $50 billion annually.

Stealing even little things qualifies you as a thief. Wasting or stealing time from our employer can be considered theft. Eating grapes before paying for them…not notifying the clerk he gave you incorrect change…etc

The new man instead learns a trade, prospers in what he does and becomes generous to give what God has blessed him with to those in need.

“Stealing is replaced by hard work....The dignity of labor and the joy of sharing leave no room for the desire to steal.”

No Corrupt Communication — Foul-mouthed talk or unwholesome speech. Paul says do not let any such talk come out of our mouths.

Paul knew some of those reading his words worked in environments that were difficult in this area. He knew some were around those who curse all day long and told jokes at the expense of others. He knew they were in the company of those who told bad jokes, gossiped, criticized and spoke all kinds of evil things about others.

Many of you are in such environments yourself each day at work. This is a tough one for you because when you are around such people and immersed in that kind of environment it is easy to be pulled into the habitual speech of those you hear all day long.

But Paul says stop it from coming out of your mouth. Even though you think it…don’t say it! Let the Spirit of God and His word to your conscience be your filter.

There is no place for put downs in the life of a believer. No place for jokes at another’s expense. No place for cursing.

Paul says instead, everything that comes out of our mouth, should be something which builds up others. Something that “edifies” those around you.

We must make a conscious effort to use language that will edify and minister grace for the benefit of those who hear us.

Bad Temper — Everything in verses 31 have to do with the results of a bad tempter. Some folks like to make excuses for their temper. They like to tell you about their daddy or momma who had a bad temper as though they simply inherited the short fuse and were helpless to its inevitable effects.

But the truth of the matter is simply this…a bad temper is to give oneself permission to act sinful.

A bad temper is a person who has given themselves permission to be...

Bitter — describes the sour, resentful spirit of a person who broods over the injuries and slights he receives and refuses to be reconciled

Wrathful — Sudden outburst of passion or rage.,

Angry — Settled feeling of anger. Someone who holds onto their anger after the sun goes down. The Stoics distinguished “rage” (θυμός, thymos) as an initial explosion of hot temper and “anger” (ὀργή, orgē) as a more settled feeling of gnawing hostility

Clamor and slander — Public quarreling (Facebook here?) and quiet whispers of slander.

Malice — Any attitude or action which seeks harm to its neighbor.

A bad temper must not be allowed, excused or winked at. It must be put away and ended. Such is not the words and actions of the new man or woman in Christ.

Conclusion

"Fond parents often say to a little child: `How much do you love me?' The answer is usually a kiss and a hug. If you put the same question to our heavenly Father, the answer is—the cross... . We can glimpse the sufferings of Christ in the Garden and on Calvary; but who can picture the sorrows of the Father in Heaven in that last hour?"

If we abuse our fellow man we grieve the Holy Spirit. In other words, make the Holy Spirit of God sad, sorrowful because you are living like the old man you once were before you knew Christ instead of the new man He has now created you to be.

The Holy Spirit is the seal of God on our life. He indwells us, teaches us, guides and convicts us.

“The Holy Spirit’s scrutiny is omniscient, and our blessed Refiner cannot but be instantly conscious of every germ of contamination latent in the souls He has sealed for the Lord’s possession.” Simpson, E. K., & Bruce, F. F.

Many believers have lost their joy, peace and blessedness because they have grieved the Holy Spirit through the committing of the five sins mentioned here today.

Too many of our family have given themselves permission to lie, be angry and sin, steal, tear others down with their talk and have a bad temper. These are not the marks of our new life.

A mouse fell into half a tank of rice, and was delighted. After checking that there was no danger, he ate the rice and fell asleep immediately. Such is life, and he ate and slept in the tank for a while. But as life goes not, the rice is fast depleting, and finally, he finished all the rice. It was only then that he realised, that jumping out is only his dream, and everything is not within his control.

When we act like the old person we once were we grieve God’s Spirit…we break His heart. And this inevitably leads us to a brokenness of our own and a loss of some of feelings of intimacy we once enjoyed in Christ.

The good news is there is always an opportunity to repent. Acts 3:19

Acts 3:19 NASB95

“Therefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord;

Are you ready to be refreshed? To have some “breathing space”

Just admit you have messed up, tell God you are sorry that you have hurt His heart and grieved His Holy Spirit. Ask Him to forgive you and know that He does.

God loves us perfectly and continually. He is just waiting for you to wake up, repent and begin living the life of the new man or woman again. Be who you are in Jesus. Ephesians 2:10

Ephesians 2:10 CSB

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time for us to do.

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