In The Spirit: Community

Intro

we are wrapping up our series, In the Spirit

this morning, we are going to bring everything we’ve talked about so far, combined with the final section of Ephesians 4, and see what the final result is

Quick review for everyone who has not joined us up to this point.

Unity

Maturity

Freedom

Power

Ephesians 4 tells us that we ought to be eager to maintain unity in the Spirit through the bond of peace. We talked about how Matthew reminds us that the peacemakers will be called sons of God

On Mother’s Day, we explored how we need to grow in spiritual maturity, otherwise we risk being tossed around by every wind of doctrine and deception

Two weeks ago, after our Set Free Retreat, Ephesians 4 reminded us that we are a new creation in Christ, the old is dead, and we need to cut ties, look nothing like our old self

Last week was Pentecost Sunday, and the Acts story and Paul reminded us that knowledge alone was not enough, but we need the power of the Holy Spirit to accomplish the will of God.

Go back and watch

I encourage you to go back and watch any of the parts of the series you may have missed. They are available on YouTube and Facebook. Give us a like and subscribe while you’re there, then you won’t miss anything that we post.

But this brings us to our first question

Which part of the series stood out to you?

was there a message or part of a message that stood out to you, either challenged you or fit where you are in life at this moment?

I really enjoyed this series, and I can’t help but feel like many of the parts are perfectly timed, especially as we begin to move towards more freedoms with our Sunday service and midweeks.

Parts of a Whole

One of the things that really struck me as I prepared for this morning is how important these messages were us as individuals, but how much more impactful they are when practiced as a collective, a community

Unity in a time when the world is so divided

Maturity when so many are being tossed around by the waves of the world

Freedom in a world that is trapped in sin and addictions

Power to accomplish the impossible in a society that settles for knowledge and arguments

but watch what Paul says in conclusion of Chapter 4. We are going to read all the verses at first, and unpack each one gradually.

Ephesians 4:25–32 (ESV)

Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another.

Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger,

and give no opportunity to the devil.

Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need.

Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.

And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.

Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.

Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.

Honest Reflection

If we are honest with ourselves, there is probably something in Paul’s list that stood out to us as an area of improvement. Paul has that affect.

Which point in Paul’s list stood out to you?

If you’re not sure, there is a little test you can do on yourself. Which point on the list were you fastest to rationalize as not that big of a deal? That’s probably the one that needs the most work

so lets walk through these individually

Ephesians 4:25 ESV

Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another.

Be Honest

when Paul talks about putting away falsehood, he means putting away all lies.

what would it be like if we only ever told each other the truth? What if we were always honest with each other? I think we would quickly learn the art of, “Not what you say, but how you say it.”

We would quickly learn the value of truth and grace, as the Apostle John says.

If I only tell the truth, people won’t like me. Jesus never told a single lie, and he had thousands of people hanging off his every word. We can tell only the truth and still be liked

Ephesians 4:26 ESV

Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger,

Anger is unavoidable, bitterness is not

Paul is is acknowledging that anger is unavoidable. We will get angry at some point. We can even be angry about the right things. Injustice and sin should make us angry.

The problem is when we stop being angry about an action and we are angry at a person. This is where anger becomes bitterness or unforgiveness, and unforgiveness is not acceptable among God’s holy people

Thus, do not let the sun go down on your anger. Make a amends, clear the air, and forgive the wrongdoer or their wrongdoing.

As it has been said many times, unforgiveness is like drinking poison, hoping it will hurt the other person

Ephesians 4:27 ESV

and give no opportunity to the devil.

Deliver us from the evil one

when Jesus taught his disciples to pray, the last thing was to ask God to deliver them from the evil one

so often, we flirt with sin in our lives

this has become very apparent for me

share experience of fasting from screens

not saying it is for everyone, but we need to identify the areas in our life where sin and temptation have access and cut them.

you are new, you are set free from sin, do not give the devil a chance to throw the chains back on

Ephesians 4:28 ESV

Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need.

Meeting your own needs is not enough

the first part of this verse I think all of us can get behind. Theives, stop stealing things and make an honest living

Paul doesn’t say, make a living to support yourself, but to labour to meet the needs of others

We are all called to generosity, not just the reformed thief. We are all called to be ready to meet the needs of the needy.

Dave Ramsey says it like this

“Live like no one else, so you can give like no one else.”

Ephesians 4:29 ESV

Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.

Very Counter Cultural

This one can be hard, especially for us guys. We love to poke fun at each other in jest, get a little slam in whenever we can.

When Darren and I golf, we actually play two games. One is golf, and one is head games. If you want to win at golf, you gotta win the head games too

The point is, it is almost second nature to be a little cutting, a little sarcastic, take a few jabs. But Paul is imploring the church, then and now, to put that kind of talk away, and seek to build one another up.

Ephesians 4:30 ESV

And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.

Don’t grieve the advocate

we know that the Spirit is a substance, but a person with emotion, personality, and direction

The Spirit actually lives in us, the seal of our redemption. He is also our advocate, for the spirit of a man knows his inner thoughts

To what benefit is it to us to live contrary to the Spirit in us? Why would be grieve the one being who is in our corner? Live in a way that honors the Spirit, not grieves him

Ephesians 4:31–32 ESV

Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.

Make the Trade

Paul finishes the chapter by asking us to trade bitterness and anger for kindness and forgiveness. Why? Because God has forgiven you, He has forgiven the person who wronged you, so you need to forgive them too

I recently heard someone comment on the fact that the church needs to become attractive again

He wasn’t saying we need to do attractional ministry. He was saying that the church needs to recapture the very thing that set it apart.

Imagine a community who only ever told the truth to each other, invited each other into their pains and struggles. A community where generosity and forgiveness flowed freely. Imagine a group of people who only ever built one another up, and fought to maintain unity amongst each other

This is the kind of community that everyone longs for. The kind of community where we don’t have to prove ourselves, we are accepted as we are, and invited to grow together in the faith that we all hold to.

We are called to be set apart, to be different. A group where we can invite our friends and neighbours to visit and we can be proud with what they are going to experience.

In order to become that community, it is going to take a lot more then determination and will power. It is going to take this Spirit, dwelling within each of us, empowering us to be everything we need to be, to live out the calling God has placed on our lives.

On our own, impossible. In the Spirit, nothing is impossible. Will we be a community, empowered by the Holy Spirit, be the difference our towns and families need us to be?

Let’s Pray