How to Live the Heavenly Lifestyle
Ephesians 4:25-32
Intro:
1. A couple of weeks ago the message was how the world behaves the way it does & why we should be different.
2. This week God’s word here shows you how to be different from the world.
I. You Have to be Different in Your Thoughts & Speech.
A. v25 - Is it possible to put off all falsehood? What are some of the ways you can be false?
1. Downright lying.
2. Manipulating truth (finesse).
3. Remaining silent when speaking out would be appropriate.
4. Tone of voice.
5. You must be honest in your speech & thoughts to please God!
B. v26-27 - Is it possible to be angry & not sin?
1. There’s a place for anger: to get rid of built up emotions.
2. v26 - There’s a time for anger: don’t let the sun go down on it.
3. v27 - There’s a way to express anger: so the devil doesn’t get a foothold.
a. Moses was angry when he came down from Mt. Sinai (Ex 32:19).
b. Jonathan was angry when Saul tried to kill David (I Sam 20:34).
c. Nehemiah was angry when innocent children were being hurt (Neh 5:6).
d. Elihu was angry because his 3 friends condemned Job (Job 32:2- 3).
e. Jeremiah was angry when Israel spurned God’s word (Jer 6:11).
f. Lord Jesus was angry after He healed the man with the withered hand (Mk 3:5).
g. Lord Jesus was angry about merchants selling sacrificial animals & exchanging money at the Temple (Jn 2:15).
h. Paul was angry when a magician tried to turn people from the truth (Act 13:9-11).
i. The Lord was angry with those who practiced false doctrines & distorted the gospel message (Rev 2:15).
j. Notice in each of these situations anger was righteous!
C. v29 - Is it possible to curb your tongue?
1. Unwholesome (σαπρός) = lit. rotten, vile, decayed, having no value.
a. Have you ever smelled rotten tomatoes? Yuk!
b. Filthy language is noise pollution; garbage, filth. It is inappropriate behavior for a prince or princess in the kingdom of God!
2. v31 - What else is unwholesome besides swearing?
a. Bitterness (πικρία) = long standing resentment.
b. Rage (θυμός) = setting fire to straw, quick but destructive, fury.
c. Anger (ὀργή) = setting fire but slow burning & long lasting.
d. Brawling (κραυγή) = loud talking & shouting in arguments.
e. Slander (βλασφημία) = (blasphemy), insulting, lowering someone’s esteem.
II. You Have to be Different in Your Actions
A. v28 - Toward those who are outside of Christ.
1. Display honesty by not stealing.
2. Display biblical love by giving part of your salary to those in need. “Need” implies unemployed!
B. v30 - Toward the Holy Spirit.
1. When you knowingly behave contrary to your parent’s teachings, they grieve.
2. When you knowingly behave contrary to the Holy Spirit’s guidance, you grieve Him!
C. v32 - Toward your Christian brother & sister.
1. Continue to do kind, beneficial things for one another.
2. Compassionate (εὔσπλαγχνος) = lit. feel special inside, having such a strong deep affection for one another that your insides ache, be tenderhearted.
3. The Christian Law for Personal Relationships.
a. Forgive one another to the same degree that your Lord forgave you when He went to the cross!
b. Rom 5:6-8 - You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly . . . God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Do you want to live a victorious Christian life?
Conform your thoughts, speech & actions
to the Lord’s will & see what happens!
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