NOTE: As we continue our studies in the New Testament book of Ephesians, we are reading and meditating upon the text to be examined during the next sermon. There is no better preparation for hearing the teaching of God's Word than prayerfully reading the Scriptures and asking God that "the eyes of your heart may be enlightened" (Ephesians 1:18).

This week we are focusing on Ephesians 4:29-32. Today we'll read these verses in context, beginning with verse 17, from the New Living Translation:

¹⁷With the Lord's authority I say this: Live no longer as the Gentiles do, for they are hopelessly confused. ¹⁸Their minds are full of darkness; they wander far from the life God gives because they have closed their minds and hardened their hearts against him. ¹⁹They have no sense of shame. They live for lustful pleasure and eagerly practice every kind of impurity.

²⁰But that isn't what you learned about Christ. ²¹Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from him, ²²throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. ²³Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. ²⁴Put on your new nature, created to be like God--truly righteous and holy.

²⁵So stop telling lies. Let us tell our neighbors the truth, for we are all parts of the same body. ²⁶And "don't sin by letting anger control you."Don't let the sun go down while you are still angry, ²⁷for anger gives a foothold to the devil.

²⁸If you are a thief, quit stealing. Instead, use your hands for good hard work, and then give generously to others in need. ²⁹Don't use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them.

³⁰And do not bring sorrow to God's Holy Spirit by the way you live. Remember, he has identified you as his own, guaranteeing that you will be saved on the day of redemption.

 ³¹Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior. ³²Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.

Do you ever feel like it would be easier to live a godly life if you just didn't have to deal with people every day? Other drivers who irritate you by behaving badly? Family members and others who intentionally push your buttons--or even unintentionally do things that annoy? Coworkers who, one way or another, add to your workload or make some aspect of your day unpleasant?

For you it may be all of these ways--or through a different set of grievances entirely--that the people around you make it hard to live the life described in Ephesians 4:17-32.

As you read Paul's instruction in this week's verses (4:29-32), note the specifics of what our new life in Christ looks like and think about the people in your life. How is God challenging you, in the nitty gritty of your relationships, to throw off the old sinful nature and put on the new nature "created to be like God--truly righteous and holy"?

Father,

I want to thank You today for the people you have placed in my life--especially the ones that cause me to depend more completely on You and Your grace. Thank You for giving me a new nature and freeing me from slavery to old ways of speaking and acting. I invite Your Spirit today to renew my thoughts and attitudes, and allow me to reflect Your amazing love in all I do and say.

Amen

This week we are focusing on Ephesians 4:29-32, the text Pastor Rob will teach from on Sunday, January 9.

²⁹Do 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. ³⁰And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. ³¹Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. ³²Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

How sharp is the contrast between life-dead-in-sin and life-transformed-in-Christ? It is as radically different as a mouth comfortable with cursing and hateful language is from one that continually speaks words of encouragement and healing.

With his instruction on our speech in verse 29, Paul adds another illustrative picture of how much God wants to change us from our former way of life, how much different He would have us be from those who don't know Him and who are still dead in their sins--who we would be without Christ and His transforming work in our hearts and lives.

Even if "unwholesome talk"--what the New Living Translation identifies as "foul or abusive language"--isn't a consistent issue for you, Paul goes on to set a standard far above what we would humanly expect from ourselves: Speaking only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs.

What portion of our words on a given day would live up to that lofty target? But imagine how our homes, our workplaces, our social settings, and our church would feel the impact if our words created a "safe place," where the truth is spoken in love, and where all we say is helpful for building up those around us.

How can we possibly speak this way day in and day out? Not on our own power! Remember, God's Spirit lives in us and not only guards our consciences but also our speech. In fact, Romans 8:26-27, tells us that the Spirit intercedes or speaks for us when our ability to find words or even utter prayers fails.

Father,

Give me your eyes today to see the needs of the people in my life. Give me Your words of encouragement, that will meet their needs and build them up. In Your power and by Your Spirit, Lord, transform my speech to reflect my new nature, created to be like You, truly righteous and holy.

Amen

This week we are focusing on Ephesians 4:29-32, the text Pastor Rob will teach from on Sunday, January 9. Today we'll look at these verses in the New Living Translation:

²⁹Don't use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them.

³⁰And do not bring sorrow to God's Holy Spirit by the way you live. Remember, he has identified you as his own, guaranteeing that you will be saved on the day of redemption.

 ³¹Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior. ³²Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.

Right in the middle of his extended list of how we should and shouldn't behave as members of God's family, Paul reminds us that when we came to Christ, the Holy Spirit took up permanent residence within us (see Ephesians 1:13b-14a). And not only that, Paul writes, He experiences real sorrow over our sinful attitudes, words, and deeds.

If you've ever witnessed a friend or family member's wrong choices and been saddened by those behaviors--knowing the pain they'll cause, the good that will be missed, the potential squandered--then you have a glimpse into how God's Holy Spirit feels when we fall into the patterns of our old selves and continue wearing those old and rotting garments.

"When you believed in Christ," we read in Ephesians 1:13b-14a (NLT), "he identified you as his own by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom he promised long ago. The Spirit is God's guarantee that he will give us the inheritance he promised and that he has purchased us to be his own people."

Let the reality of God's Spirit sink in: One so personally involved in our lives, our words, our thoughts, and our actions that He feels sorrow over the wrong choices we make.  

Father,

Thank You for making me one of Your own, and for the presence of Your Spirit in my very being. Thank You that You care about me and about the choices that I make. Help me to recognize the words, thoughts, and actions that will make You sad, and help me to grow in ways that will please you more each day,

Amen

This week we are focusing on Ephesians 4:29-32, the text Pastor Rob will teach from on Sunday, January 9.

²⁹Do 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. ³⁰And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. ³¹Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. ³²Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

In case we have any doubt about the degree of change our new life in Christ should encompass, note the inclusiveness of Paul's concluding list (verse 31) of the old-nature behaviors that should be cleaned out of our lives, and the new ways of living that should replace them.

Reading verse 31 in the New Living Translation makes these words hit even closer to home: "Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior." While a study of the Greek origins of these words would likely enhance our understanding, even a common dictionary sheds some light:

• Bitterness--resentful, hostile attitude that refuses reconciliation
• Rage--angry outburst; anger that is extreme, passionate, or fuming
• Anger--annoyance, irritation, fury, antagonism, resentment
• Harsh words--words that are severely critical, cruel, punitive, jarring, insensitive, unforgiving
• Slander--words that are false and damaging, malicious, insulting, defaming
• All types of evil behavior--all other morally wrong, harmful, malicious actions

See yourself in any of that? Review that list and ask God to grow your awareness of any ways these "old nature" patterns are still part of your new life in Christ. Then invite His help in incorporating the "new nature" replacements of verse 32 into your daily interactions:  kindness, compassion, forgiveness.

Father,

Thank you that you have redeemed me and freed me to live a whole new way. Forgive me for the ways I hang on to old-nature ways of thinking and acting. Renew my mind and help me to see people as You see them. Help me to act toward them with kindness, compassion, and forgiveness as I reflect the love and grace You have so kindly show to me.

Amen

This week we are focusing on Ephesians 4:29-32, the text Pastor Rob will teach from on Sunday, January 9. Today's reading includes the preceding four verses:

²⁵Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully 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, ²⁷and do not give the devil a foothold. ²⁸He 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.

²⁹Do 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. ³⁰And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. ³¹Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. ³²Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

It's natural as we read through a text like this to focus first on the negative--the "put off" side of the equation. But equally important is the new way of living we are to "put on." Those new attitudes, and new ways of speaking and acting, as they are presented here, help us fill in the picture of how we are to individually live the new life in Christ and set a new standard for our behavior.

They also offer us the opportunity to catch a vision of what the church--the body of Christ--was created to be.

Read through these verses again, this time paying special attention to the positive side of the equation, and as you do that, think about how amazing it would be to live and serve and worship among those who more and more each day practiced these attitudes and actions in all their relationships.

It doesn't take too much imagination to put together a picture what God has in mind for His people: Dependably truthful, quickly resolving disagreements, everyone productive--working with his or her own hands--and sharing with those in need. Using words to build each other up, sensitive to each others needs. Interacting with kindness and compassion toward one another, and forgiving each other in the same way God has forgiven each of us.

That's the church as God intends it--a unified household, a building joined together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit. Who wouldn't want to be a part of that!

Father,

Impress a vision on my heart and mind of what You want Your church to be--and the kind of person You want me to be. Make these truths from Your Word real to me and to incorporate them into my daily life. Help me to grow more like Christ today and to honor You in all I do and say.

Amen