Sermon Notes 2-12-2017

Ephesians Part 13

So, how do we walk the walk we talk???

Ephesians 4:25–32 (ESV)

²⁵Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another.

²⁶Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger,

²⁷and give no opportunity to the devil.

²⁸Let 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.

²⁹Let 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.

³⁰And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.

³¹Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.

³²Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.

He wasted no words!

Ephesians 4:25 (NLT)

²⁵So stop telling lies. Let us tell our neighbors the truth, for we are all parts of the same body.

·      So = let’s get right to the how!

·      And he says STOP LYING

o   We are to dive right in to living our new life!

o   With are new self

o   And he is saying the hard truth is better that an easy lie

o   Lying gets you know where fast

·      To our neighbors

o   That means we speak the truth in ALL our conversations

o   The world wants the truth

o   The world needs the truth

o   PERIOD

·      And especially our brothers and sister in Christ!

o   We are all to lift each other up

o   Hold each other accountable

o   The days of being the Yes person is over

o   We speak the truth

o   We will never grow in our walk until the family tells the truth

Anger is not always a bad thing, it’s what we do with it!

Ephesians 4:26–27 (NIV)

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.

·      It says in your anger don’t sin

o   Should we be angry when there is an in-justice, YES

o   Should we see someone we love, in habitual sin, and be angry, absolutely

o   Should we be angry with ourselves when we sin, of course!

·      The key in this verse “don’t let the sun go down while your angry”

o   That means we lay that anger at the foot of the cross

o   We seek forgiveness

o   We forgive

o   Before we sleep on it

o   When we hold on to anger it turns to something very ugly, it’s called bitterness

o   And that is so hard to get past

·      Why do we not let the sun set on our anger? So, that devil can’t work his way in!

o   When we don’t forgive

o   When we don’t seek forgiveness

o   It grows in us like a cancer

o   It spreads to every area of our lives

o   And that my friends, that is something Satan can use

o   It leads to gossip

o   It leads to broken relationships

o   Its leads to self-destruction!

Matthew 6:12–13 (NLT)

¹²and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us.

¹³And don’t let us yield to temptation, but rescue us from the evil one.

Matthew 5:23–24 (NLT)

²³“So if you are presenting a sacrifice at the altar in the Temple and you suddenly remember that someone has something against you,

²⁴leave your sacrifice there at the altar. Go and be reconciled to that person. Then come and offer your sacrifice to God.

It’s time to roll up your sleves and get to working on your sin!

Ephesians 4:28 (NLT)

²⁸If you are a thief, quit stealing. Instead, use your hands for good hard work, and then give generously to others in need.

·      This is a metaphor for the old and new self

·      Repent, quit whatever it is, and turn to a new way

·      If you steal, quit, and work hard

·      Then take it one step farther, give generously

·      Whatever your sin is, quit!

·      And don’t just quit, help those that to be delivered from the same sin

·      Be a disciple to those whose shoes you walked

·      That’s being a follower and not a fan

·      That’s understanding the gospel

o   Your fancy bible and Christian talk is not going to lead any one to Jesus

o   Your actions will!!!!!

Time to clean up that mouth!

Ephesians 4:29 (ESV)

²⁹Let 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.

·      You know that thing between your lips, that tongue of yours. it’s time to keep it in check

o   Is this talking about cussing, NOPE

o   Is this talking about dropping the bomb, when you slam your thumb with a hammer?? NO

o   This is talking about controlling your words, the hurtful, self-serving, self-centered, talk that came out of the old you!

·      We should be building folks up

o   This does not mean telling them what they want to hear

o   But telling them what they need to hear in LOVE

o   To build up there walk with Jesus

o   To build up their spirit, to carry them when they need it

o   To encourage, tell the truth in LOVE

2 Timothy 4:2 (NLT)

²Preach the word of God. Be prepared, whether the time is favorable or not. Patiently correct, rebuke, and encourage your people with good teaching.

And know when to keep your mouth shut!

·      As fits the occasion

o   So know when to listen, I mean really listen

o   When you should butt in

o   And when to keep out of it

·      You see its about Grace and Mercy

o   Grace – to be humble, helpful, show compassion

o   Mercy – compassion or forgiveness shown toward someone whom it is within one's power to punish or harm

o   And sometimes Grace and Mercy can be messy

o   It’s not about being walked on

o   It’s about doing everything in love

o   Even if they don’t see it that way, you do the right thing, be honest and hold them accountable

o   Because I would rather you be mad at me now, and see you in heaven!

One of the consequences of our sin

Ephesians 4:30 (ESV)

³⁰And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.

·      We can grieve the Holy Spirit

·      Just like a parent gets hurt, by their kid’s actions

·      So, the Holy Spirit can be hurt by yours

·      And we all know it’s so much easier to help, to instruct a willing child

How many people can finish this for me “I should have listened to my ________”!!

·      I rest my case, so when are you going to realize you should be listening to God, and walk away from the things you know are wrong!!

You have been sealed

·      Your fate is secure

·      Your adoption complete

·      Instead of being the kids that keeps running away

·      Rejoice in your new family

·      Your new Dad

·      And all He has to offer!

Ephesians 4:30 (The Message)

³⁰Don’t grieve God. Don’t break his heart. His Holy Spirit, moving and breathing in you, is the most intimate part of your life, making you fit for himself. Don’t take such a gift for granted.

Get rid of the things that ruin relationships!

Ephesians 4:31 (NLT)

³¹Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior.

·      These are relationship killers

·      They grieve the Spirit

·      They drive people away

·      They don’t glorify God

·      And frankly, its ugly

·      And before you say it, you have a choice

o   A choice to give it to Jesus, or hold on to it

o   All that unforgiveness is the cause for all that sin, that hurt, that baggage you carry

·      Don’t you think it’s time to deal with it??

Because we were forgiven first!

Ephesians 4:32 (NLT)

³²Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.

·      We forgive because Jesus did first

·      We are kind to others. even if they don’t deserve it, Because Jesus did first

·      We are tender hearted, because Jesus was with us first

·      We love other, show grace to others, show mercy to others, Because Jesus showed us first!!!!!