Lisa Godard (Lisa)

TITLE: HoG: Walking Under the Influence (Pt.2) – Eph. 5:15-24 AIM: Some of what it looks like to be under the influence of the Spirit. INTRO: “To God be the glory, great things He has done!” That is certainly an understatement! Among the many great things God has done is the giving of Himself to us, 1st by sending His Son, Jesus, God the Son, to take on our likeness, live a perfect/holy life as our representative, then take on our sin & die on the cross. “So loved He the world that He gave us His Son, who yielded His life an atonement for sin, & opened the life-gate that all may go in. O perfect redemption, the purchase of blood, to every believer the promise of God: the vilest offender who truly believes, that moment from Jesus a pardon receives.” Praise the Lord indeed! We also sang the beloved song, “Amazing Grace,” rehearsing the salvation of wretches like us, the guidance, teaching & protection of God thru “many dangers, toils & snares,” & hope for today & tomorrow, not only in this present age, but in the age to come – “The Lord has promised good to me, His word my hope secures; He will my shield & portion be, as long as life endures.” “Yes, when this flesh & heart shall fail, & mortal life shall cease, I shall possess w/in the veil, a life of joy & peace,” for 10’s of 1000 years &more. The primary way that God fulfills those words is by the giving of Himself in the person of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit regenerates & wakens faith in us. The Holy Spirit convicts & convinces us of our need of a Savior. The Holy Spirit indwells us to flow w/in & thru us as a river of life. The Holy Spirit guides us thru the Word He inspired – the Bible. The Holy Spirit fills us as we believe & yield to His control, which we must daily do. As we do so, under His influence we are enabled to carry out the work of God & send forth the Word of God. We are enabled to be the Church God has envisioned/raised up. Theme: HofG – understanding that we believers in Christ are members of God’s household & seeking to understand what it means to be members of the HofG. I suggested last week that members of God’s household walk/conduct their lives under the influence of the Holy Spirit, to which I would add today that the Holy Spirit’s influence shows in how we relate to God & each other. Let’s look again to Ephesians 5:15-21 & include the next few vss, to vs 24 [READ]. Last week we considered Paul’s exhortation to walk/conduct our lives as followers of Christ, 1) Carefully. “Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise, but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.” We’re to take care to continually put off the old, learn to think new, & put on the new – step by step, day by day. And, we’re to walk 2)Understandingly – w/understanding of the character of life, that the days are evil, & the will of the Lord – who/what God wants us to be in any given situation. And, we’re to live3) Overflowingly – filled to overflowing w/the Holy Spirit. We have the Holy Spirit w/in us if we are in Christ by faith, but we need to be continually filled w/the Spirit, that is, under His influence. David Gudzik pointed out that the word for “be filled” is a “passive imperative” verb, the passive meaning that the filling is not something we manufacture, but it is done to/for us. The imperative means that it is a command, not optional. God thru Paul commands us to be continually filled w/the Spirit, always seeking His control/influence, & always yielding to His control, direction, & power. If we are under the influence of the Holy Spirit, we will consistently put off the old, learn to think new, & put on the new life – Christ-likeness. And, if we are under His influence, certain things will naturally come forth from us, things which in themselves are not natural, things which are even counter-cultural, things which will have an impact on the Church & the world, pointing the lost to Christ. As said last week, God wants to use us in these evil days to encourage & exhort one another, help each other do what is right, what pleases God. Under the Holy Spirit’s influence we will I) Address one another in psalms & hymns & spiritual songs. I think this is certainly talking about worship to God in the midst of/along w/others, but I think it means more. I think it may also mean speaking the truth of Scripture & Christian teaching, often found in hymns of faith, easy to remember. Consider how this may happen. We recognize that the days are evil. Disease happens, people die all too soon, children rebel/stray, the world tries to force us into its mold, the economy is weak, so bros/sis in Christ, as well as those outside church struggle to make ends meet. We falter/fail, get discouraged, lose sight of God’s goodness, promises. We’re bewildered about some things, wondering what to do. So, we’re to address one another, reminding one another of the truths of Scripture, the promises of God, the teachings passed down thruout the history of the Church, etc. We might quote Psalm 23 to one who is facing death, needing hope – “Even tho I walk thru the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are w/me, Your rod & Your staff comfort me…surely goodness & mercy will follow me all the days of my life, & I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” Perhaps Psalm 27 to one facing some seeming insurmountable difficulty: “The Lord is my light & my salvation, whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life, of whom shall I be afraid? …I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living (while I still live)! Wait for the Lord; be strong, & let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!” Or maybe I John 1:9 to one who is struggling w/sin: “If we confess our sins, He is faithful & just to forgive us our sins & to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Or the truth expressed in Phil.1:6 (& the chorus): “He who began a good work in you will be faithful to complete it.” Or for someone who doesn’t know what to do, where to turn: “God will make a way where there seems to be no way…” Using Scripture & familiar words of songs, etc., we can encourage each other, or confront one another, advise or challenge each other. The point is that we are to speak into each other’s lives, being used of the Holy Spirit to minister truth, point each other to God, urging trust, obedience, hope, etc. Then too, under the Holy Spirit’s influence, we are to II) Sing & make melody to the Lord w/all our hearts… This is obviously an attitude & practice of worship. As mentioned last week, we should be God-focused, seeing Him everywhere & in everything, & we should acknowledge Him, worship Him. Christians should go about w/a song in their hearts, & w/all our hearts we should give God praise. The Holy Spirit will always lead us to worship/sing. And when we come together, we sing & worship together, & it should be loud, wholehearted, involved. I know some value music more than others & you may not know every song very well, but I don’t get not singing at all. Think about who you’re singing about/to. Think about the angels – do you think any of them are holding back around the throne of God? And, yes, we should think about others who are gathered w/us. If no one sings, is anyone encouraged to sing? If your heart is not into worship, are others stimulated to worship? Certainly if your heart is not in it you will not benefit. Think about what God has done for us in Christ. Think about His blessings in your life everyday - & sing! Worship is much more than singing, but singing is a big part of worship. We should also listen intently & pray w/earnest, not just listening to the pastor pray. We should be mindful of each other on one hand, & totally focused on God on the other. We each have the responsibility to encourage worship. Our worship not only honors God, but it helps others worship also. If we each have a song in our heart & we come together to sing/worship, don’t you think God delights in that? Also, under the influence of the Holy Spirit, we are to III) Give thanks always & for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ… “Give thanks w/a grateful heart, give thanks to the Holy One, give thanks because He’s given Jesus Christ His Son. Let the weak say, ‘I am strong,’ let the poor say, ‘I am rich’ because of what the Lord has done for us. Give thanks.” Again, as said last week, we can thank God always, because if we are in Christ we have a solid confidence of His presence & promises & a sure hope beyond these evil days. We can thank God for everything, because He’s at work in all things for His glory & our good. How can we fail if we’re w/Him & being led by His Spirit? Our lives should be filled w/thanksgiving to God. He has poured out His grace upon us & continues to daily. He is actively involved in our lives day by day. He is our provider, protector, shield, defender, help in time of trouble, our Savior & Lord, our Counselor & Friend. Thanksgiving should pour forth from us all the time, if we would but think about it. The Holy Spirit will influence us to give thanks always & for everything. That will seem strange to many, but it will also encourage bro/sis in Christ, as well as set a positive tone for our lives & honor God. A thankful heart is focused on God, trusts God, & points others to God. Finally, under the Holy Spirit’s influence we will be led to IV) Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. This is definitely counter-cultural. The Grk wd translated submit is “hypotasso,” meaning “arrange under, subordinate, subject one’s self, obey, submit to one’s control, yield to one’s admonition…” It’s a military term recognizing rank & placing one’s self under rank. In this statement, Paul is calling for us to recognize each other as more imp than ourselves, to put others 1st. How does that work in the church? It’s not about “my way or the highway.” It’s not about “me,” but my bro/sis in Christ. As we’ve discussed in SS (class on Biblical church membership), it’s not about personal preferences. Preferences are ok – we all have them, but your/my preferences don’t take priority over others. As said last week, if we’re under the influence of the Holy Spirit, then we’re led to be humble, consider others 1st, & to gladly place ourselves under whatever authority God has set up. It’s a life of yielding 1st to God & then to others, trusting God w/our lives. We’re to do this, Paul wrote, “out of reverence for Christ” – because He is my Savior/Lord, because I respect & love Him, because I trust Him & have given my life to Him, because He said so. Often the reason we have a hard time submitting to one another is because we are not submitted to Christ as Lord. We are selfish & self-focused & think we know what’s best. We’re to submit to one another, but also to the authority that God has placed over us. God has established lines of authority, which we are to recognize & to which we are to submit. God has established government authority & church authority & the authority of the home, which includes headship over the home & parental authority. We should take very seriously the authoritative structures put in place by God, not only because He says so, but for our own good. I think it was Adam who posted an illustration on FB of God’s line of authority for the home. It was depicted as a series of umbrellas over us. God Himself is the great umbrella of protection over us, then His word, the Bible. Then the husband is in authority over the wife & home, then the parents over the children. If it rains, get under an umbrella & you’ll stay dry. Step out from under & get soaked. Stay under God’s umbrella of protection, including parents & husband, & you’ll be protected by God’s design. Step out in disobedience/rebellion, & you leave yourself unprotected & in danger of spiritual attack. Paul gets very specific in the next section, 5:22-6:4, addressing the authority of the home. I believe he gave us this as very tangible examples of submission. I was going to launch into this section today, but obviously, our time is spent, so we’ll pick this up next week (sorry Pete). But we should remember that it’s a matter of God’s design & reverence for Him. Submission is really about trust in God to know what He’s doing. It’s about doing things His way, in spite of the world’s view of things. It’s about the influence of the Holy Spirit, our counselor & life-source. Under His influence we will live differently 7 & it will show in how we relate to God & to each other. We’re the Household of God!

TITLE: Household of God: Walking Under the Influence – Eph. 5:15-21 AIM: How to conduct our lives, under the influence of the Spirit. INTRO: Not sure if this is still done, & I’ve not personally experienced it, but one way the police used to test a driver’s sobriety was to make that person walk a straight line, perhaps along the side of the road. If couldn’t walk straight, it would be an indication of intoxication, meaning that the person had been driving under the influence. The thought is that you cannot consistently walk straight if you’re drunk, under the influence of alcohol or drugs, etc. It’s quite the contrary for the Christian; a believer cannot consistently walk straight unless he/she is under the influence, not of drink, but of the Holy Spirit. You/I, as followers of Jesus Christ, are given the provision of the Holy Spirit & are called to live our lives by the Holy Spirit, directed & empowered by Him. Theme: HofG – understanding that we believers in Christ are members of God’s household & seeking to understand what it means to be members of the HofG. I would submit to you today for our consideration, that members of God’s household walk/conduct their lives under the influence of the Holy Spirit. We must make it our continual aim to walk by the Spirit. That’s Paul’s concern in our text, Ephesians 5:15-21 [READ]. As have seen, Paul uses that word “walk” numerous times in this epistle. I remind you that the term means to “conduct one’s life,” to live out one’s life. Paul has admonished us not to walk as the Gentiles/unbelievers do, way used to live, but in a new way, in Christ. Ray Stedman, from whom we’ll hear numerous times in this message, correctly pointed out that walking is simply taking 2 steps at a time, repeatedly. And, he said, those 2 steps are “put off” & “put on.” We are to continually put off the old self & put on the new self, intended to be like Christ. Put off, put on, put off, put on, put off, put on – again & again & again. That’s the Christian life – laying aside the old, learning to think new, & taking up, putting on the new – Christ- likeness. Paul exhorted us to “walk in love” & “walk as children of light.” Then, in vs15-21, Paul again address the manner/conduct of our lives as followers of Christ, members of God’s household. We’re to walk/conduct our lives I) Carefully. “Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise, but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.” We’re to watch, turn our attention, direct our mind to, contemplate, weigh carefully how we conduct our lives, how we proceed in life. Stedman points out that Paul didn’t say “watch where you’re going,” altho that’s certainly part of what he was saying; but he wrote, “Be careful ‘how’ you walk. We know where we’re supposed to go – follow Christ, imitate our Father, walk in love, live as children of light, & we need to bear all that in mind. But what we need to pay particularly close attention to is “how” we are walking/living. Are we consistently applying the principle of putting off the old & putting on the new? Are we learning to think new? What does the Bible say? Are we applying the principles of Scripture to our everyday lives? We’re to look carefully how we walk, “not as unwise, but as wise.” According to Strong’s, to be wise is to be “skilled in forming the best plans & using the best means for their execution.” So, we’re to walk/conduct our lives not only carefully, but, in Stedman’s word, II) Understandingly – w/understanding. Stedman points out that we should understand 2 things: A) “The character of life,” or the reality of things, & B) “The will of the Lord” – what is it God wants in any situation? A) The character of life – vs16 – “Making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.” That’s the character of life in this world – evil. That wd means “full of labors, annoyances, hardships, which press & harass, perilous, evil” (Strong’s). That should be no surprise – read the newspaper, listen to the news on TV. Consider the situations in which we find ourselves every day – daily needs, bills, broken lives, broken things, etc. We understand from Scripture (John 10:10) that we have an enemy of our souls who always seeks to “steal, kill & destroy” the work of God & our very lives. The curse of sin is seen all around us in the ills & diseases of life. War, terror, disaster – all over the place. Our government can’t fix these things, tho they may try to manage the damage. But even our gov & govs of world are led by sinful men & women perhaps honestly trying their best, but often w/their own agendas & not having all the tools. Evil days indeed! But something Stedman said is very imp here. It’s very common & understandable that we, recognizing the evil of our days, will tend to be on our guard, watch, ready to retreat. We might well hunker down & sequester ourselves away, so that we might not be harmed or pulled away from God by the evil of the days. Some of that is wise to do, but there’s something more we should do. Here’s what Stedman said: “Evil days promote opportunities – not just obstacles, but opportunities - opportunity to do what is right in any given situation, opportunity to be who/what we ought to be, no matter what anyone else does. Evil days come to give you/I opportunity to grow. James even wrote that they are designed that way, so that we should “consider it pure joy when we encounter various trials” (1:2). Further, evil days make people want to learn about God.” God is giving us opportunity to share the gospel, point others to Christ. So we should take every opportunity evil days give us, & as Paul wrote, make the most of every opportunity, “make the best use of the time…” That is literally, “to redeem the time,” “to buy it up for one’s use, to make wise & sacred use of every opportunity for doing good, so that zeal & well doing are as it were the purchase money by which we make the time our own” (Strong’s). Use the time we have to do/be what is right. So, we are to not be foolish, going our own ways, squandering those opportunities, but we should B) “understand what the will of the Lord is.” What does God want of us – not so much what is His will/guidance for my life – not just what I ought to do w/my life, or what decision I should make in a given situation, but who/what does God want me to be? In every situation, what is it that pleases God? As Pastor Tom pointed out last week, faith is what pleases God - & w/out faith it is impossible to please Him (Heb.11:6). God wants us to take Him at His word. He wants us to understand His viewpoint on life, which He reveals to us in Scripture. He wants us to believe Him that what He has said to us will work for us, is good for us. We can learn from Scripture many specifics of God’s will, what He wants us to be, but there are only 2 places where we read, “This is the will of God for you.” I Thess.4:3 – “your sanctification”- your holiness, turning from sin to God – God ordained growth in Christ-likeness. I Thess.5:16-18 – “Rejoice always, pray w/out ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances…” To live our lives every day w/a God-focus, not divided between church/Sunday & the rest of life Mon-Sat. Stedman admonishes us, “Don’t blindly accept the moral code or follow the guiding principles of the world – what does God say? Believe Him, follow Him. If you’re not pleasing God, what are you doing? Certainly we need help to in any way get it right. That’s why we are to also walk III) Overflowingly – again, Stedman’s wd. “Don’t be drunk w/wine,” Paul wrote, “that’s debauchery…” – unnecessary excess, wasteful; “an abandoned, dissolute life” (Strong’s). Many people turn to drink, drugs, sex, some other substitute to cope w/life, to escape, to somehow stimulate themselves in overwhelming or under towing situations, hoping perhaps that the intoxication will enable them to do what they can’t do themselves. But I’ve never known anyone under the influence of any such substance or substitute to be at their best. Usually it ends in disaster, or at least failure. We need help w/the demands of life & especially w/being able to walk/conduct our lives carefully, wisely, & make the most of the time, pleasing God & becoming who He wants us to be. But Paul was saying here that we should satisfy that need for a 5 stimulant, enabling influence by being filled w/the Holy Spirit. God has made provision for us. He has not left us to ourselves, & we are not meant to be independent of Him. Every believer, when he/she comes to faith in Christ, receives the Holy Spirit, who comes to dwell w/in – a marvelous gift of God, giving Himself to us. But tho we have the Holy Spirit, there is still a need to be continually filled w/the Spirit. That wd filled is the Grk, “pleroo,” meaning “to be made full – filled to the top so that nothing is wanting to full measure.” It is to abound w/. We’re to be filled to overflowing w/the Holy Spirit. Stedman said that “The filling w/the Holy Spirit is the momentary taking from Him of the resources you need for the situation in which you are. It is a quiet drinking again & again & again” from the fountain that’s w/in you. Jesus promised in John 4 (14) that “whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty forever. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” And in John 7 (38) He said, “Whoever believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’” Then John commented, “This He said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were to receive…” If you are in Christ, then the well is in you – the well/reservoir of the Holy Spirit. It’s not about coming to church to get a blessing or going to this meeting or that. Rivers of living water flow w/in you. To be filled w/the Spirit is to drink from that living water in every circumstance, it is to recognize & trust the Spirit w/in you. It is to be directed & empowered by the Holy Spirit, to be under His influence. That’s what we need every moment of every day. Ask the Holy Spirit to fill you. It is a matter of embracing Him by faith (just as we embrace the saving work of Christ), believing He is here & believing He will lead, empower. Walk in step w/Him. Learn to hear His voice. The demands & pressures of life come all the time. Don’t try to meet those w/artificial means, but w/the filling of the Holy Spirit, the well 6 that goes w/you. Drink from Him, be drunk w/Him, be under His influence. Now, it’s interesting that Paul then begins to describe some of what it will look like if we’re under the influence of the Holy Spirit. “Addressing one another in psalms & hymns & spiritual songs…” Speaking to one another from Scripture, encouraging one another w/the truths to which the Spirit leads us. The Holy Spirit will always use the Word of God in our lives, so we should prayerfully read & study & let the Word dwell w/in us. Note that whenever the Holy Spirit is involved it’s not just for our good, but for the good of the body, the household of God. He wants to use us in these evil days to encourage & exhort one another, helping each other to do what is right, what pleases God. “Singing & making melody to the Lord w/all your heart…” This is obviously an attitude of worship. We should be God-focused, seeing Him everywhere & in everything, & we should acknowledge Him, worship Him. Christians should go about w/a song in their hearts, & w/all our hearts we should give God praise. It’s an inward bubbling, knowing that we have God & He is in control. The Holy Spirit will always lead us to worship/sing. You don’t have to sing well or even aloud, but from your heart to God. “Giving thanks always & for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ…” Again, we can thank God always, because if we are in Christ we have a solid confidence of His presence & promises & a sure hope beyond these evil days. We can thank God for everything, because He’s at work in all things for His glory & our good. How can we fail if we’re w/Him & being led by His Spirit? “Submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.” We’ll certainly touch on this more fully next week, but if we’re under the influence of the Holy Spirit, then we’re led to be humble, to put others 1st, to gladly place ourselves under whatever authority He has set up. It’s a life of yielding 1st to God & then to others, trusting God w/our lives. And why shouldn’t we? We’re the Household of God!

TITLE: Household of God: The New Life – Ephesians 4:25-32 AIM: Consider the new life in Christ, coming from a change in heart. INTRO: There have been remarkable gains in medicine over the last 50 yrs & 1 of most amazing has been the ability to transplant organs, esp the heart. In Dec of 1967, Dr. Christian Barnard performed the 1st heart transplant on 53 yr old Lewis Washkansky in Cape Town, S. Africa. How remarkable, to be able to take the heart of 1 person & put it into another & have it work properly! But even that is not as amazing as the heart transplant performed by God in the life of every believer. In Ezekiel 36:26-27 God promised to Israel, “And I will give you a new heart, & a new spirit I will put w/in you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh & give you a heart of flesh. And I will put My Spirit w/in you, & cause you to walk in My statutes & be careful to obey My rules.” This is what God has done & is doing thru the work of Christ in the lives of everyone who believes/receives Christ as Savior/Lord. Theme: HofG – understanding that we are, seeking to understand what it means to be. I would submit to you that members of God’s household have new hearts & live new lives. Years ago, the great Chinese Christian apologist Watchman Nee wrote a great commentary on Paul’s epistle to the Ephesians, which I heartily recommend to you: Sit, Walk, Stand. We are seated in the heavenly places w/Christ, as Paul wrote about in chap2, so we are to rest in what God has done for us in Christ, who we are in Christ, our victory in Christ, our place of belonging in God’s family, knowing & enjoying the immeasurable love of God (Chap1-3). We’ve spent quite of bit of time looking at that “sit” part of Ephesians, and we must always keep it in mind, because out of that truth we are to walk/live the Christian life. Paul urged us to “walk worthy” & to “walk not as the Gentiles do.” We’re to put off the old self, the way we used to live before we came to faith in Christ, be renewed in the spirit of our minds – that is, learn a 2 new way of thinking, learn to think God’s way - & put on the new self, created to be like God. We have new life in Christ & we’re to live new. Living new comes from a new, changed heart & is evidence of that new heart. If you don’t have a changed heart, you have reason to question your conversion. In Christ, we become new from the inside out. Paul gives us some concrete examples of this in text: Ephesians 4:25-32 [READ]. I think Paul probably drew these examples from areas in which the Ephesian Christians may have struggled. We can/should fill in the blanks in our own lives, but these are some basic struggles that we may have also. How might the new life look? In what ways are we to live new? What changes of heart should be evident in our lives? I)Put away falsehood and speak the truth to one another. That phrase “put away” carries w/it the idea of “once for all,” completely. The prevalent thinking in the world is that it’s ok to “adjust” the truth to suit your purposes, whether it’s a little white lie or blatant untruth – we call politicians or their PR people “spin doctors,” because they “spin” the truth to suit their cause/platform. Do what you need to get ahead, make self look good. But lying is following the example of Satan, who Jesus said is “a liar & the father of lies” (John 8:44). If we’re going to follow Jesus, we need to develop the habit of telling the truth. Now, Paul did urge us to speak the truth in love (4:15), so we need to be mindful how we go about telling the truth, but honesty is indeed the best policy. We need to be honest w/God & w/each other. Why? Because of the relationship w/have, 1st w/God & then each other. We who are in Christ are vitally connected to one another. I like the way Paul put it. He didn’t say “you are each members of the body,” which is true, but “you are members of each other.” As A.R. Fausset put it, we (in the Church) cannot “injure or deceive another w/out injuring [ourselves], as all have a mutual & common interest.” The change of heart/way of thinking that should be evident here is that we realize 3 that we are members one of another, we belong to one another. Therefore I will/must promote truth, honesty. Christians aren’t always good at this. For fear of rejection we hold ourselves back, hide the truth of our struggles or the truth of our concerns for each other. As result, we are stunted in our growth individually & as the body of Christ. II)Stop sinning in anger. Paul put it like this: “Be angry & do not sin.” That tells us that we have a choice (always do). Anger is simply an emotion, a reaction to what we see around us or experience against us. But we never have to sin in expression of our anger. We never have to seek revenge. All too many of us are slaves of our anger, instead of its master. We let anger control us, which never leads to anything good. A change of heart is seen in righteous anger, Jesus being our example. When he met a man w/a withered hand & saw the religious leaders watching Him to see if He would heal him on the Sabbath, Jesus looked “at them in anger, grieved at their hardness of heart…” (Mk.3:5). When He saw the money- changers in the Court of the Gentiles leading into the Temple, Jesus took cords & made a whip & drove them out of there, turning over their tables. They were hindering folks from coming to the house of God, intended to be a “house of prayer.” They were making it hard to worship God. There are reasons to be angry: injustice, abuse, abortion, misuse of resources, twisting of truth, etc. But we never have to sin by lashing out in in uncontrolled anger. We can control our anger – we do it all the time. People who don’t are called out of control. But, we who are in Christ can/should be under the Holy Spirit’s control. We also sin when we stew in our anger, letting it linger. A change of heart is seen in dealing w/our anger, addressing the situation in love, & being willing to let anger go. “Do not let the sun go down…” is proverbial. Fausset wrote, “Put it (anger) away at once before another day begins, before you part (w/your brother, spouse, child, etc.) at night.” Deal w/it – forgive, say I’m sorry. Ponder whether 4 it’s really worth it. If we don’t deal w/anger we give opportunity to the devil to divide us, use us to hurt our bro/sis, family, & brokenness results. Anger that is not dealt w/, but stuffed down, kept in, erupts at the littlest thing. How sad & unnecessary! Deal w/it w/God’s help, & perhaps God would use a counselor/pastor/friend to help you deal with your anger – men especially. III)Stop stealing & start giving. Again, Paul was perhaps touching on matters w/which Ephesian believers struggled. Maybe some of the Ephesian Christians used to be thieves. The root Grk wd for thief/steal is “klepto,” which we use today, describing a person who has a problem – kleptomaniac. You may say, “I’m not thief; that not talking about me.” But think about it. God said in Malachi 3 that we rob Him when we hold back the tithe & offering. We steal from others when we don’t give our very best effort, or when we hold back what we have that they may need. We steal from others when we’re “takers,” looking only for what we can get out of a situation, instead of what we can give. All that matters is “What’s in it for me?” That can happen in a church family. Paul talks about a real change of heart here. The 1st change of heart he called for was hard work. “Let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands…” This takes a whole new attitude/approach to life. That word translated labor carries w/it the idea of “exertion to the point of exhaustion.” It’s giving one’s all, spending one’s self. Christians should be the hardest workers at any job, because we’re representing Christ & the Church. That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t work smarter more than harder, but we should do both, giving an honest & total effort in whatever we do. And note Paul’s emphasis of working w/our hands. It takes one’s hands to steal anything that’s a tangible object. What Paul is saying is that we should use our hands for good, to help others in need, to be about God’s business. A change of heart is also seen in the matter of giving: “…that he may have something to share w/anyone in need.” What a 5 turnaround! From stealing/taking, to giving/sharing. As believers, we need to come to the understanding that we are not our own & whatever we have is only ours to use for God’s glory, in His work. Christians generally are & should be the best givers in the world. We’re simply stewards of God’s resources, giving to/sharing w/those in need. That means we must make the effort to notice others & what their needs might be. I know there are many who will try to take advantage, & I also know that no one can give to everyone/organization that has hand out, but we can prayerfully discern to whom/what God would have us give, including the church, of course. And we can be cheerful givers, knowing that God will use us to help others & that we can never out-give God. Don’t be a taker, but a giver. It takes a change of heart. IV)No corrupting talk, but words that build up & encourage. That word “corrupt” means “rotten, putrid, no longer fit for use, worthless,” etc. (Strong’s). That certainly would apply to vulgarity – we need to clean up our talk. Some believers are even proud of their obscenity, profanity. Even had someone say in my hearing once, trying to justify the use of vulgar language, “If you’re going to witness to [some people] you have to speak their language.” But you don’t have to talk like a sailor/biker in order to present the truth to one. As matter of fact, the use of vulgarity might indicate that you’re no different than they. But it’s not just vulgarity that Paul speaks of; I don’t even think that his main intention. It’s primarily hurtful speech that he wrote against – slanderous, degrading, wounding talk. As Pastor Tom pointed out recently, we all know that the childhood saying “Sticks & stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me” is not true, but very much a lie. Words can hurt, cut to the quick, wound the heart. James was certainly right on when he wrote that, “the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness…It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison” (James 3:6, 8). O, how careful we ought to be as we speak to our 6 children, spouse, bro/sis in Christ, & unbelievers. Once spoken, words cannot be retrieved. Once wounded, it takes a long time to heal. Now, you/I ought not to be so easily offended/wounded, but it is primarily the speaker’s responsibility to choose words well & not be injurious. A change of heart is seen when we speak words that encourage, build up, when we & our mouths are instruments of God’s grace. Paul urges us to speak “only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.” Instead of tearing down, we are to build others up. The words “build up” are expressed in 1 Grk wd – “oikodome” – edify - & in Paul’s writing it means the “act of one who promotes another’s growth in Christian wisdom, piety, happiness & holiness” (Strong’s). John Brown wrote, “The things that flow from a Christian’s mouth should build people up, not put them down.” That doesn’t mean we can’t lovingly joke around & jab each other, but we should be careful. Sometimes things said in a joking manner only disguise the intentional thought, & often you can tell. We must be careful what we say to others & about others. Our main aim in what we say must be to build up/encourage. I like the way Paul put it, “as fits the occasion.” Is a kind word called for? Does our bro/sis need encouragement? Does he/she need a loving, gentle rebuke? Correction? Exhortation? We’re to be God’s instruments of grace, used by Him to speak into others’ lives the truths of Scripture, the truth of the Gospel, the truth that might lift them up when they’re down, hurting. That seems as far as we’ll get today, so we’ll pick it up w/vs30 next week, but it’s obvious to me that we as Christians struggle w/things that belong to our old self – anger, lust, selfishness, pride, greed, jealousy, etc. So, the putting off of the old self needs to be an ongoing practice, w/God the Holy Spirit’s help; & the learning & aligning ourselves w/a new way of thinking must also be ongoing, remember what God has done for us, who we are in Christ, & how God wants us to 7 live; & the putting on of the new self, living new, needs to be ongoing, making right choices every day. It’s something that Paul says we must do, but can’t do it ourselves. God must do it for us, in us – that’s why we need the Holy Spirit, who is at work in us, as we set our gaze on Jesus & keep falling in love w/Him. He works in us, changing our hearts, transforming our lives from the inside out. Surrender to Him, submit to the Spirit’s control & He will change us into His likeness (vs24). It’s as Christ lives w/in us that our change of heart is evidenced by our new life. Focus on Him! We are the Household of God!