Ephesians 5:15-21 "Living Wisely In A Foolish Age"

 

Ephesians 5: 15 – 20  is essentially a summary statement of all that we have previously read and considered as we have  thought about practical Christian living  from  Ephesians 4 &5. 

Practical living (ethics, morality and behaviour) is defined not by what we think, but by what God thinks. I trust that you are clear on what God thinks about lying, stealing, corrupt language, bitterness, wrath, anger, clamour, slander, sexual immorality, covetousness etc.  We cannot be indifferent to these issues, because God isn’t. Also, our love for  Jesus is measured  by our obedience to these things:   ”If you love me you will keep  my commandments.” (John 14:15)

We are not going to say much about  5:6-14  which is a strong exhortation  to let no one persuade us or deceive us  to think that  these  things are not really serious in God’s eyes.   The Bible calls us not to listen to the sons of disobedience (5:6). We must have no partnership with such people (5:7). Their endorsement of a lifestyle which is contrary to  God’s word, belongs to the darkness. “It is shameful even to speak of the things that they do in secret.” (5:12). If you are a Christian you belong to the light (5:8). Christians must not participate in the darkness but expose it (5:11,13). When you are a Christian you can have   no part in dark stuff  (5:11-14).

Our passage in 5:15-21 follows the typical pattern of Paul’s teaching. 

Remember? He teaches Christians what to avoid in this world, but he does not end there. He is not just a moralist who says, “Don’t do this …”.  He shows us not just what to avoid, but how to live positively in a God-centred way. He shows us how to replace negative lifestyles with God’s thoughts. The Bible never takes something away, without exchanging it for something better. The Christian life is the exchange of our old, downward spiralling life for a new God-focused, heaven (upward) directed life. Christians are not imitators of the ways of this world. They are imitators of the life of God (Eph. 5:1). Christians focus on that which is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent and praiseworthy in God’s sight (Phil. 4:8). Christians live wisely and discerningly and above all, Christians are committed and submitted to a Spirit –filled lifestyle.

This is all very important. We are about to enter into a very important practical section of our studies in practical Christianity, Ephesians 5:21-6:4 - God willing,  in October, when  we aim to deal with the matter of practical Christian living in the home. Nowhere is our Christianity more crucial and more tested than in our homes. In this regard, it is significant  to take note that that the suitability of a church elder is judged by the way in which he conducts his domestic affairs - by how he relates to his wife and his children (1 Tim 3).

And now with regard to our text, we  shall  consider four vital  aspects of  Christian thinking  and behaviour  before we apply  practical Christian thinking to the marriage,the family and the workplace 

1.      5:15-16 Living wisely  in respect to our use of time

2.      5:17 Living wisely in respect to seeking the will of God

3.      5:18 Living wisely in living a Spirit-filled life 

4.      5: 19,20 Living wisely in living a life of joyfulness and thankfulness

1. 5:15-16  The wise use of time

15 Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, 16 making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.”   Dear people, let us not be naïve about our world. Let us not be naïve about the times in which we live.  In Gal. 1:4  we read   that Christ “gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age…".  No matter what you think at times and what you may have been led to believe - this world is not good. There are aspects, by God’s grace and intervention that are good, but this is a fallen world! It is always mixed with evil, which makes the good unreliable. When the apostle Paul writes to the Ephesians he isn’t writing as an armchair theologian. He had experienced much evil in his own day. He often had been at the receiving end of evil, such as when he was stoned and beaten and imprisoned, and when he went without food and clothes and shelter (2 Cor. 11:23-29). He even confessed that he was wrestling with his own sin (Romans 7). And besides all this he suffered  a thorn in the flesh  which God would not remove - no matter how much Paul pleaded with God (2 Cor.12:7-9). We are not living in a world in which everything is easy and healthy and holy. This requires wisdom. It requires healthy biblical realism.

How then do we live wisely in a world filled with so much evil – both, without and within? The text in 5:15 in its literal rendering says: “See to it that you walk circumspectly (peripateio)…”. Life in a fallen world demands of us that we consider all matters before us with discernment and caution. Impulsive living and giving into mere appearances and prayerless living is the mother of poor decision making. We must live carefully and circumspectly. Everything in this life requires effort and care. We may put much effort  into our jobs, our education,  and our outward  appearance, but  we need to be careful  that we do not neglect  the foundational  disciplines of  training for godliness (1 Tim.4:7,8), so that our marriages, our families  and  every other relationship will be conducted with God given wisdom.

Wise people are called to make the most of their God-given time by making the most out of every opportunity - literally by redeeming (Gk. exagorazo – to buy back) the time. Don’t waste time or opportunities. Time can never be recovered once it is gone. You cannot turn back the clock. Yesterday’s wasted opportunities are gone forever.  I have heard it said by a good number of people who have become believers only in later years, “Oh, how I regret all the years I have wasted in living for myself and without serving God!” 

Jonathan Edwards, the great  American theologian wrote in 1722 in his journal a number of resolutions (commitments). The second resolution reads: Resolved: “Never to lose one moment of time, but to improve it in the most profitable way I possibly can”.

Incoming back to 5:15 we must remember what is said  in  the prior verse in 5:14: “Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.”  A sobering reminder! Many a time we  sleep through  golden opportunities, drifting through life, engaging in meaningless and fruitless activities, never making the most of  the opportunities that present themselves to live for Christ and in His service. Time wasting is the mark of foolish living (5:17).

2.  5:17 Seeking the will of God

“Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is”. Living in an evil age with all its temptations, requires that we need to keep one eye on the world in which we live, and one eye upon God. The great temptation is to live by our  conventional wisdom i.e.  living by what everybody else thinks and says and being saturated by the values of our culture without questioning the culture. We must learn to always question the standards of this world, by asking God, what do you say in your word? It is clear that God’s will is that we should be like Christ. Therefore, anything that comes at us should be examined in the light of God’s Word and this question,  Is this God’s will for my life?

Christians who live arbitrarily and contrary to God’s Will, will find out very soon how painful that path is. They will soon find out  that where they plan to go, God will not go with them. It is as good as walking into the devil’s den. So your happiness in this world very much depends upon your abiding in the will of God. (see Jn. 15:1-9)

3.  5:18 Living a Spirit-filled Life

“And do not get drunk (Gr.methuo) with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled (Gr.pleroō) with the Spirit.” Drunkenness is characterized by a loss of understanding and  a loss of judgment. Alcohol is a depressant, not a stimulant. It depresses the nerve-centre of the brain. It inhibits a person’s self-control, affects their wisdom and understanding, and impairs their sense of judgement, balance and co-ordination. This is why drink is the main cause of all car accidents. It is the main cause of domestic abuse and murder.  Drunken drivers kill others because they are not in control of their faculties, and therefore not in control of the car. Their faculties are possessed by the effect of alcohol. The side effects of alcohol are a ‘hangover’. The excessive intake of drink utterly exhausts a person.  It is significant then  that the apostle Paul uses this ‘spirit’ which controls a man, to compare it with the effects of the Holy Spirit upon a person: “Be filled with the Spirit!”  

I was reading Dr Lloyd Jones’ comments upon this verse, and he had the following fascinating insight to offer as he observes that the Holy Spirit is not a depressant but a stimulant. He writes: “If it were possible to put the Spirit into a textbook of Pharmacology, I would put Him under the stimulants, for that is where He belongs. He really does stimulate… He stimulates the heart, mind and the intellect … after  the Evangelical Awakening  over 200 years ago these besotted, drunken  miners  in the Midlands, in the North and round about Bristol ...were suddenly converted by the power of the Holy Spirit, and they began to clamour for schools, and wanted to be able to read. The Holy Spirit stimulates the mind and awakens one’s faculties and develops them. (Martyn Lloyd Jones: Life in the Spirit, Exposition  on Ephesians  5:18-6:9, Banner of Truth, p.20) ) 

Alcohol does the opposite. It kills brain cells and makes people stupid.The Holy Spirit, by contrast strengthens us. He gives us understanding and intelligence to see things as they really are. He helps us to understand this evil world, and He helps us to overcome the world. He helps  us to see its foolishness. And so we are commanded to “be filled with the Spirit”. 

This statement (5:18b) is written in the imperative mood - hence it is an authoritative command. 

It is written in the plural form, “all you …be filled”, therefore it applies to the whole Christian community. 

It it is written in the passive voice “be filled” i.e. do not fill yourself, but ‘let the Holy Spirit fill you’. 

It is also written in the present tense which has the force of an continuous and ongoing action i.e. keep on being filled with the Spirit. 

The positive, stimulating influence of Holy Spirit makes the difference in our lives! He is indispensable to the living of a life of happiness and true wisdom. We are called to yield to Him!

4. 5:19, 20 Living a joyful & thankful life

“19 addressing one another in psalms, hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart , 20 giving thanks always  and for everything to God the Father, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ…”. This is the result of a focussed life. It gives us freedom, and therefore it gives us real joy. What makes the Christian faith different from others? It is a singing faith! We always have music in our hearts and music on our lips!  A Buddhist temple does not resound with songs of praise. It is more occupied with keeping the evil spirits away. Muslim worshippers never sing. Their worship is never jubilant, filled  with the songs of the forgiven. The Christian has much to sing about because our God reaches into the depth of our fallen beings and sets us free by contrast is great in His love and mercy, and mighty in His power. His Grace is magnificent.

SUMMARY

In the light of what we have learned so far in the 4^th and 5^th chapter, what does the Lord  require of you?  To walk in wisdom  and to understand the world in which you live; always redeeming the time, always filled with the Holy Spirit  and always thankful  and singing God’s praises. This is the God centred life for which you were designed!

Ephesians 4:31- 5:2 Exhibit Christ-like Behaviour!

 

The Christian life is a call to think God’s thoughts after Him.

The Christian life is the imitation of the life of Christ in all aspects of life.  

That is where the thoughts of our passage are leading us today. We have already covered a lot of ground on the nature of practical Christian living in this 4^th Chapter. We have thought about the importance of humility, gentleness, patience, bearing with one another in love (4:2), eager to maintain the unity of the Holy Spirit (4:3-6). 

We have thought about the importance of appreciating the foundational gifts for ministry (4:7-11) which export themselves into an “every member ministry” in the church (4:12-16). 

We have seen that the church is composed of a body of people that has a fundamentally different attitude and lifestyle to the world. Christ in us makes all the difference (4:17-24). 

From here we have seen how Paul considers specific areas in which our lives become renewed and reformed: habits of lying, anger, stealing, badmouthing are replaced by loving truth-telling, by a controlled anger, by a positive work ethic, and by constructive speech (4:25-29). 

Extreme care is taken not to grieve the Holy Spirit (4:30).  

This is what we have covered so far, and there is more to come.  We need to be trained in righteousness, and we must not assume that these things will come to us without constant reminder and practise and help from God. Sadly we frequently see a huge disconnect between what professing Christians say and believe and what they do. True Christians however are not slaves to sin. Christians possess the power of the Holy Spirit to put off old habits and to put on   the life that God desires us to live.

With this in mind then,  and  the Holy Spirit being present   and our Helper, we consider  the next few verses in 4:31-5:2. We shall find the same writing pattern as before. Paul encourages us to replace old ways of living (negative behaviour) with new ways of living – informed by the truth as it is in Jesus (4:21).  Jesus makes the difference!  Grace in the soul  follows a person’s conversion.  This is not a call to pull yourself up by your own bootstraps. This is a call to obey God who gives grace to  all who call upon Him.

OUTLINE

(i)                 4:31 Put  off (away)

(ii)               4:32 Put on

(iii)             5:1-2  Be imitators of God

1.      4:31 Put off

“Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamour and slander be put away from you along with all malice.”   Let us look at  5 more  things that we need to put off   

·         Bitterness: (Gr.pikria) - a sour spirit / sour speech – “an embittered  and resentful spirit which refuses to be reconciled.”[1]

·         Wrath (Gr. thymos) – passionate rage  and anger (Gr. orge)- a more settled and sullen hostility

·         Clamour (Gr. kraugē)-  getting  excited, shouting / screaming 

·         Slander (Gr. blasphemia) – speaking evil of others

·          Malice  (Gr. kakia) wishing evil  and /or plotting evil against  people

The first is bitterness.  This attitude comes through negative life experiences, which we internalise, allowing them to fester in our souls over some time. The terrible thing is that we think that we are entitled to hold on to our bitterness, little realising that this actually makes us ugly people. And at the heart of this problem is a   failure to take hurtful matters to God and to leave the hurts with Him (e.g. Matt. 11:28-30 “Come to me all you who labour and  are heavy laden , and I will give you rest “). Worse still, some blame God for allowing them to fall into certain trials or hardships. Bitterness has deep roots and gives birth to all sorts of further ugly emotions, some of which we see here:  wrath, anger, clamouring- i.e. shouting and screaming and slandering and wishing evil upon others.  You see this string of emotions described in Hebrews 12:15ff where it is related to Cain, who ultimately killed his brother Abel.

We see this spirit of bitterness also in the parable of the prodigal son in Luke 15. On the one hand we have the father of the prodigal son. He seems to have every human reason to be    embittered by the actions of his younger son. But not so! He welcomes his wayward boy back with open arms. This is not the case with his older brother. He is bitter and angry against father and younger brother (15:28). The sad thing there was that his accusations against his father weren’t true.  He had lost nothing. Everything in the estate was now his.  But he was a bitter man and that made him an ugly and a discontented  man.

2.      4:32: Put on

 “Be kind to one another, tender hearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.”  Again, let us begin by looking at the words:

·         Kind (Gr. chrestos lit. to be good and gracious) – note how close it is to Christos- the Name of Christ.  This word is also used  in Luke 6:35, “But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the  ungrateful and the evil…” 

·         Tender-hearted (Gr. eusplachnos; lit. well out of the heart/affections – to be compassionate, coming from the heart.

·         Forgiving one another – (Gk.  charizomenoi);   lit. acting in grace towards one another-  as God in Christ has acted in grace towards us.

The negatives in  4:31  are to be  exchanged  by  these  habits. A changed heart must issue in changed behaviour. Here lies the proof of our salvation.  And even if we do mess up (and there is no one that doesn’t at times) then the  default behaviour   instilled by the new  birth will issue in repentance and  renewal.  

We need to be kind. We need to be to be like Jesus and like our heavenly Father who is kind to those who actually should not deserve kindness. See how kind God is. His sun shines on the just and the unjust. The unjust breathe His air and enjoy His creation. They enjoy His many laws by which He keeps the world stable. In some ways they even enjoy the effects of His gospel (making kind, compassionate and forgiving people), by which He constantly pours out grace into our societies and into this world.  God is kind.  We must be kind.   

We need to cultivate a tender-hearted, compassionate spirit. The parable of the Good Samaritan (Lk. 10:25-37) is a story about true compassion on the part of a Samaritan and lack of compassion on the part of a priest and a Levite. The Samaritan   exhibits the compassion of Jesus. Jesus was compassionate  and we see it in His  frequent dealings with the crowds that came to Him – harassed, like sheep without a shepherd.

We need to cultivate  forgiveness. In order to extend forgiveness we need to understand what God has done in forgiving our sins.  When God forgives He does so completely: “As far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions” from us (Ps. 103:12). A word of clarification:  God does not ignore sin. He cannot do that. His holy nature will not allow that. So how does He do it? He punishes every sin either in hell or on the cross.  So, if you repent from your sin  and  believe in the Lord Jesus and trust in His finished work on the cross,  then you may be assured that your sin is taken care of in the cross.  If you  will cling to your sin, then you will bear  the consequences of these  in eternal hell.

Those who know  that their sins  are forgiven  bear a debt of gratitude. So they pray, “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive them that trespass against us.” What are we saying when we tell our heavenly Father, “we forgive them that trespass against us”?  Three things:

·         I will not bring the matter up to you.

·          I will not bring the matter up to another.

·         I will not bring the matter up to myself.

It is when you realize that you are the recipient of a forgiveness that you did not deserve, that you are then suddenly freed from the power of a hard heart and  bitterness. You realise  that God has been better to you than you  deserve!  The story of the woman in Luke 7:36ff illustrates the point.  She had been a sinner – an immoral woman.  But Jesus  has dealt with her soul. She had been forgiven her many sins. She wants to show her gratitude, and   in response she comes to a house where He is at supper and she begins to pour expensive perfume over his feet.  The Pharisees and religious teachers judge her. Jesus commends her, and tells them that this  woman loves much because she has been forgiven much. They saw themselves as righteous, not in need of God’s forgiveness, and therefore they showed no love for Jesus.

So the secret of not living in the spirit of bitterness, wrath, anger, clamour, slander and malice is in running to Jesus, whose life in us  enables us to  live  in  kindness,  tenderness  and forgiveness.

3.       Eph.  5:1,2  Imitate God … and walk in love  

“Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave Himself  up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice  to God.”  

The commandment to imitate God is rooted in a very simple and profound fact:  Walk in love because that is what the Lord Jesus did for you on the cross.  He loved you by giving up His life for you as a sacrifice for you. He gave His life for yours, so that you do not need to bear the righteous wrath of  a holy  and just God.  

This is a call  to  you  and I to live a radically God centred life: Imitate  God (5:1); learn Christ (4:20);  Not grieving the Holy Spirit (4:30) ! 

Notice the grace foundations of Paul’s teaching concerning the Christian life. We are  to be kind, compassionate  and  forgiving  to others  because that  is what God is to us.  You and I don’t deserve forgiveness , but God  gives it to us in the Name of Jesus —  while we were yet sinners (Rom. 5)

O the love of God,  and  the deep, deep love of Jesus, His Son! It’s an amazing thing. May the Holy Spirit help us to understand that.  It is the instant cure to all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamour and slander and malice. It is the cure to a toxic society.  And when that understanding  is shared among a large group of people in our  congregation, and many congregations in our country and in the world then  we have a  healthier world where  people bear with one another in  all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing  with one another in love (4:2). 

These  are much superior  goals than  pursuing climate change policies as a primary goal for curing the ills of this world, don’t you think? Because when the heart is changed in this way, all other things including managing  our fragile environment  will change.

---

[1] John Stott : Ephesians  BST commentary, p.  190

Ephesians 4:30 "On Grieving The Holy Spirit"

 

Becoming a Christian is the greatest privilege in all the world.  The experience of receiving peace with the God  who made us in His image, whose holiness we have assaulted, whose wrath we have incurred  as a result of the fall – this peace  by the forgiveness of our sin by Christ’s shed blood, applied  by  the inner working of the Holy Spirit  is, as we said an unspeakable privilege.  All this stunning information concerning our salvation forms part of Paul’s first part of the letter (Ch’s 1-3)  to the Ephesians. 

However, new privileges also mean new responsibilities. This is how he starts the second half of the letter (Ch’s  4-6)  –  which forms  the application….  “I urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called” (4:1).  Becoming a Christian is a total renewal of our entire being, in which we will also one day be renewed in our bodies[1]. In the meantime the renewal of our sinful nature takes place. We are called to put off our old self (4:22) putting on “our new self, created after the holiness of God in true righteousness and holiness “(4:24). Becoming a Christian means to follow Christ wherever He leads. And part of that means that we need to be sensitive to the inner work of the Holy Spirit with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. We are now coming to a very thought provoking verse in Ephesians 4:30: “And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.“

NOTE on being “sealed with the Holy Spirit”

The Bible teaches that, upon conversion the Holy Spirit comes to indwell the believer and secures and preserves his eternal salvation. The ‘sealing’ of which Paul speaks refers to an official mark placed on a letter, contract, or other document. By this means a document became official, sealed by the authority of the person whose stamp was on the seal. The Holy Spirit is given by God as His pledge of the believer’s future inheritance in glory (cf. 2 Cor. 1:21). The Holy Spirit authenticates / testifies in our hearts that we are the children of God.

4 Observations  from our text

·          The Holy Spirit can be grieved in the church

·          Things that cause  the Holy Spirit to be grieved  in the church

·         The  implications  of grieving  the Spirit in the church

·         Could we  be grieving the Holy Spirit ?

1.         The Holy Spirit can be grieved in the church 

We begin by  looking  at 4  ways  in which the Holy Spirit  is said to be  grieved :

(i) Eph. 4:30  by grieving the Spirit (lypeo lit. causing pain to body or mind, inducing grief, sorrow or heaviness) 

(ii)  Acts 7:51 by resisting  the Spirit (antipipto lit. to  fall against ) The  martyr  Stephen accuses  the Jews, ”You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit. “     

(iii) 1 Thess. 5:19 by quenching the Spirit  cf.”Do not quench the  Spirit” (sbennumi  used for quenching of fire;  the same  word is also used in Eph.  6:16  to denote the quenching  of the flaming arrows of the evil one).

(iv) By blaspheming  against  the Holy Spirit – (blasphemeo in  Mark 3:29  which relates to the unforgivable (eternal) sin  of which Jesus accuses the  teachers of the law. The sin of these people was of an ongoing nature as they kept on saying…. There is an air of finality about this offense against the Holy Spirit. The first three words do not have the same air of finality about them, but they are warning signals and indicators that the Holy Spirit is being grieved. When they become habitual they may well lead to the unforgivable sin.

The fact the Holy Spirit can be grieved, resisted, quenched and blasphemed makes it clear that the Holy Spirit is not a mere ‘influence’. He is a person, because only persons can feel these things.   Let us be reminded then that since He is the Holy Spirit, He is always grieved by unholiness.  This brings us to the next point.

2.         Things that cause the Holy Spirit to be grieved 

Here we are not left to do any guesswork. The context shows us HOW the Holy Spirit may be grieved in the church. Consider that which precedes and that which follows from our text in 4:30. Remember, that chapter 4 began with a reference to “make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace… there is one body and one Spirit …”.

The Holy Spirit is grieved  when  the unity  of the Spirit  in the church is  assaulted by  divisive  people (see 1 Tim 1:3-4; 4:1-3; 6:3-5; 2 Tim 2:14, 16,17; Titus 3:9-11). I don’t think that the church of the last 100 years has adequately meditated upon this verse. The division of the church in the last century has been shocking! I am not saying that division can always be avoided, or that it is not sometimes even necessary - particularly when relates to  upholdingprimary truth (1 Cor. 11:19). But the sad truth is that churches have divided on matters of secondary importance. We must not become guilty of this.  In Matt. 18:7 Jesus warns us, “Woe to the world for the temptations to sin! For it is necessary that temptations come, but woe to the one  by whom the temptation comes!”

The Holy Spirit is grieved when Christians refuse to put off old habits of life, and  fail  to demonstrate new patterns of godly living (4:20-25)

We also  see from our context  that the Holy Spirit is grieved when  people  cause division  through the improper use of their tongues (4:29).The Holy Spirit is grieved  when Christians  gossip, slander, belittle others  and  when  they  spread lies. If these things are not stopped among us it can become a negative church culture. 

The same is true when people are allowed to express ungodly anger in the church (4:26, 31).  The Holy Spirit is also grieved when bitterness (a deep root that defiles many- Hebr. 12:15) settles in the church.  He is grieved when there is unaddressed sexual immorality in the church. He is grieved when there is covetousness and obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking in the church  (5:3,4). These are all signs of idolatry, and no idolater will inherit the kingdom of heaven (5:5). These are all serious matters that ultimately reflect the true state of our heart. If you claim to be a Christian, claiming to be sealed by Him for the day of redemption, but your life shows no changes then you are indeed grieving the indwelling Spirit, and the church is affected by your behaviour.  When such things  control the church (and the church is made up of individuals),  the Spirit is grieved in the church.  We will speak about the implications in a moment. 

It is the duty of the elders as shepherds of the church to watch and pray, to  encourage and admonish  and warn and teach their flock  concerning  these things. The Scriptures for instance instructs elders to “warn a divisive person once, and then to warn him a second time. After that, have nothing to do with him“ (Titus 3:10). As your pastors we plead with you not to receive this instruction in vain. 

# Your sin matters. 

Your sin as a church member affects us all.  From Joshua 7 (the sin of Achan) we learn that private sins have public effects. The whole nation of Israel suffered, because Achan sinned.  The whole human race today suffers because Adam sinned. The private sins of church members can have public effects on the life of the church. This brings us to the next point. 

3.         What are the implications of grieving the Spirit? 

(i)         The Holy Spirit withdraws: There are many examples in the Old Testament in which we read that the Lord withdraws from His people when they had sinned. When that happened, they always lost against their enemies (Ps. 44:9; Ps 60:10).  David was very aware of  the consequences of his own  sin after he had  committed adultery  with Bathsheba: “Do not  cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me“ (Ps. 51:11).

In the New Testament  we find that  this  same   Ephesian  Church,  some 30 years later,  was warned  by the Lord Jesus in His message to John  in Rev. 2:5 that He  would  remove their lampstand, should  they not listen what the Spirit had to say to the church.

When sin or unholiness (as previously described) is allowed to dominate the life of the church, and the elders or the church do nothing about it, the Holy Spirit withdraws. We may well continue with church activities, but there will be no spiritual power. Beware the church that is handed over by God! 

Our duty then  is to watch over one another, to pray and intercede for each other that we may not sin  against the Lord. Beloved congregation, pray that we will not grieve the Holy Spirit.  We are called to be a holy people.

(ii)        The Holy Spirit becomes our enemy: Isa 63:10  speaks about the Israelites,  who had enjoyed  the covenantal blessings and the love of  God  like no one else. Isaiah says, 10 But they rebelled and grieved his Holy Spirit; therefore he turned  to be their  enemy and himself fought against them.”   I have only one  comment to make at this point : If God is against us, who can be for us ? (Reversing the question in Rom 8:31)

4.         Application: Are we grieving the Holy Spirit in our church?

A checklist is here before us in Eph. 4 – 5:18.  Please take some time on this Lord’s day and examine yourselves in the light of His Word.  

Psalm 4:4 challenges us, “Ponder in your own hearts on your beds and be silent”.

Remember also that we are corporately responsible for the spiritual health of this congregation.  No one ever sins in isolation.  Your private sin has public effects (see Joshua 7) - firstly on your families, and then on the church, and even on public life. Don’t be complacent concerning these things. The church cannot be complacent in these matters.

Right  now let us  allow to take  a few minutes as we search our hearts and are silent,  as we  come to the Lord’s table.

 

 

 

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[1] 1 Corinthians 15:35-49

Ephesians 4:29 "The use of the Tongue"

We continue our thoughts on the general subject of Practical Christianity through the lens of Ephesians 4. 

We now turn to Eph. 4:29 which addresses the matter of speech or the use of the tongue. Speech is one of the primary characteristics that set us apart from the animals: “Let no corrupting (lit. sapros – rotten) 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 ."

Our tongue is clearly an important part of our Christian testimony. Paul writes to Timothy, “Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity"[1 Tim. 4:12]. 

Paul reminds us that the Christian life is characterised by purity and godliness, since we are created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness (Eph.4:24). 

In Eph. 5:1 we are called to be imitators of God. 

Brothers and sisters, God is holy and pure, and we are called to imitate Him in His holiness and purity, by means of the grace and faith which we have received when we became believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. We need to constantly submit our bodies to God. He must guide our hands, our feet, our eyes, our ears and our mouths. 

Remember also that everyone you speak to will spend eternity somewhere, and it is the Christian’s responsibility to lovingly reflect Jesus to people. We need to be constantly reminded of these things. 

As we look at this text we note yet again the typical pattern of Paul’s dealing with all these issues. He states the life problem (negatively) “Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths…“ before he gives a direction (positively) “….but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. “ 

He does not take away, without putting something in place. Let us consider the subject by following his approach. 

1. DO NOT …! "Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths"

Many TV sitcoms, sadly, thrive on situations where husbands and wives, parents and children, or co- workers talk each other down! Some of you will remember the BBC sitcom “Fawlty Towers”. It is very funny until you think further about it. Basil Fawlty, the owner of a hotel essentially thrives on being loud and abusive. His wife Sybil is no better. She constantly talks him down. It is sad, isn’t it that we laugh at something that reflects essentially negative behaviour. In truth, none of us likes to be talked down, and if this is so we should not be endorsing or laughing at shows where people put each other down. 

• The tongue gives expression to our mind, will and emotion. 
• It is clearly deeply affected by our fallen nature. 
• The tongue is not naturally well - behaved. 
• There are few parts of our body that give more of a foothold to Satan than the tongue. In fact, most of our sins are in our words. 

As we consider our text in particular and the Scriptures in general, we note how our speech has been affected adversely. 

In our immediate context in Ephesians 4 we note that the tongue...

 

in 4:25 … is used for lying; misrepresenting the truth. 

In 4:29 … is used for tearing others down, rather than building them up. 

In 4:31 … is used to express bitterness, rage, anger... slander. 

In 5:4 … is used for obscenity, foolish talk; coarse joking... 

In general, the letter of James teaches us concerning the use and abuse of the tongue 

 • James 1:26: " If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless. “ That is strong language! But is that not the truth? Can one be a Christian and use one's tongue indiscriminately? 

 • James 3:1-12: “Not many of you should presume to be teachers, my brothers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly. 2 We all stumble in many ways. If anyone is never at fault in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to keep his whole body in check. 3 When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. 4 Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. 5 Likewise the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. 6 The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell. 7 All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and creatures of the sea are being tamed and have been tamed by man, 8 but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. 9 With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God’s likeness. 10 Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be. 11 Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? 12 My brothers, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water. “

James makes the powerful point that the tongue, though it is a small part of the body, it has great capacity to create huge consequences. Let us learn to control it.

A little story illustrates the powerful damage that may be caused by the tongue. The story is told of a woman who had spread a slanderous story about another person in the village in which she lived. Soon the entire village had heard it. Sometime later she confessed that the story was untrue. She asked for forgiveness. The offended person answered: "Of course I must forgive you, if you will comply with a wish of mine." "Gladly," replied the woman. The other person said, “Take a bag of feathers and go through the village, and at each corner, scatter a few of these feathers…" She did so, and when she returned she was told, “Now go through the village and gather the feathers again…” The woman looked at the other person in astonishment and said, “That's impossible; the wind has scattered them over the fields everywhere!" The person answered, "That’s right - and that's the damage done through your slanderous speech. While I gladly forgive you, do not forget that you can never undo the damage your untrue words have done. " 

That is the message of James 3:1-12. The tongue can do irreparable damage. God forgives, and so must we, no matter how great the offense, but the damage remains. There are some things that can never be completely undone, even while forgiveness is freely granted. The scars may last a lifetime. For the offended person it is important to "…get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger" – WHY? Because wrong things can be so easily said and done in return. 1 Peter 3:9 says that we should not return insult for insult, but give a blessing instead. This is what Jesus demands of us. 

Here are some aspects of negative speech that we should avoid.

 

Be careful to label people…. he / she is a so and so. 

Be careful to use sarcasm, ridicule, and mockery. 

Be careful to use exaggeration and words such as, “you always” or “you never.” Be careful to grumble and complain. We are called to do all things without grumbling or complaining (Phil. 2:14). 

Be careful to use destructive criticism. 

Be careful to speak under the influence of anger. We saw in 4:26, 27 that anger needs to be carefully controlled. 

Be careful to argue for arguments sake or to win an argument. 

Be careful of every kind of deception, lying and manipulative speech. 

Be careful not to indulge in gossip and slander. Do not use profanity, and especially do not use the Lord’s Name in vain (e.g. O my God). Do not engage in filthy talk, foolish talk or crude joking (cf. 5:3, 4) 

 (ii) DO!  "...but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear."

At the same time we must not presume that we are not to use our God- given tongue. Clearly, the tongue also has healing powers. The tongue has much potential to do well. What we say has so much potential for bringing healing. Our mouths can be true means of God’s grace! 

Think of the times when you had spoken to someone, and when they said: “Thank you for saying that – it meant a lot to me… it helped me … it turned me from a wrong path … it encouraged me … comforted me … rebuked me … warned me etc.

The book of Proverbs affirms that the tongue may have a wonderfully positive effect: 

 • Prov. 10:20 “The tongue of the righteous is choice silver… 

 • Prov. 12:25 “An anxious heart weighs a man down, but a kind word cheers him up. “ 

 • Prov. 15:2 “The tongue of the wise commends knowledge, but the mouth of the fool gushes folly.” 

 • Prov. 15:4 “The tongue that brings healing is a tree of life, but a deceitful tongue crushes the spirit.” 

Paul gives the Ephesians positive and helpful counsel on how to use the tongue: 

• Eph. 4:25 …to speak truthfully. 

• Eph. 4:29 …to speak according to that which is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. 

• Eph. 4:31 …to be kind and compassionate to one another. 

• Eph. 5:4 … to use your tongue for thanksgiving. 

Build others up through frequent encouragement, praise, appreciation and gratefulness: “Therefore encourage one another and build up one another, just as you also are doing.” (1 Thess. 5:11). 

Let your speech be seasoned by the fruit of the Spirit - love, patience, peace, kindness, gentleness. 

When you need to correct someone do it in the same spirit. 

Never lash out, even if the person is in the wrong. 

Pray about your response and think how to help the other person to grow in Christ. 

Every pastor and every Christian should know and practice 2 Timothy 2:24-25, “The Lord’s bond-servant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged, with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition, if perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth." 

Our text suggests in particular that we speak,  “…but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. “ 

Ask yourself therefore: 

Am I building others up? 

Is my mouth a means of grace? 

Am I meeting a need with the words that are coming out of my mouth? 

Am I building up the faith of the people who listen to me? 

You see, it is not just a matter of avoiding dirty (rotten) words. 

It is not just about training ourselves to engage in positive speech which can simply end in flattering others. 

We are called to train ourselves in constructive, up-building speech. 

Learn to leave others behind in a better shape than you find them. That is the Christian extra! 

May the Lord Himself sanctify our tongues through and through, so that in all our speaking we may give glory to His Name, for that is the purpose for which we have been created.